Donovan McNabb Calls Himself a Hall a Famer

Added on Apr 19, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

Quarterback Donovan McNabb hasn’t even officially announced his retirement, but the talk surrounding whether or not he’s a Hall of Famer has begun. In a recent interview with FoxSports.com, McNabb addressed the issue and delivered his best sales pitch to support his inclusion in Canton. In fact, if he had a vote, he would “absolutely” give a thumbs up. So, is McNabb worthy of the Hall of Fame?

For a guy without a job, McNabb sounded very confident when discussing his career accolades. If McNabb’s definition of a Hall of Famer is employed, then he has a good shot of gaining entrance.

“First of all is his numbers. How many times has he led his team to the big game?” McNabb said “The big game still is the NFC Championship Game, the game to lead you there, and most importantly of all, did he make the players around him better? In his time, in his era, was he a top-five, top-10 quarterback in the league?”

Well, the “Big Game” is the Super Bowl, not the conference championship. And while it’s unfair to place all the blame on McNabb for losing Super Bowl XXXIX and four NFC title games, he will still be judged on those performances. Poor defense and coaching blunders were also a factor, but quarterbacks rarely get a free pass in the voting process.

Love him or hate him, McNabb was one of the NFL’s best and most consistent quarterbacks for the first ten years of his career. His 37, 276 passing yards ranks 17th all-time, which places him above Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Steve Young and Troy Aikman. Kelly started four Super Bowls without a win, Young won his only Super Bowl start and Aikman was under center for three championships.

His 234 career touchdown passes are also more than Young, Terry Bradshaw and Bob Griese. But they, along with his peers Manning, Brady and Brees, all have rings. Stats alone aren’t enough to secure a spot in the Hall, unless you’re Dan Marino or Warren Moon.

McNabb has the numbers, but the lack of a Lombardi Trophy on his resume means he’s a borderline candidate at best.

Source: NFL.com