Philadelphia Freedom

A very strange thing is happening to Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia, and it’s probably going to end badly. Donovan’s always been a little insecure. Part of that is his personality. Most of it is due to how the Eagles handled every aspect of his development as a quarterback and the careful construction of his public persona in Philadelphia.

Truth be told, McNabb is the type of guy who needs to be partially shielded from the Philadelphia media and fanbase. Still, when Terrell Owens singled out McNabb as a company man — this guy probably has a different term for it — it was the first time anyone called McNabb out in that fashion, but it stung with a degree of truth that everyone previously seemed hesitant to address.

After McNabb’s supposed replacement was drafted, Donnie greeted the draft pick with silence, then embarked on an odd, loosely scripted media blitz away from the confines of the NovaCare complex and the shroud of Andy Reid’s buttoned-down corporate culture. It’s been a very weird phenomenon to follow. There’s a certain “Screw this, time’s running out on my career and I don’t want to be remembered as Andy Reid’s cabana boy” element to it, and it’s fascinating.

Perhaps McNabb is counting on his newfound “independence” to gain him a bit of political capital with the fans, but it’s not going to happen. McNabb and Reid will ultimately succeed or fail together. They’ll either win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia or be forced to try elsewhere.

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