If you’re a guy or a fan of football at all (or have a TV for that matter) then you’ve undoubtedly heard something about the Michael Vick saga over the past few weeks. Now having lived a significant portion of my life in Atlanta and seeing most of the Michael Vick era take shape, I’m willing to forgive the guy for all his transgressions. I’ve always believed that he simply surrounded himself with unsavory people that he thought were friends, allowed his persona to get the best of him and as a result made a bunch of completely stupid and inhumane decisions. However, the dude did hard time in jail and had plenty of time to get his life together and remind himself of how lucky he is to be playing professional football. With that being said, he’s also had the benefit of a few quality people sticking by him and helping him get his NFL life back on track. Tony Dungy has probably had the biggest impact in getting Vick back to the league, but Donovan McNabb’s impact on Vick’s career started way back when he was in high school and will be the single biggest factor in how successfully Vick revitalizes his career.
While attending Mt. Carmel High School in the great city of Chicago, Donovan was a complete and total stud. As a sophomore in 1991 he helped his football team win a state championship, and his senior year he led his team to a Chicago Prep Bowl championship. The guy also ran track, and played hoops on the same team as Antoine “Twan” Walker. Clearly the dude had talent, and by the time signing time came around two schools were beating down the door to pick him up, Nebraska and Syracuse. Now Nebraska in the early 90’s was a pretty tough school to turn down, but they also had the stigma of producing option quarterbacks who didn’t really ever pan out to do much professionally. McNabb decides that rather than roll the dice at Nebraska, he was going to attend Syracuse to establish himself as a serious pocket-passing quarterback.
McNabb goes on to start every game of his college career, set a bunch of Syracuse and Big East records, gets named Big East Offensive Player of the Year three times in a row, and oh by the way also plays on the Orangemen’s basketball team (who went to the 1996 NCAA finals against Kentucky). Now that’s all well and good, but this is where his story first mixes with Michael Vick. When Vick was making the rounds on his college recruiting trips, he visited Syracuse and was sponsored by McNabb. So you’re looking at a young Michael Vick coming out of high school as one of the most freakish athletes hanging out with an NFL-bound Donovan McNabb. Who knows what those guys talked about, but clearly a bond started to form that would come back to hugely benefit Vick.
Now of course Vick eventually winds up signing with Virginia Tech and McNabb gets drafted second overall by the Eagles, right behind Tim Couch. At the time of the draft Philly fans were a little bit upset at the Eagles selection of McNabb, since the consensus was that Ricky Williams was the best player available at #2. Other players of note in this draft class were hotshots like Akili Smith and Cade McNown, so in hindsight McNabb was the absolute best pick the Eagles could have made.
In 2004, the Eagles acquired Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse in the offseason. Now that the team finally had a top-tier receiver and a complete beast on the defensive line, things started to come together. They finished with one of the best seasons in the history of the franchise, going 13-3 and making it to the NFC Championship. This was the first season that Donovan McNabb faced Michael Vick in a pivotal playoff game. Nobody could stop Philly this season though, and their defense not only kept Vick in check but also stopped the extremely versatile Atlanta running game. They shut out the Falcons in the second half, and earned a spot in Super Bowl XXXIX where they faced arguably the greatest team of all time, the 2004 New England Patriots. I’ll never forget this game, and most people can remember the last few drives by the Eagles as they struggled to fight back late in the 4th quarter, finishing just a little short at the end. There was a lot of discussion about McNabb’s condition during the last quarter of the Super Bowl, and there was a lot of speculation that he was sick and throwing up in the huddle during the final drive. McNabb denied these rumors though, stating that he was just tired after a hard-fought game and ran out of juice at the end.
Over the next few years injuries plagued McNabb, and Philadelphia fans argued back and forth about whether or not their quarterback had passed his prime and if the Eagles should look to other players to fill his spot. He tore his ACL in 2006, and after Jeff Garcia took over and led the team to the playoffs, criticism of McNabb hit ridiculous levels. 2007 was a completely lackluster year for the Eagles, and in interviews Donovan stated publicly that he didn’t expect to return to the Eagles for the 2008 season.
Once the 2008 season began however, things seemed to fall back into place for McNabb. He put up great numbers to start the season, and seemed to forget about any of the past criticism that he faced in previous years. In other words, he acted like a boss. He was throwing passes like a younger version of Donovan McNabb, and while he had lost some mobility, he was now much more comfortable being a pocket-passer, just like he wanted to be when he played at Syracuse. He led the team to the playoffs for the seventh time in his nine years as a starter, and in other words, Donovan was BACK. He lead the team all the way to the NFC Championship, and almost made it an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl.
To come under fire like McNabb has over the past few years and still find a way to persevere is the single biggest reason why Donovan can now officially be called my Second Favorite Quarterback. Certainly the Cambell’s Soup commercials helped his cause, but to keep fighting and fighting and fighting even though an entire city seems to be giving you the beatdown is incredibly impressive. He’s also a family man, was named to the Syracuse University Board of Trustees, and both of his parents are heavily involved with the NFL Mothers and Fathers Associations. For all the ridiculous behavior we see out of professional athletes, Donovan’s name has never been in the news, and he can without question be called a “character guy”. Now he faces what could be his biggest leadership challenge ever, mentoring and guiding the comeback of Michael Vick.
this is going to be awesome
I’m a second-chance guy, and I’m glad Vick is getting a second chance at his career. I’m even more intrigued by his signing because after the success of the 2008 season, there’s a strong chance that the Eagles could make it to the Super Bowl this season. They’ve got Desean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, and a young Jeremy Maclin as receiving targets to go along with Brian Westbrook out of the backfield. Pretty solid offensive weapons. Now it’s a little unclear how exactly Vick will be used in the offense, but if they decide to use him as both a running AND passing threat out of the backfield, the Eagles might have the most inventive and interesting offensive scheme anyone has ever seen. Of course Vick might not be able to play until week 6, but COME ON. It’ll be awesome to see when it happens.
The truth is, Donovan McNabb is going to be the best thing that ever happened to Michael Vick. In Atlanta he had the misfortune of playing under a coach that didn’t really understand how to maximize his talent and an owner that tried to be a little too involved but never really seemed to be able to connect with the players. Now he’s got a veteran pocket-passing quarterback and a coach that has had his fair share of personal drama off the field ready to help him manage his new, somewhat vilified persona. I wish Vick the best of luck, and I’ll certainly be rooting for him as soon as he makes it back to the field.
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