Mr.Bottomtooth
01-23-2007, 02:30 PM
McNabb reportedly has several gripes with Eagles
ESPN.com news services
Will Jeff Garcia be back in Philadelphia next season? More importantly, does Donovan McNabb want to be back?
Citing people close to the injured star quarterback, The Trenton Times reported Tuesday that McNabb is unhappy with several things that have happened with the Eagles since his season ended with a torn ACL in his right knee.
Some of McNabb's reported gripes:
• McNabb reportedly is unhappy that Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't allow him to travel with the team to New Orleans for the team's playoff game against the Saints. The Eagles have a rule that players on injured reserve don't travel with the team.
• McNabb also reportedly might be getting the feeling that some with the Eagles might prefer Garcia as the team's starting quarterback after Garcia led Philadelphia to the playoffs and a postseason victory after McNabb's injury.
• And McNabb also reportedly isn't happy with how his mother has been portrayed in the media and by Eagles fans for comments on her blog on his Web site. She wrote that watching the Eagles win without McNabb was "bittersweet."
Garcia is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. One former teammate told the newspaper that he doesn't envision Garcia returning to the Eagles as a backup.
"I know Jeff and I know how he is," the unnamed former teammate told The Times. "After the way he played -- what was he, 6-1? -- and then he won a playoff game. He's not going to be happy being a backup again. He's way too much of a competitor for that. He should be going to the Pro Bowl the way he played. He knows that. Now, you want him to be a backup, and get paid like a backup. That's not going to happen."
Last week, Reid canceled a news conference scheduled for McNabb because he wanted him to concentrate on his rehab.
McNabb hasn't spoken at length to reporters since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Nov. 19.
"He's been working like crazy right now and I don't want anything distracting him," Reid said on WIP-AM last week. "I want him focused in on taking care of his knee, and that's what he's doing. He came out [Thursday] and ran in the pool for the first time and he didn't have a limp when he ran in there. Those are all positive things."
During the season, the Eagles said McNabb had decided not to speak to the media after undergoing surgery because he did not want to be a distraction to the team. Although the 30-year-old quarterback did a couple of brief television interviews, his situation was not discussed in any sort of depth.
"I saw nothing that would be beneficial for him to stand up there," Reid told WIP-AM last week. "I'm the head coach and I get to make those decisions."
Reid said last week that, provided McNabb is healthy, there will be no quarterback controversy at the start of next season.
"It's Donovan," Reid told WIP-AM. "I think Jeff [Garcia] has told you that and I've told you that before. I don't think there's any question. It's a matter of Donovan just takes care of business now."
The Eagles' rollercoaster of a season ended with a gut-wrenching 27-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints in an NFC second-round playoff game, leaving Reid, his staff and players to ponder so many near-misses and what-ifs.
Philadelphia's season began with so much promise after a 4-1 start. McNabb was back to playing at an MVP level after Terrell Owens and a sports hernia disrupted his 2005 season, and the rest of the team hopped on his broad shoulders.
Then came a three-game losing streak, including a last-second loss on a 62-yard field goal by Tampa Bay's Matt Bryant. It seemed to get only worse when McNabb tore a knee ligament in Week 11. Hardly anyone expected much from the Eagles after a 24-point defeat at Indianapolis a week later left them at 5-6.
But Garcia rallied his teammates to five straight wins, the NFC East title for the fifth time in six years, and an 11-7 finish.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2739967
ESPN.com news services
Will Jeff Garcia be back in Philadelphia next season? More importantly, does Donovan McNabb want to be back?
Citing people close to the injured star quarterback, The Trenton Times reported Tuesday that McNabb is unhappy with several things that have happened with the Eagles since his season ended with a torn ACL in his right knee.
Some of McNabb's reported gripes:
• McNabb reportedly is unhappy that Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't allow him to travel with the team to New Orleans for the team's playoff game against the Saints. The Eagles have a rule that players on injured reserve don't travel with the team.
• McNabb also reportedly might be getting the feeling that some with the Eagles might prefer Garcia as the team's starting quarterback after Garcia led Philadelphia to the playoffs and a postseason victory after McNabb's injury.
• And McNabb also reportedly isn't happy with how his mother has been portrayed in the media and by Eagles fans for comments on her blog on his Web site. She wrote that watching the Eagles win without McNabb was "bittersweet."
Garcia is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. One former teammate told the newspaper that he doesn't envision Garcia returning to the Eagles as a backup.
"I know Jeff and I know how he is," the unnamed former teammate told The Times. "After the way he played -- what was he, 6-1? -- and then he won a playoff game. He's not going to be happy being a backup again. He's way too much of a competitor for that. He should be going to the Pro Bowl the way he played. He knows that. Now, you want him to be a backup, and get paid like a backup. That's not going to happen."
Last week, Reid canceled a news conference scheduled for McNabb because he wanted him to concentrate on his rehab.
McNabb hasn't spoken at length to reporters since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Nov. 19.
"He's been working like crazy right now and I don't want anything distracting him," Reid said on WIP-AM last week. "I want him focused in on taking care of his knee, and that's what he's doing. He came out [Thursday] and ran in the pool for the first time and he didn't have a limp when he ran in there. Those are all positive things."
During the season, the Eagles said McNabb had decided not to speak to the media after undergoing surgery because he did not want to be a distraction to the team. Although the 30-year-old quarterback did a couple of brief television interviews, his situation was not discussed in any sort of depth.
"I saw nothing that would be beneficial for him to stand up there," Reid told WIP-AM last week. "I'm the head coach and I get to make those decisions."
Reid said last week that, provided McNabb is healthy, there will be no quarterback controversy at the start of next season.
"It's Donovan," Reid told WIP-AM. "I think Jeff [Garcia] has told you that and I've told you that before. I don't think there's any question. It's a matter of Donovan just takes care of business now."
The Eagles' rollercoaster of a season ended with a gut-wrenching 27-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints in an NFC second-round playoff game, leaving Reid, his staff and players to ponder so many near-misses and what-ifs.
Philadelphia's season began with so much promise after a 4-1 start. McNabb was back to playing at an MVP level after Terrell Owens and a sports hernia disrupted his 2005 season, and the rest of the team hopped on his broad shoulders.
Then came a three-game losing streak, including a last-second loss on a 62-yard field goal by Tampa Bay's Matt Bryant. It seemed to get only worse when McNabb tore a knee ligament in Week 11. Hardly anyone expected much from the Eagles after a 24-point defeat at Indianapolis a week later left them at 5-6.
But Garcia rallied his teammates to five straight wins, the NFC East title for the fifth time in six years, and an 11-7 finish.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2739967