Former Eagles, Redskins and Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb made another appearance on ESPN First Take on Friday, and just as he did on Thursday by questioning whether Robert Griffin III can fit with the Redskins, McNabb made a comment that will surely raise eyebrows.
This time, McNabb proclaimed himself the most unfairly maligned quarterback in NFL history, saying that no other passer has ever had to deal with the same stuff that he has.
It started with McNabb criticizing Tim Tebow and First Take provocateur Skip Bayless stepping in to say Tebow receives more criticism than he deserves.
“Tim Tebow,” Bayless said, “is the most unfairly, over-criticized quarterback in the history of this league.”
With that, McNabb interjected, “Negative -- I am.”
“I am,” McNabb continued. “Nobody has been criticized as much as I have.”
McNabb has faced plenty of criticism, although whether that criticism is unfair is a matter of opinion. It was surely unfair when McNabb was booed on draft day in 1998, and Rush Limbaugh once offered a dumb assessment of McNabb, but for the most part the amount of criticism he has received has mirrored the quality of his play. When McNabb played well, he was rewarded with cheers, Pro Bowls and endorsements.
And when McNabb played poorly, he was booed, traded and finally released. There’s nothing unfair about that.