Our man Rev compares national views to those in the illadelph. These are his words.
Growing up my family had a subscription to Newsweek. As a 12 year old with zero idea what was going on in the world I nonetheless enjoyed the ↑and ↓graphic representations provided by the weekly “Conventional Wisdom” sidebar. Granted, I didn’t know what they meant by conventional wisdom, but the arrows were easy enough to follow and made me feel like I was well-versed in the current state of affairs. I was prepared with a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down response in the event some adult was interested in what my 12-year-old self thought of something like oh, say, Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost. Ummm, thumbs-up?
So, what the eff does this have to do with Philadelphia sports? Well, the weekly conventional wisdom bit showed me that there are both prevailing and countervailing arguments to most everything. This is especially true in a sports city as provincial and die-hard as Philadelphia. More often than not our opinions run counter to the prevailing national conventional wisdom. Think about it. What gets our Philly up more than when a national commentator waltzes into town and makes a statement which contradicts what we see from the home team on a daily/weekly basis? It’s infuriating. Although, truth be told we can be a bit too harsh or overprotective of our athletes and coaches. As with most things the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. So, in an effort to set shit straight I am presenting the first in what I hope will be an ongoing Philly vs. The Nation conventional wisdom extravaganza. Let us know if any others drive you batshit insane in the comments.
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Up first: Donovan McNabb
National Wisdom – All-time franchise leader in wins and TD passes. A borderline Hall of Fame quarterback who has led his team to five NFC Championship games. By far the most successful of the five QB’s drafted in the first round of the 1999 draft. A guy who keeps things fun and loose. Hardly ever throws interceptions. Has never recovered from being booed on draft day. Has combined with Andy Reid to lead the Eagles to the most successful era in franchise history.
Philly Wisdom – Lacks both decisive decision-making skills and leadership ability. Sulks on the sideline with a towel draped over his shoulder when things are not going his way. Butchers the two-minute drill in every conceivable manner (throwing over the middle with no timeouts resulting in the game clock expiring, taking a sack instead of simply throwing the ball away when outside the tackle box, not having two plays called in the huddle so you don’t have to huddle again after a completion). Did not know that an NFL game could end in a tie. Followed up his not knowing that an NFL game could end in a tie by saying, “I hate to see what happens in the Super Bowl and I hate to see what happens in the playoffs, to settle with a tie”. Has thrown as many INT’s (9) as he has TD’s (9) in conference championship games and the Super Bowl. One reason he has such a low career INT % (2.1%) is partly because he is so wildly inaccurate and throws so many balls into the ground. Throws 90 MPH rockets at receivers five yards away. Courageous in his ability to play through pain (playing with a broken ankle, broken ribs, hernia), yet throws up whenever on a field in the state of Florida.
TRUTH – The national wisdom is a bit too willing to overlook his many faults as a QB and a leader. The Philly wisdom is perhaps a bit too critical, which makes sense because we are so invested in the successes and failures of the team. Personally, I believe that McNabb is so inextricably linked with Andy Reid that he ends up shouldering a lot of the blame for coaching and organizational missteps. I’d love to see how Donovan performed in another offense under another coaching staff (be that here or with another team). However, I do agree with the Philly wisdom that he lacks “It” – that certain something Super Bowl winning quarterbacks possess (swagger? supreme self confidence?). His whole penchant for doing a Michael Jackson leg kick, playing air guitar, and smiling after throwing a pick has worn thin for Eagles fans. His antics cannot engenders confidence in his teammates, can it?