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Forgetting Philadelphia
by Khaled Elsayed
22/7/2009
 If Forgetting Sarah Marshall has taught us anything its that sometimes the grass isnt always greener on the other side, and that when youre not wanted its not always a bad thing. Maybe someone should send Donovan McNabb a copy.
Despite being one of the best quarterbacks of the 21st century Donovan McNabb has never truly been embraced by a fan base who have been so quick when it comes to raining down the boos on the man chosen to be their franchise Quarterback with the 2nd pick of the 1999 draft. It doesnt seem to matter that during his time his receivers have been limited (outside of a venture with Terrell Owens which was short, sweet for a bit and utterly destructive thereafter) or the success he has had, some Eagles fans always seem to have their eye on whats beyond Donovan.
Now its fair to say that Philadelphia sports fans can be notoriously hard to please but their treatment of their quarterback is surprising when you consider just exactly what McNabb has achieved. 4 NFC East Division Championships despite playing in a division loaded with talent, 4 NFC Championship Game Appearances and a SuperBowl appearance are success he has helped bring to a team. In fact of the 21 playoff appearances the Eagles have made, 7 of these have been under the stewardship of the most winningest Quarterback in Philadelphia history.
Yet we saw it last year and we saw it before, how the fans quickly turned on their franchise quarterback booing him after he struggled mid season culminating in a woeful performance against a very strong Ravens defence. While they eventually put that aside as the season finished with a strong playoff run ending in a disappointing defeat in the NFC Championship game, once the season was over the same murmurs were being heard that McNabb just wasnt good enough to win the big one.
 Now theres plenty of evidence to suggest this. The numerous NFC Championship game defeats, the talk of him being sick during the SuperBowl defeat to the Patriots, and the fact he doesnt exhibit the consistency of some quarterbacks. But then even Quarterbacks cant be expected to be perfect can they? It took Peyton Manning how many years to get to a SuperBowl and when he got there it can be argued it was his teammates rather than he that carried the load. But the Colts fans didnt turn their back on their franchise quarterback so why the Eagles are fans so quick to?
Is it really just down to McNabbs performance and this belief he wont hoist a Lombardi trophy? Or have Eagles fan never gotten over their preconceptions regarding McNabb and their desire to select Ricky Williams? In a sick way is it better to be proven right and have a maligned Quarterback than admit you were wrong and embrace one of the best quarterbacks of the modern generation? No doubt if McNabb was at that level of a Brady or Manning then the past would be the past, but being constantly in a grouping below leaves that door open to not being content with what they have and wanting more, when there is very little out there.
 Most franchises would be desperate for the kind of performance McNabb has produced over the last 10 years to stabilise their franchise, and while only one team can win the big one, the fact that Philadelphia have among the highest winning percentages is not something to be dismissed as it seems some Eagles fans are by wanting rid of the man who led them to this record.
And what if they do get rid of McNabb? We enter the unproven with the Kevin Kolb era, and from the brief game time he has seen there is nothing to suggest hell be what McNabb isnt to the Eagles fan base. Much like Sarah Marshall discovered while dating Russell Brands character, the grass isnt always greener and once we no longer have what we once had we soon get a greater sense of appreciation for what they once brought us. And like she discovered once you turn your back on that, its pretty much gone forever.
So how many times can the Eagles fans turn their back on Donovan McNabb? A new contract came his way as he restructured his deal, but for the first time last year we saw signs that management was giving into fan demand to replace McNabb as he was benched and if McNabb goes through a similar rough spell this year whos to say change wont be forthcoming, and this time be more permanent.
In which case could we see McNabb playing his trade elsewhere? This time next year plenty of teams could be in need of a franchise Quarterback to spearhead a championship charge and perhaps after all the drama of Brett Favre to the Vikings this year, when he finally retires that type of situation would be ideal for someone who can look after the ball as well as McNabb. Something similar could be said of Carolina, or a great number of teams who you feel would be legitimate SuperBowl contenders (as the Eagles are with him) if Donovan McNabb was their QB.
Perhaps in the end Donovan McNabb could find a team that fully appreciates him. And maybe then hell be able to forget Philadelphia.
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