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Originally Posted by jp58  Eagles fans have never liked the man. They even booed when he got drafted. 
Guy's a class act though. Its always nice to see something like this, even if Donovan was the reason we got beat on Sunday. |
Philly fans get a bad rap on lots of things, including their alleged dislike of Donovan McNabb. And, if you listen to some of the nut jobs on Philly sports talk radio, you could easily get this impression.
But, during his tenure here, you saw more McNabb jerseys around this city that those of any other athlete. He was, in fact, extremely popular. McNabb could be infuriating, inconsistent, and enigmatic, but serious football fans understood the magnitude of his accomplishments. And he was definitely a class act.
That's why, when the Redskins played in Philly this year, McNabb received a lengthy standing ovation. But was that covered in the national media? Of course not, because it doesn't fit with the negative stereotype of Philly fans, which is always a good story. (And is, at times, well deserved!
)
I've thought many times about the irony of Vick's success following Donovan's role in bringing him to the Eagles. It's an interesting dimension to the story.
I think Donovan identified with Vick early on, because he also disliked being stereotyped as a "running" quarterback who couldn't function effectively in the pocket. He even stuck up for Vick on that point in a press conference after the Eagles beat Vick and the Falcons. Someone asked Donovan about Vick's seemingly narrow range of capabilities. Donovan said it didn't matter, because "he wins." He sure does.
