poidog22 Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I haven't seen this posted yet. They still are the defending NFC champs, but they don't seem to be the same team they have been in recent years....Man, we gotta beat these guys the next time around. McNabb's Billboard Material Posted on Thu, Oct. 16, 2003 McNabb sees Eagles as best in the NFC East By Bob Brookover Inquirer Staff Writer His thumb is badly bruised, his statistics are brutally bad, and his team is tied for last place in the NFC East. Confidence? That's not a problem for Donovan McNabb. Never was that more evident than yesterday, when the Eagles quarterback sat in front of a large media gathering at the NovaCare Complex and announced that the Eagles were still the team to beat in the NFC East. That's a bold declaration to make when you've just lost to the first-place Dallas Cowboys and you're only four days away from playing the New York Giants, a team that is supposed to challenge for the division title. Nevertheless, McNabb still believes the Eagles are the team to beat in their division. He said the film of Sunday's loss to the Cowboys is proof enough for him that the better team did not win. "Now, people say, is Dallas for real or are they the best team?" McNabb said. "Clearly, if you watch the film, they're not. And that's even when we didn't play well. So what does that tell you?" When asked whether the Eagles were still the best team in the NFC East, McNabb answered in one word. "Yes," he said. How can McNabb make that claim with the offense in disarray and the Cowboys two games ahead of the Eagles? "We should have won last week's game," McNabb said. "We go out and play well against the Giants and the next opportunity we have to play against those [NFC East] teams, we have to be able to execute then. But everyone knows in order to win the NFC [East], you have to be able to go through Philly." As always, McNabb received support from his teammates. "Donovan is the team leader," wide receiver Freddie Mitchell said. "Anything Donovan says, we back him up. He speaks for us just like [coach] Andy Reid speaks for the whole team in general. We definitely do feel like we're the team to beat. We're the division champions, so why shouldn't we be?" The list of reasons the Eagles aren't the team to beat in the NFC East is actually quite long. There is the little matter of the quarterback's ailing right thumb and the offense's inability to move the ball through the air. McNabb was questioned about both issues again yesterday. He continued to say simultaneously that the thumb is affecting his play, but it's not going to keep him from playing Sunday against the Giants. He wouldn't even consider missing a couple of days of practice. "I definitely want to show the team that I will be out here every day for them," McNabb said. "I'm not here to take days off. That would have to be a call that the training staff would have to make. I want to be out there at all times. I want to show the team that despite everything that's been going on and despite how the thumb is feeling, I'm still out there practicing." McNabb is under the impression that his thumb will heal with time. "I definitely hope so," he said. "That's the way I see it. It will heal even without time off. I think you have to fight through it. It's not that my finger is going to fall off or I need surgery or anything like that. If it hurts that bad where you can't go out there and play, then obviously you shouldn't be out there. But if you can fight through it and go on out and play, then get out there and make some plays." Would McNabb's thumb heal with time off? Trainer Rick Burkholder was not available to answer that question yesterday. Though McNabb insists that he is going to fight through the pain, he also admits that it was a contributing factor to his poor performance Sunday against Dallas when he completed 11 of 26 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown. "In order to throw the ball, you have to have your grip in a position where you're able to follow through and flick your thumb down," McNabb said. "That may hinder a little bit of everything I do. But, again, I'm not here to make any excuses." The company line continues to be that McNabb is only a part of the reason the Eagles' offense is ranked 30th among the league's 32 teams. Offensive tackle Jon Runyan, who will renew his line-of-scrimmage battle with Giants defensive end Michael Strahan on Sunday, said the line has to do a better job of protecting the quarterback. "We had a few pressures early in that game," Runyan said. "If you look at any defensive philosophy, if you can get to the quarterback early and get hits on him, it's going to cause a problem. Up front, we let them get to him early and it got him out of his rhythm." McNabb has been sacked 18 times, tied for fourth most in the NFL. "There were times when Donovan had a little bit of pressure, but there were also times when Donovan had time," Reid said. It could also be argued that the wide receivers are a big part of the offense's problem. The Eagles are the only team in the NFL without a touchdown by at least one of their wide receivers. "We all need to do our jobs a little better," Reid said. That's especially true if they still want to be the team to beat in their division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 bwahahaha. I hope he and the rest of them keep thinking that way. That sound you hear is their window of ooportunity closing fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Hog Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Yeah Donovan, and the Cardinals are the best team in the NFL...........blah, blah, blah................go out and prove it then. Actions speak louder than words. :eaglesuck :moon: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Sounds like the Redskins and Cowboys in 2000 when the order of things suddenly reversed. These things aren't always gradual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f_dallas Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 go out and prove it then. Actions speak louder than words. While D-mac sounds quite delusional saying something like that, it's funny to see people on a skins board attacking it after a loss to the Eagles just 2 weeks ago.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 after losing games 17-0 and 31-6 already and losing to upstart Dallas last week to start 2-3 the Eagles are a team that should be working hard to improve not boasting about how they are the team to beat :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebreaker Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 McNabb needs to prove it on the field, not talk it to reporters. He sounds quite foolish stating that after losing to Dallas only a few days ago. Their lucky they have the struggling Giants this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 fd, it was a two point game. Not exactly the 37-7 drubbing accomplished by the team McNabb apparently still thinks he's on. Besides, noone here or on the Redskins are claiming we are the team to beat in the division right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief skin Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Maybe he should give up football and try stand up comedy. The window of opportunity for them was SLAMMED SHUT last January courtesy of the BUCS. As a team they still have not gotten over that DEVASTATING LOSS. The NFC east stinks and they are just one $hit in a bowl full of $hit.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Who cares what he says really, until the skins find a way to beat the damn Eagles they are just one of the teams we NEED to beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potato Sack Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 God...that's ALL ego right there. What has he done to back up those words this year? I mean, they beat us. Big deal. We can't seem to put 4 quarters together, so that's not saying much. I hope we hand their @sses on a platter, so he'll wake up and finally realize this year is NOT the Iggles year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potato Sack Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Originally posted by f_dallas While D-mac sounds quite delusional saying something like that, it's funny to see people on a skins board attacking it after a loss to the Eagles just 2 weeks ago.... The way we played that week, they should've killed us! They didn't. You know why? They're NOT the team to beat in the NFC East this year. The team to beat right now is Dallas. So, if you are in fact an Iggles fan, you might want to take that Bullsh!t elsewhere. We got close. We'll beat them next time around. Count on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridironmike Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Can we cue up Spurrier's raspberries for Donovan?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenaciousd Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 The only thing McNabb is beating these days is the turf with his worm-burner throws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsbadd Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I love how he says "When you watch the film you can tell we are the better team" He sounds just like the fans, Hey McNabb, why don't you worry about the score board! or better yet let your recievers try to run with the ball instead of diving in the dirt to catch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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