DavezMental’s Blog

Haven’t we learned anything?? First, Charles Barkley. Then Randall Cunningham. Then Allen Iverson……Now you wanna chase Donovan McNabb out of town?? As a teacher, I hear kids ask the question of “why do we have to learn history” a lot. The answer is, so we could learn from our mistakes. So, that the bad history doesn’t repeat itself. Well, with the Iraq War reminding people my parents’ age a lot of Vietnam, obviously as Americans, we haven’t learned a thing (or atleast our President hasn’t). It’s funny because history is ALWAYS repeating itself. Although, on the scale of things, sports isn’t that important, but I am begging you Philadelphia!! Do not let history repeat itself again!!

I’m 28 years old. I started getting into sports in 1986. I went to my first professional sports game in 1984, the old USFL New Jersey Generals was my first game. But it was when I was seven when sports started to become my life. That year I had two teams! I had the Philadelphia teams and the New York teams! As most kids I just liked the home teams! I was split. My dad, who is responsible for getting me into sports lives in the Philadelphia area and my mom and her family lived in the New York area of New Jersey. So, I remember going to my first Phillies game in 1986, yet rooting for the Mets in the world series. I was an Eagles fan, but rooted for the Giants in the Super Bowl. I remember reading about the Flyers losing in the Stanley Cup to the Edminton Oilers. I vaguely remember watching for and cheering for Dr. J.

It’s funny because I liked multiple teams as a kid. I liked the Bears in 1986 because I won a quarter from my dad from a super bowl bet. But I also liked the Eagles. One year later, as I mentioned earlier, I rooted for the Giants in the Super Bowl (something you shouldn’t do as an Eagles fan). I even won fifty cents from my dad that year! I loved the Phillies, but rooted for the Mets in the World Series!! hahaha….imagine that….Then 2 years later I became a die hard Oakland A’s fan. Again, I had 2 teams. I remember having the Celtics as a second favorite team in basketball, and the Oilers as a second favorite in hockey…..Does that make sense?? Liking the team that dominated yours for decades in basketball and liking the team that beat yours in the Finals in hockey?? NO, it doesn’t! But I was a young boy!!

As an adult, I look back and think of how funny that was…As you get older, you learn you really can’t like more than one team. Atleast if you are a die hard fan as opposed to a front runner. Unfortunately for me, I chose my dad’s teams. The Philly teams, as of the late 80’s there were no more second favorite teams. . . I chose the Phillies over the Mets. The Flyers over the Devils and Rangers. I chose Charles Barkley and the 76ers. And after watching the Eagles lose in the Fog Bowl in 1988, I bled green.

Supposedly, Philadelphia teams have a history of piss poor ownership and management. Need proof, look at the Phillies teams from 1883-1979. Look at the 76ers team from 1984-now. But the one that affected me the most was the Eagle’s owner of Norman Braman. The one that broke up Buddy Ryan’s budding dynasty of the late 80’s and early 90’s. I’m not going to get into detail, but if Buddy Ryan doesn’t get fired after the 1990 season, there is no Cowboys dynasty of the early 90’s….forget about the coulda, woulda, shoulda’s….let’s talk about what’s going on right now…

Obviously, Philadelphia didn’t learn from Randall, Charles, and Allen. They blocked out the 1996-1999 football seasons when life after Randall was hell. The only bad times in Eagles history in the past 20 years. They forgot about the Shawn Bradley days of the 76ers…the miserable post-Charles Barkley days. And I guess the 76ers having the second lowest attendence in the NBA, one year after Allen’s departure isn’t enough….they wanna get rid of not only the quarterback they voted the franchise’s best (in their 75th anniversary poll before the season started), but also their franchise’s best coach (voted for in the same poll). All because of one off year!!

I’m sorry, but watching Charles Barkley win MVP and taking the Suns to the Finals, his first year out of Philly hurt. I enjoyed it for him, but it was bittersweet. So, was watching Randall Cunningham in 1998. If Gary Anderson, who missed zero field goals all seaon long doesn’t choke, Randall goes to the Super Bowl (and wins). And you mean to tell me Allen and Melo aren’t going to get to the finals anytime soon?? Damn….we might as well trade Don to the Bears, so, he could get a ring for them!!

Donovan has been injury prone the last half a decade, yes. But when healthy, after Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, he is the best QB in the league. Maybe that’s a bias statement, but that’s how I feel. It’s crazy at how stupid Philadelphians are. This guy tore his ACL last year. He wasn’t supposed to return until November this year. What happens? The guy busts his ass in rehab and comes back in September. He was rusty, but instead of admiring his courage, Philly fans wanted his head on a platter…or atleast a trade!! Where is the sense in that?? Where are these people’s dignity?

The same quarterback that was voted by the fans as the franchise’s best in its 75 year history is in the news papers everyday. For what?? Something negative! He’s finished! Trade him! Bench him! Where is the credit he deserves?? Yes, this team is 5-8…but six of those losses very easily could have been wins. 5 of those losses were by 4 points or less….This should be a 10-3 team at its worst. The Eagles lost to the Redskins by 8 points in week 2, but really should have won. The only other two losses that I give them credit for losing was the beating the Cowboys gave them, and the 16-3 loss to the Giants (the one when we had 5 starters out)…..Yes, the birds are 5-8, but it is not time for fans and the media to panic and try to clear house!!!

Donovan is shouldering a lot of the blame. Yes, he doesn’t throw down field the way AJ Feely does, but he also doesn’t throw the interceptions AJ does either…..Since Donovan took over at QB in late 1999, how many number 1 receivers has he had?? One. Terrell Owens. That result was a Super Bowl appearance (although they got there without him, he was hurt in the playoffs). My point is, get Don a number one receiver in the off-season, get a return man (Reno Mahe is not the answer), and with this good young defense, they are a contender again. If management does that and things don’t get better in two years, then it might be time for change….but this team isn’t that far behind the NFC elite….you know, the Cowboys, the team the Eagles beat twice last year by 2 touchdowns in each game.

I want to conclude this blog with this. John Elway is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The year John turned 31 years old was his 10th in the league. His team compiled a record of 98-60-1; 7-6 in the playoffs (0-3 in the Super Bowl). His career QB rating was 79.9, he only had a higher mark then that once in his first 10 years, 83.4 in 1987 (I’m not sure what his rating was after his tenth year, but it was a hell of a lot lower than his career mark of 79.9). John after his tenth season threw 148 touchdowns to 140 interceptions. I say this because Donovan just turned 31 this year, and this is his ninth season. His team has been 85-56 in his nine years, 8-6 in the playoff (1-3 in NFC championship games, 0-1 in the Superbowl). He has a career QB rating of 85.2 (not including this year’s rating which is 87.9), he threw 166 touchdowns to 78 interceptions (with 3 games to go this year).

The year that John Elway turned 31, his team went 8-8, yet Denver stuck with him. The year Donovan turned 31 they have a chance to go 8-8 (although I am the only one who thinks they can), yet Philly wants to get rid of him. John Elway won 2 Super bowls in his career, in his 15th and 16th season at age 37 and 38……can we please learn from the past Philadelphia!?!?!