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You did watch the work of genius Reid did in the Giants-Eagles game, right?
Touche!
You did watch the work of genius Reid did in the Giants-Eagles game, right?
With veteran quarterback Donavan McNabb not playing well and the offense looking extremely predictable, the Vikings turn to rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. Now the Vikings need a new plan, as they try to develop their young quarterback.
Some might say that plan was bad from the start -- and I would agree. Signing McNabb after his horrible year in Washington, ignoring the horror stories about his lack of preparation for the game, was their first mistake. (Do you really want a young rookie to be tutored and mentored by a player who is not fully committed to preparation?) 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. 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. One thing I have learned over my 20 years in the league is you can't fool the players, especially ones who have seen what it takes to be successful.
Donovan McNabb stood alone on the sideline Sunday, hands on his hips, a headset in his ear. For the second year in a row, one of the most talented quarterbacks in a generation again was a backup, this time replaced by an unproven rookie for the punchless Minnesota Vikings.
Replacing McNabb was Christian Ponder, representing all the talent and potential that, 13 years ago, McNabb showed when he entered the NFL. And under center for the Green Bay Packers was Aaron Rodgers: the Super Bowl winner, the top quarterback in the league, the universally respected team leader, the epitome of what McNabb wanted to become but never did.
When Ponder tossed a 72-yard pass on his first play Sunday and capped it with a 2-yard TD on his second pass, there stood McNabb, clapping politely, saying words of encouragement yet not breaking a sweat, an odd final chapter for a career that could go down as one of the most enigmatic, bizarre and difficult-to-define in NFL history.
McNabb’s career can be summed up by the 2011 Vikings: full of talent and promise, always falling just short, eventually leaving fans wanting much more. That’s McNabb. That was the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, bolting to a seven-point, first-half lead over the defending Super Bowl champions and then wilting in the second half of a 33-27 loss.
Yet in the days before McNabb again became a second-stringer, there was something else — a tweet, in fact — that said as much as anything about the current sorry state of McNabb’s once-electrifying career.
McNabb had been acquired as a veteran placeholder for the young rookie. But Vikings fans had expected more. And so as the Vikings headed to another loss a week ago, the rookie made his debut, and Warren Sapp, the former Pro Bowl defensive tackle, noticed something: The rookie knew the offense better than the 13-year veteran.
“Did Anybody Else Notice That Christian Ponder (Rookie) Entered The Game Ran The Offense And Didn’t Have a Wristband!!,” Sapp tweeted. “#DamnShameMcNabb.”
Damn shame.
The worms on NFL fields across the country can now relax
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