Will McNabb get better?

Rush Limbaugh may not have been correct when he said that Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb is overrated by the media because of his race. But now that McNabb has achieved victim status, the media seems intent on over-valuing him. For example, the Washington Post’s resident race man, Michael Wilbon gives McNabb way too much credit for the Eagles’ victory 27-25 yesterday over the Washington Redskins. The Philadelphia defense was responsible for more than half of the Eagles’ points. McNabb’s contribution was 16 completed passes in 30 attempts for 157 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. He ran for 18 yards on six carries. In other words, a below average day.
Throughout the broadcast of the game, the commentators kept praising McNabb for handling the Limbaugh controversy with so much class. In reality, though, McNabb, erroneously casting himself as a victim of racism instead of just another athlete whose performance had been criticized by one commentator, whined about how none of Limbaugh’s colleagues at ESPN denounced Rush’s alleged racism. Whether or not the media overrates McNabb’s quarterbacking, it certainly overrates his class.
Here’s an example of a classy reaction by a quarterback. In the 1991-92 season, Mark Rypien completed a phenomenal season by leading the Redskins to victory in the Super Bowl, where he was named most valuable player. In the locker room after the game, a reporter asked Rypien, who was severely maligned until that season, if he had anything to say to his critics. Rypien replied, “They were right but I got better.”

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses