Donovan McNabb (Part 2)

This is part 2 of the 3 part Donovan McNabb fall 2010 series.  In part 1, I explained why Donovan McNabb was not mistreated by the fans or the organization during his time in Philadelphia.  In part 2, I will analyze McNabb’s reception in his return to Philadelphia this Sunday.

Donovan McNabb returned to Lincoln Financial Field yesterday for the first time since he was traded to the Redskins last offseason.  National pundits far and wide debated whether or not McNabb would be booed or cheered upon entrance.  Most pundits gave the answer of a resounding boo.  Jamele Hill specifically wrote about how the fans will boo McNabb because that is exactly what they did to him when he was in Philadelphia, and wrote that McNabb deserves to crush the Eagles on Sunday.  Very few pundits were intelligent enough to realize that McNabb would without question receive a standing ovation, and I am one of the only people I know who went on record saying that McNabb would receive such an ovation.

The problem with these national pundits is, quite simply, that they have no idea what they are talking about.  The fact is that most of these national pundits have never been to the city of Philadelphia, or have never been to a game with Philadelphia fans.  Instead, they play upon the general consensus (based on little fact) that Philadelphia fans conduct themselves will significantly less class than other cities.  Specifically, other Northeastern cities.  They have heard the stories about Santa Claus being booed and pelted with snowballs (which occurred 50 years ago mind you), and they have heard stories about Veterans Stadium fans in the 700 level.  There is a stereotype that has been built for some reason for the past few decades about Philadelphia fans, and the national pundits buy in and use it as a punch line consistently.  Just listen to Sportscenter or NFL Live next time they are talking about Philadelphia, you will see exactly what I mean if you do not already.

For example, just this past week, ESPN NFL Live analyst Mark Schlereth made multiple tongue-in-cheek comments in which he belittled the Philadelphia fans for having no class because they 1) boo opposing players and 2) threw snowballs at Santa Claus.  However, in the same segment, he addressed the issue with Green Bay LB Nick Simmons and the Bears fan who directed a racial slur at Simmons.  He made no comment about Bears fans as a whole, and simply stated that it is the player’s responsibility to not respond to fans, and moved on without any more discussion.  Are You Kidding Me?  How can these paid professionals in the broadcasting industry be so shortsighted and be unable to think for themselves in any capacity.  The list goes on, however.  David Lloyd, Chris McKendry, and Kevin Negandhi are only a few examples of Sportscenter anchors who made unnecessary, ridiculous, and completely insensitive comments about Philadelphia fans 1) without any basis and 2) clearly not knowing what they were talking about.

Therefore, no wonder many people, broadcasters and fans alike, believed that McNabb would be booed.  They bought into the stereotype of Philly fans without any knowledge or thought on their part, and as a result simply assumed that Philly fans do not respect their athletes and would boo McNabb.  However, Philadelphia fans do respect their athletes, including and especially Donovan McNabb (see “Why Donovan McNabb was NOT Mistreated in Philadelphia”).  There was no question in my mind that the fans Sunday would cheer McNabb and give him a standing ovation, and the Philadelphia fans responded just as I knew they would have and just as they should have.  Shame on the national pundits who consistently use Philadelphia fans as a punch line and made the ridiculous and poorly thought out assumption that McNabb would be booed in Philadlelphia this Sunday.

Why Donovan McNabb was NOT Mistreated in Philadelphia

Last night, I found myself watching Rick Reilly’s show “Homecoming.”  In this particular episode, Donovan McNabb was featured.  I fully expected Reilly to reference the fact that McNabb was “mistreated” during his time in Philadelphia, as he has multiple times in his columns and on ESPN.  True to form, he brought up the fact that Donovan was booed when he was drafted, and Donovan played right along as he always does, saying, “I still to this day have no idea why they did that.”  To Rick Reilly, Donovan McNabb, and every other national pundit, here is why Donovan McNabb was NOT mistreated in Philadelphia:

Lets start with draft day, 1999.  The Eagles had the 2nd pick in the draft, and after the Browns selected future bust Tim Couch, the Eagles were expected to pick Ricky Williams, the top collegiate running back in the draft.  The Eagles needed to fill a void at running back, and Ricky seemed to be a sure thing.  Therefore, when Donovan McNabb was drafted, the fans started to boo.  And so the legend began.  Donovan and the media began portraying the Philadelphia fans as “mistreating” Donovan McNabb, and this label stuck for the entirety of McNabb’s career in Philadelphia, and remains today.  However, the fans weren’t booing Donovan McNabb, they were booing the Eagles organization.  They weren’t angry at McNabb, they were mad at the Eagles organization.  Some of the fans probably didn’t even know who McNabb was at the time, all they wanted was Ricky.  But everyone overreacted and presented the situation as if the Philadelphia fans didn’t appreciate Donovan McNabb.

Then, over the course of his career, pundits accused Eagles fans of mistreating and not appreciating McNabb by citing his multiple NFC Championship appearances and his one Super Bowl appearance.  The pundits are correct in that the fans have, over the course of McNabb’s career, questioned his consistent passing ability, his leadership, and his inability to win the big game.  When the Eagles were favorites in 4 of 5 NFC Championship games, and only advanced to the Super Bowl once (in a very soft NFC), maybe the fans had a case against McNabb.  And when McNabb consistently performed poorly in big games, throwing interceptions, throwing balls into the ground, and throwing behind receivers on easy plays, then maybe the fans have a case.  When McNabb throws his wide receivers and younger players under the bus in the postgame press conference, when the “youth” wasn’t exactly throwing balls into the ground, or throwing balls to the other team, maybe the fans have a case against McNabb.

Finally, McNabb has been paid a combined $100+ million during his time in Philadelphia, and the fan base paid through taxes a large portion of the amount needed to take McNabb off the knee-killing and concussion-forcing Veterans Stadium turf.  The fans paid to put up a state-of-the-art Lincoln Financial Field for the quarterback’s remaining 5 years as an Eagle.

It isn’t that the Eagles fans don’t care, it is that the Eagles fans like players with whom they can connect.  They can’t connect with a player that doesn’t have accountability, and holds grudges.  The fact that McNabb blamed problems on his teammates and others, and the fact that he brought up his treatment by the fans at every opportunity doesn’t exactly endear him to the fan base.  At that point, many fans decided to pile on McNabb.  If McNabb had acted like an adult, and realized that the Eagles fans were booing the organization on draft day, McNabb would have been considerably happier and better treated during his time in Philadelphia.  However, while his performance was for the most part very good while in Philadelphia, his poor performance in nearly every big game, his lack of accountability, and his inability to let small things go led to his treatment in Philadelphia.  However, it is completely unfair to Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia to say that McNabb was mistreated.

Nova to the Big East in Football?

The Villanova Wildcats football program is the defending Division 1 Football Champion.  The Cats won the Football Championship Subdivision last December and captured the school’s first National Championship in football.  Given the recent success of the program, and the questions that exist in terms of conference structure in collegiate athletics right now, there has been speculation from fans for months about the potential move for Villanova football from FCS to FBS football.  However, recently the speculation rose to a new level, as Big East commissioner John Marinatto visited the Villanova campus before the Temple game to inform the school of the conference’s interest in adding Villanova as a football school.  As of now, Villanova participates as a Big East school in all sports except football, as the program is in a different subdivision of football than the Big East.

Just today, Villanova President Father Donohue sent an email to all Villanova alumni informing them of the opportunity presented, and stated that the Board of Trustees was beginning a thorough analysis of the situation, and that a formal decision will not be made until this analysis is complete.

To Father Donohue, I’ll complete your decision making process in under 2,000 words:

The possible move of Villanova football from the FCS to the FBS is an idea that could be detrimental to the football program.  Not only that, but the decision could have more far-reaching effects, such as to many other varsity sports that could be sized down or even removed due to budget and other constraints.

Lets focus on the adverse effects the move would have on the football program itself:

Villanova now is a great power in the FCS.  The players, coaches, fans, and administration love where the program is right now and love the excitement it has brought to the university.  The football program is also in the right spot in that it is extremely competitive in the division in which it plays, but isn’t so big that it draws attention away from the rest of the school.

Here are the problems, therefore, with the potential move:

1) Nova football does not have enough fans- I am a diehard Nova football fan (one of the few), and I can say with supreme confidence that the team does not and will not have enough fans to support the move to the FBS.  Last year (when the team won the National Championship), Nova wasn’t in the top 20 for attendance averages for the FCS, and DIDN’T SELL OUT A HOME GAME.  Many argue that the fans will follow when the team moves to the FBS.  My question: Why? How?  Why and how will more fans follow when they already aren’t supporting a championship caliber team.  I don’t know of any person that says, “O, the team is losing about half its games now, and some by double digits,  as opposed to last year when the team won 10 games in the regular season and won the National Championship?  Where is the box office, I have to get in on this action!”  That isn’t the way it works.  College football hasn’t and won’t work in the city of Philadelphia.  Temple was a member of the Big East conference for football from 1991-2004, but was forced out partially due to the fact that no fans came to the games.  So will the fans really follow, especially when Nova won’t be nearly as competitive as it is now?  Doubtful, and certainly not something at which to throw your blind hope.

2) Nova doesn’t have a facility that is FBS suitable- Villanova stadium, where the Wildcats play their home games, holds about 12,000 fans.  FBS standards require at least 15,000 seats, and any FBS stadium with only 15,000 seats is a laughingstock.  To resolve the seating problem, Villanova has a few options.  The first option is to add seating to Villanova Stadium, most likely to complete the seating structure around the backs of the endzones.  This would cause severe financial strain on the university and athletics department.  Another option is to lease a larger stadium, such as Lincoln Financial Field, where Temple plays, PPL Park, where the Philadelphia Union (soccer) plays, or even Franklin Field, where the Penn Quakers play.  The constant among these options is that they ALL COST MONEY.  Any move to another location for 6 games a year will cost the university a lot of money that it isn’t spending now.

…which leads to the next issue.

3) Lack of endowments- Villanova is a small, private, Catholic institution.  All the money for athletics comes from the athletic department and donations of wealthy alumni.  At this point, most of those donations go to the thriving basketball program.  Therefore, if Nova moved to the FBS, a lot more money would be needed to finance the transition itself, the needed improved facilities on campus, the scholarships, the increased marketing for the program, and many other factors.  It takes a lot of money to finance all these prospects, and Nova simply doesn’t have it and can’t generate it.  Think about it.  How many small, private, Catholic football programs exist and thrive at the FBS level?  I think of 2.  Notre Dame, which is simply an outlier in the fact that their alumni support is unmatched by private schools in the country.  Boston College, which has been an established football program for a long time.  Boston College is the only comparable school to Villanova which has succeeded with a football program at the FBS level.  However, there are problems with this comparison as well.  BC has always had a larger endowment than Villanova, and the university and local areas support the program more so than Villanova.  BC has a 44,000 seat stadium on campus (Alumni Stadium), a project which would NEVER pass in the Villanova-Radnor community.  Therefore, there is only one example of a school comparable to Villanova that has succeeded at the FBS level, and this school has numerous advantages over Nova that allowed them to do so, not limited to the financial advantages.

4) Competition- All the above points are valid and are very important, but how about the fact that Villanova has to compete year in and year out at the FBS level in a BCS conference.  Granted, Nova has been very impressive in the past 2 years.  A 3 loss season 2 years ago (including a trip to the FCS quarterfinals), and a National Championship season last year.  And believe me, I have loved every minute of it and think that (right now) Nova can compete with Big East teams.  However, I did say that Nova could compete “right now.”  How about next year, or the year after that?  Nova’s roster is losing the following players for next season: Starting QB Chris Whitney, Starting WR, KR, Reigning FCS Championship MVP, and Walter Payton Award Nominee Matt Szczur (best player at Villanova since Brian Westbrook, if not of all time), the top 3 running backs on the team (Aaron Ball, Angelo Babbaro, Louis Adeyemi), 3 starting linebackers (Terence Thomas, Marquis Kirkland, Jacob Wade), and 3 defensive backs (Fred Maldonado, John Dempsey, Martel Moody).  This is the year where the team is at its peak.  The team came into its own last year by winning the National Championship, and is just as strong this season.  But what about next season?  Are there really players just as talented that are ready to fill the shoes of these graduating players as Nova is about to enter a BCS conference?  Before the 2008 season, when the players that are leading the team now began to play well and led the team to the playoffs, Nova hadn’t made the FCS playoffs since 2002.  2002! In a 16 team playoff! In the FCS! And now people want this team to move up to a BCS conference for the remaining life of the program with all new players and an unclear direction.  I must not have the intelligence to understand such a thought process.

5) Recruiting- Nova has thrived upon recruiting Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and other relatively local players that would have been sitting the bench for programs such as Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, etc.  However, now that Nova is in the same league as these teams, and has to compete squarely with the teams, there is no way that Nova will succeed without completely changing its recruiting philosophy.  And the next question is, will a stand up coach like Andy Talley be able to compete in the recruiting game at the FBS level while continuing his ethical practices that have endeared fans to both him and the football program?  And if he fails, then what?  Will the university be forced to fire the coach that built the program so that it could ascend to the FBS level in the first place?

6) Basketball won’t be affected!!!- Much of the speculation has been propelled by the basketball fans who care only about the basketball program and don’t care about the quality of other big-name sports at Villanova (namely football).  They believe that the “landscape in college athletics is changing” (Man, if I had a nickel for every time I read or heard that).  To those people, I need to ask why the basketball program will be so adversely affected if the football program moves to the FBS.  The collegiate landscape at the present moment is not changing, and contrary to popular belief, I don’t see it changing any time soon.  Which conference will steal all the Big East teams and dissolve the Big East?  The Big Ten?? The conference added Nebraska, spent months designing a new conference alignment with the 2 divisions, and has now created the Big Ten football schedule for the next 4 years.  The Pac-10?? The Pac 10 may not be done expansion, but will not reach 3,000 miles across the country to take multiple Big East schools.  Colorado was about as far as they would go.  The ACC?? Why, when the conference has the option to take multiple SEC schools, which are miles ahead of the Big East schools in the much more lucrative sport of college football.  Therefore, I don’t see any power conference as a viable threat to take over the Big East football schools at this point.

AND EVEN IF FOR SOME REASON THAT DOES HAPPEN, WHO CARES!! Last I checked there were 8 schools in the Big East for basketball (half of the total conference) that don’t play football in the Big East.  Notre Dame remains independent and shows no inclination to change anytime soon.  Villanova, Georgetown, Depaul, Seton Hall, St. Johns, Marquette, and Providence either play at the FCS level or don’t have football programs.  So tell me, even if the conference raid begins again and the Big East football schools are all shipped to different conferences, what is the problem with having an 8 team basketball-only conference?  Villanova and Georgetown are 2 traditional powerhouses near the top of the college basketball spectrum right now, Marquette and Notre Dame are locks for the NCAA tournament nearly every season, and are very exciting teams, Seton Hall almost made it to the tournament last year, and St. Johns is on the way back up with Steve Lavin now at the helm.  Providence and Depaul aren’t great teams, but Providence especially is always a solid program, and is one of the original Big East schools, back when it was a basketball only conference.  Therefore, even if the absolute worst happens, and the Big East football conference ceases to be, Nova will be just fine (if not in a more stable spot) if the Big East football schools are haphazardly distributed to new conferences.

So, Father, here is why the program should not move up:

1) Not enough fans

2) Not a suitable facility

3) Lack of Endowments

4) Competition

5) Recruiting

6) Basketball will be just fine without the switch

If the program does switch, someone better have a darn convincing argument as to why.

Villanova vs. Temple Preview

Tonight, at Lincoln Financial Field, the Villanova Wildcats will play the Temple Owls in the 2nd Annual Mayor’s Cup. Both teams are coming off impressive seasons, as Villanova won the FCS National Championship, and Temple won 9 games and went to a bowl game for the first time in years. Both teams are looking to build upon the success of last season in this opener.

MY PREDICTION: Villanova will take control of this game with their “Big 3” on offense, in quarterback Chris Whitney, WR and do everything option Matt Szczur, and highly touted offensive lineman Ben Ijalana. The always strong Wildcat defense will hold Bernard Pierce of Temple in check.
Villanova 24 Temple 16

In another Philadelphia local game, the defending PIAA State Champions, La Salle College High School, will play at North Penn, ranked #1 in PA according to pennlive.com.

MY PREDICTION: I have to go with the alma mater. I think La Salle will feed off the momentum of the state championship and the energy of the many fans making the trip.
La Salle 30 North Penn 27