Moral fiber trumps talent
JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
If you’re looking for a story to follow this NFL season beyond your Kansas City Chiefs, the most compelling story will play out in the NFC East.
The division is loaded with playoff-caliber squads — the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Washington — and three coaches with Super Bowl experience, Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Andy Reid.
And the division is home to Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb, the NFL’s version of Shaq and Kobe.
Late last week I debated my newspaper and ESPN colleague Dan LeBatard about the importance of McNabb and Owens and the importance of talent vs. character.
LeBatard believes that Owens is a better football player than McNabb and that McNabb and the Eagles will regret jettisoning the pass-catching locker-room cancer, much the same way the Pacers probably have second thoughts about dumping Ron Artest.
I disagree. And I think people should be careful before reading too much into what happens this season with the Eagles and the Cowboys. I guess I’m acknowledging that LeBatard will win our debate this year.
The Cowboys should be really good this season, a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and the Eagles are probably the lone NFC East team that I consider a long shot to make the playoffs.
However, the Eagles made the right decision on whom to keep for the same reason the Lakers made the wrong decision between Shaq and Kobe.
A wise football man will always stand by his franchise quarterback, especially if the quarterback has demonstrated high character. And a wise basketball man will always stand by his 7-foot franchise center, especially if the center has demonstrated high character.
Character and courage matter when you’re talking about quarterbacks. There was a reason Dick Vermeil went overboard when it came to protecting Trent Green.
Vermeil recognized the importance of the position, and the importance of having a warrior at the position. You can find running backs. A good offensive coordinator can work around not having a great receiver. Al Saunders did that for years here.
There’s no cure for having a wimp or a confidence-deficient QB standing in the pocket. Why do you think Mike Shanahan just spent a first-round pick on a quarterback when he already has Jake Plummer?
Donovan McNabb is a man. He’s won football games in Philadelphia without being surrounded by top-flight skills players or even one of the league’s better offensive lines.
The Eagles gave him a lucrative contract. They couldn’t keep T.O. around and risk Owens undermining McNabb’s confidence and ability to lead the Eagles.
The Eagles will struggle this year. Without Owens, McNabb will be a one-man offensive show. It will be tough. He’ll play three of the league’s best defenses — the Giants, Washington and the Cowboys — six times.
Critics will howl that the Eagles were stupid for getting rid of Owens.
I’ll disagree. I see this playing out exactly the way the Shaq-Kobe feud played out. It wasn’t until year two that Shaq was able to make the Lakers look totally stupid. He didn’t win a championship in Miami until his second year.
By year two, Parcells, Jerry Jones and Drew Bledsoe will hate Terrell Owens. And McNabb and the Eagles will have fixed their problems and be back in the playoff hunt.
I hope that’s what happens. It would be a terrible message if Owens was the winner in this mess.
