Former Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year so let the debate begin as to whether or not the entire body of his NFL career warrants such a prestigious honor. His career in Philadelphia spanned 11 seasons after becoming the second overall pick of the 1999 NFL Draft. He also played for Washington and Minnesota to round out a 13-year career in the NFL.
Some of McNabb's highlights include helping his team reach the NFC Championship Game five times, but weighing heavily against this accomplishment is just one trip to the Super Bowl which resulted to a loss to New England in 2004. On the field, McNabb threw for over 37,000 yards and 234 touchdowns while adding another 3459 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground. This makes him the Eagles all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdown throws. Some of the other stats in his favor include a 98-62-1 record over the course of 161 NFL starts.
In my opinion, McNabb had a very good career in Philadelphia that led to quite a few exciting wins, but that glaring hole in his resume of never winning a Super Bowl continues to be a major roadblock to his path to Canton. There are a number of former NFL quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame that never won a Super Bowl, most notably Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, but their accomplishments on the field clearly merited entry into the NFL's most elite club. I will be rooting for No. 5 when next year's class is announced, but I would not get my hopes all that high.
If McNabb does get elected into the Hall (and that remains a huge IF), it is going to take some time. The process could drag on for years only helping to further fuel this debate. In the meantime, we can all start rooting for Carson Wentz in what everyone in Philly is hoping will be the start of another 11-year run by a potential Hall of Famer.
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