Month: May 2007 (Page 10 of 12)

Shortly after the Philadelphia Eagles selected Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb with their first pick in last month’s draft, many members of the media wanted to know what Donovan McNabb had think of the selection. This is McNabb in a recent article posted on Philly.com after the Eagles’ draft:

“Everybody has their opinions,” McNabb said. “The answer for me: Was I shocked? Yes. Was I upset? No, not upset to the point where you feel like, ‘Oh, my God, my job is in jeopardy.’ ”

McNabb’s overall draft reaction: “I got home after we finished eating ice cream and sat in front of the TV and watched the rest of the draft. We drafted a defensive end and I thought, ‘We went quarterback and defensive end, so what are we going to do to help us out now?’ “

As the writers from The Daily Forecast highlighted, perhaps no quarterback in the NFL has gone through what McNabb has in his playing career. Booed by Philly fans on draft day because they wanted Ricky “Yoga is my release” Williams, essentially called an Uncle Tom by a member of the NAACP for not being more of a prototypical “black” quarterback and running more, dealing with Terrell Owens, and now he’s being questioned for his feelings on a rookie who currently couldn’t hold his jock strap.

Guys like SI.com’s Tom Curran are missing the point in saying McNabb is “shocked” about the selection of Kolb. McNabb is more worried the team didn’t fill immediate needs, not that his future with the Eagles is under massive uncertainty. I don’t criticize the Eagles for wanting to add a little insurance behind McNabb seeing as how he’s had major injuries the past two seasons. However, trading their first rounder to division rival Dallas so the Cowboys could get Anthony Spencer was ridiculous, the reach on Kolb with A.J. Feely and Kelly Holcomb already on the roster was unnecessary, and the rest of their draft was just so-so.

So instead of lambasting McNabb for being “shocked” about the selection of Kolb, spend the time criticizing the Eagles for their sub par draft.

The Carolina Panthers gave wide receiver Steve Smith a three-year contract extension on Tuesday. Smith, one of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL, will remain in Carolina through 2012, barring a significant injury or release.

Good for the Panthers, because on most occasions in years past, Smith was their offense. How many simple bubble screens has Smith taken for big gains or scores? He’s made quarterback Jake Delhomme look better than he really is.

In other NFL news, the Cincinnati Bengals re-signed defensive end Justin Smith to a one-year, $8.644 million contract. Smith was the Bengals’ franchise player, meaning he will get the average salaries of the NFL’s top five defensive ends. The team wants to sign him long term, but after seeing what Patrick Kerney got from the Seahawks ($39.5 million over six years) this offseason, nobody can blame Cincy for taking its time in working out a deal. Especially considering Smith hasn’t totaled even 10 sacks in any given year and has no Pro Bowl appearances despite being the fourth overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Not that Pro Bowls and sacks should be the only judgment regarding defensive ends, but Smith needs better overall production to merit what Kerney got.