Should the Bears go after Donovan McNabb? TODAY'S ISSUE: Should the Bears try to acquire Donovan McNabb if he becomes available in the offseason? BY MIKE NORTH AND DAN JIGGETTS MIKE NORTH: Orton proving he's the one to lead Bears Donovan McNabb as a Bear! Sounds tempting, but I think and hope the Bears would pass. Why? Well, for a lot of reasons. It would be tough for the Bears to bench their captain. That's right -- Kyle Orton is so respected in the locker room that the team named him captain of the offense. Donovan McNabb has proved me wrong a few times. I must have watched a dozen games of his when he was at Syracuse. He was good, but I never thought he would become the leader and the field general he has become in the NFL. Also, I haven't seen too many guys make lemonade out of lemons like him. So I congratulate him for his run in Philly, and that run should continue. But this isn't a deal about just one guy. It's about a special player who this year has become a bona fide quarterback and leader. Orton wins 10 games in 2005, and the Bears bench him. He waits his turn, and finally the Bears realize what I and a few others -- and I reiterate, few others -- realized: Orton could be the Bears' quarterback for years to come. The Bears are in first place with a porous defense, questionable special-teams play and an offense that's now the team's strength. Orton and McNabb have some similarities. Both are tall and strong. But Orton's group of receivers makes the receivers McNabb has had look like Pro Bowlers. Orton has made guys such as Brandon Lloyd, Rashied Davis and Marty Booker actually look good. The drive and touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game at Atlanta this season should have been the crowning moment in his young career. But the Bears lost at the end, and that moment was forgotten. He has proved himself to be clutch. His decision-making has been above average, and now that he is playing regularly, he is a player on the come. With Orton, there is no soap opera. With McNabb, things get blown out of proportion. Plus, Orton's arrow is pointing up, and McNabb's is pointing sideways. McNabb also will demand a ton of dough. He is very good, but relocating would be a mistake. He is Philly football. DAN JIGGETTS: It's just good business to add vet McNabb After Donovan McNabb was benched in the Eagles' 36-7 loss to the Ravens on Sunday, Eagles fans had the hook out to get rid of McNabb, or ''McDrab,'' as some call him. Well, if Eagles fans don't want their quarterback, who was drafted second overall in the 1999 draft, we'll take him. I know it appears that Kyle Orton is developing into a solid NFL quarterback, but there are a few who think bringing a player of McNabb's stature might slow Orton's progress because McNabb would have to be the starter. To me, that doesn't make business sense. Why? It should be the objective of any good business to add talent to the roster, then allow the talent to compete for the right to play. That's good old competition. Orton has played well for the Bears, the team seems to respond well to his leadership and he has the numbers to back that up. McNabb has a solid resume of his own, and in 10 seasons he has been to five Pro Bowls, four consecutive NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl. He is the third-winningest active quarterback in the league with more than 100 starts. Now for all of the ''What have you done for me lately?'' types: If you look at the numbers for the year, including the horror show last Sunday, McNabb has 14 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and 2,270 passing yards for a quarterback rating of 81.1. Compare those to Orton's numbers -- 11 touchdowns, four interceptions and 2,049 yards for a quarterback rating of 88.1 -- and you have fairly similar quarterbacks. With that in mind, I say bring the 32-year-old McNabb back to his hometown and give Bears fans something that has been a long time coming: two real NFL quarterbacks who know how to win. Let the competition begin.
_________________ fan of Latinspice. fan of DJ Julie. fan of L.E.A.N.
|