February 01, 2007

Quote of the Day

"People complain about athletes who are selfish, who are thugs, who get into legal trouble, who are bad role models. McNabb is a perfect example of the kind of person fans say they want an athlete to be, yet he has been the target of some of the strangest criticism, and critics, in memory.

Every time the Eagles lose a game, I still get e-mail that starts, "Rush was right." No matter what numbers McNabb puts up, no matter how many games he wins, there remains this seething resentment from some quarters.

Oh, and by the way, Rush Limbaugh was dead wrong. So were the geniuses who stirred up Ricky Williams mania before the 1999 draft and who clamored for A.J. Feeley when McNabb went through a slump during the 2003 season. McNabb is not perfect, but he just happens to be one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Whatever agenda prevents some people from seeing that - whether it's race or the need to drive up the Arbitron ratings or something else - is their problem. Unfortunately, it becomes McNabb's problem and therefore the Eagles' problem."

- Phil Sheridan, in the Inquirer, after yesterday's series of McNabb interviews. Yes, in most cities people criticize athletes for choking in the clutch, for not giving effort, for getting in trouble with the law, or for being bad teammates. In Philly, people criticize McNabb for... smiling too much.

Posted by Stephen Silver at February 1, 2007 11:48 AM
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