I was listening to Tony Mercurio this afternoon on the radio. He's a local Norfolk-area sports talk host. His contention was that Kurt Warner should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ahead of Donovan McNabb.
My first reaction is that there's no way Warner, who is a very good quarterback, should be in the Hall of Fame. My thinking is that anybody who lost his job on three different teams can't possibly be a hall of famer.
My second thought is that almost any year during their careers, most fans would probably rather have had McNabb, simply because he's a better athlete. He can beat you with his arm, or his legs.
Speaking as a Cleveland Browns fan, I'd take McNabb on my team in a New York minute. (Why does time move faster in New York than other places? Do you have to re-set your watch when you leave?)
Warner has one advantage over McNabb: He's won a Super Bowl. Warner has the most passing yards in a single game in Super Bowl history. he also has the second-most. McNabb has played more often in the post-season, however. Both men have lost a Super Bowl.
One difference: Warner has played for three teams. McNabb has played for the Eagles his whole career. This season's benching notwithstanding, has never lost his job because of his play. Warner lost his job to Marc Bulger in St. Louis, Eli Manning in New York, and sort of lost and re-gained his job from Matt Leinart in Arizona. Maybe this resilience will be worth something to Hall of Fame voters eventually.
Both men are of exceptionally high character. It is well known that Warner is a Christian who came from humble beginnings in the Arena Football League and the grocery clerk conference to become an Pro-Bowl NFL player.
McNabb, I think, gets treated unfairly harshly by some members of the media at times. Even when Terrell Owens tried to stir up trouble, McNabb handled himself with maturity and grace.
As a player, he has had a wonderful career. Warner has, too.
McNabb has played exceptionally well since his benching earlier this year. He has been outstanding so far in the post season. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win.
I don't know if either of these quarterbacks are sure-fire, first ballot shoo-ins. I think Tom Brady and Payton Manning were significantly better quarterbacks during the same set of years and are the no-doubters from this era.
That said, after considering it carefully for the length of a drive home from work, Warner and McNabb both will be considered for the Hall. If McNabb wins the Super Bowl this year, I think he clearly pulls ahead of Warner as a candidate. If not, I'd still say McNabb has had a better career — so far.
I think it makes for an interesting discussion, though. Maybe this weekend's NFC Championship Game will shed some light on the subject.
4 comments:
Really interesting question here. It seems to really get at the heart of how to compare two very different types of players. Warner is the kind of player who has had very significant rises and dips throughout his career, going from some of the most prolific seasons in history to losing his job, as you mention, on several occasions. Meanwhile, Donovan McNabb has had a lot of very good years, without having one of those all-time memorable years. I see McNabb as very similar to Fred McGriff--steady, consistent, very much a part of some winning teams, but never having that kind of dominent stretch that makes people think he's a Hall of Famer. I'm trying to think of an equivalent to Warner. Andre Agassi, without as many titles, comes to mind ... For my money, I'm with you in that I'd take McNabb over Warner for my QB.
Also, I think, race is part of the equation here. As a white man (from Iowa (read: Captain Kirk), of all places), Warner is able to fit into categorizations and stories that provide recognition that have historically been much more available to white athletes than black athletes.
i would take mcnabb over warner. mcnabb is one of the most important players the nfl has. he also sits on a trustee board at syracuse university. jcarp
I think, in general, McNabb has gotten mistreated by the fans and the media. He's a great player, and I suspect there are people who will never realize it until after he retires. Maybe some never will.
I completely agree. I think no better example was when, during the Eagles-Giants game last week, when McNabb picked up the phone on the Giants' sideline, Troy Aikman immediately said, "I don't know what goes through his head sometimes." Sure, as McNabb himself even acknowledged later, it wasn't the best thing to do and was a sort of momentary lapse of cognition of the potential consequences, but still, this should not have warranted that kind of dramatic calling into question of McNabb's person.
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