It's Always Sunny (If You're White) In Philadelphia
Well, if there was a way for an 0-2 franchise player for the Eagles to become even less popular, Donovan McNabb has probably found out how to do that.
"There are not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra," McNabb said in an interview with James Brown on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
To be honest, those comments should not be that incendiary. They're also not really not very interesting. And I don't understand the timeliness.
If you acknowledge that racism is alive and well, it's tough to argue with McNabb. Yes, there are many more black quarterbacks, and the situation has improved substantially since the days of Doug Williams. But I have little doubt that there are plenty of people in this country, even in the City of Brotherly Love (and if that's not already the title of an adult movie, it should be), who sadly hold on to idiotic belief systems that justify McNabb's feelings. And there are many more who harbor these feelings beneath the surface, and would never admit to those feelings, maybe not even to themselves.
Why he chose to address this issue now (or a few weeks ago when the interview was taped) is unclear. It would make sense if he had just suffered from a racist attack (see the story in the excuse link below for evidence). But he hasn't. Rush Limbaugh has long been removed from the TV screen, and Terrell Owens is in Dallas. The only recent drama McNabb has suffered has been of his own doing, when he voiced some displeasure about the drafting of rookie Kevin Kolb, and was held accountable for that much in the same way Brett Favre was held accountable by the press when he made the anti-mentoring comments about Aaron Rodgers.
And regardless of the truth that McNabb speaks, the timing could not have been worse for him, as he has looked shaky in his two post-surgery starts. It comes across as an excuse when he doesn't really need one. He is supposed to look like this less than a year after major surgery. I mean, he could very easily look a lot worse.
Here's hoping that this story passes in a week so that McNabb can focus on getting his touch back. You get the feeling that if the Eagles had won either one of their first two games, it wouldn't even be a topic of discussion. But that hasn't stopped the Philadelphia media from digging as deep as they possibly can for a quarterback controversy.
What I'll say in McNabb's defense is that he has had to go through a lot more than most people. Is race a factor there? I'm sure it is. But I think a big factor, perhaps bigger than race (I don't know how we are supposed to measure these things), is Philadelphia.
The city that hated Ron Jaworski above all others is not the friendliest place. McNabb was booed when drafted and has done nothing but produce despite a subpar surrounding offensive cast. Throw in the unfortunate messes that Terrell Owens, Freddie Mitchell and Rush Limbaugh brought to him that he has been forced to address, and he has had to deal with a steady barrage of off-the-field nonsense for much of his career.
That's enough to put a chip on anyone's shoulder. And it makes one wonder if maybe McNabb plays better that way. And maybe that played a motivational role, in addition to speaking openly about race in America, as to why McNabb said what he said. After all, he is a 30 year-old coming off major rehabilitative surgery with a popular rookie looking over his shoulder.
The Swamp is kicking it here.
