Say what you want about Donovan McNabb.
This is getting sad.
A few days ago, NFL Network's Mike Lombardi said that it wasn't just McNabb's poor play on the field that led to his benching in Minnesota; it was also his work ethic.
Lombardi said that the organization was tiring of McNabb's lack of work ethic and that No. 5 was struggling to learn the Vikings' offense.
"McNabb is at a point in his career that he does not seem to want to put in the time, willing to show up late for meetings and practice, and expects to just play well," writes Lombardi. "He failed to really grasp the offense in Minnesota (as he did in Washington), having trouble spitting the plays out quickly -- which meant the play sheet on his arm got bigger and bigger. It did not take long before McNabb's lack of commitment was seen by the older players, causing them to understand that a move had to be made."
McNabb's career hasn't steadily declined, it's fallen off the cliff. It's almost sad to watch the career of the best quarterback in Eagles' history wilt away the way McNabb's has. If last year in Washington was a nightmare, this is an Inception-like situation -- a nightmare inside a nightmare.
McNabb was benched for Rex Grossman last year in Washington. Now, he's being benched for an unproven rookie in Christian Ponder.
According to ProFootballTalk, NFL Network's Kurt Warner was able to get in touch with McNabb, who said "That stuffs crazy" about his alleged slacking work ethic.
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McNabb says he's putting the work in and is doing what his coaches say.
That's almost a worse truth to swallow. If he's really putting in all the work and is trying to learn the offense, it just means he's not very good anymore.
Under McNabb, the Vikings stumbled out to a 1-5 record. He's completed 60.3 percent of his passes for just over 1,000 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions this season. His quarterback rating is 82.9, which isn't much lower than his career mark of 85.6 but one win won't cut it.
It's hard to watch a guy's career spiral into nothingness. It's certainly an "Inception" situation for McNabb. Now, someone needs to wake him up and tell him to retire.
I agree with Reuben Frank, who in his 25 Random Points, hopes McNabb will retire and eventually return to the Linc to be honored in front of a standing ovation.
Sure, there are a lot of Eagles fans who don't like McNabb -- some of that is warranted. But the guy did have a heckuva career with the Birds.
This is sad. Make it stop.
E-mail Dave Zangaro at dzangaro@comcastsportsnet.com