McNabb's problems anything but skin deep

Michael Jackson, yes that one, once said "It don't matter if you're black or white." That couldn't be more true than on an NFL football field where the only colors that matter are on the football field. No matter how many quasi-racist Rush Limbaughs or misleading NAACP President J. Whyatt Mondesires come out of the wood work, the knock on Donovan McNabb anything but color-based.

Some people cite the Super Bowl as when McNabb's problems were exposed. Not me. His problems started when he was injured in 2002. Sure he finished that game on a great note, but it was the Cardinals.

Since returning to his spot behind center, McNabb has proven that he can be a pocket passer, but only with a game-breaking target like the suspended (and all but gone) receiver Terrell Owens. Without the talent to make up for some bad, well downright awful, passes, McNabb is no more than mediocre.

Sitting in my recliner watching the Eagles take the field in the final minutes of the fourth quarter was the most nerve-wracking part of my week when McNabb was dressed and playing through the pain. With each snap, I felt like Curt Schilling with a towel over my head watching Mitch Williams pitch to Joe Carter.

McNabb is a quality QB, and the Birds will be hard pressed to find someone better on paper, or a better face for the organization. But he proved something through his performance in the Super Bowl and this season sans Owens. In crunch time, McNabb goes limp. He either lacks the talent or the heart to win it all.