Hall of Fame Numbers, but No Spot in Canton?

So, let's play a game. I will throw out the career stats of 5 quarterbacks. You try to identify who they are, and if they are in the Hall of Fame.


#1- 169 games played, 2,667 completions, 33,124 yards, 232 touchdowns, 107 ints, 4239 rush yards, 43 rush TDs

#2- 167 games played, 3,170 completions, 37,276 yards, 234 touchdowns, 117 ints, 3459 rush yards, 29 rush TDs

#3- 165 games played, 2,898 completions, 32,942 yards, 165 touchdowns, 131 ints, 1,016 rush yards, 9 rush TDs

#4- 161 games played, 1,926 completions, 25,092 yards, 192 touchdowns, 172 ints, 994 rush yards, 7 rush TDs

#5- 140 games played, 1,886 completions, 27,663 yards, 173 touchdowns, 220 ints, 140 rush yards, 7 rush TDs


Research done? Any ideas? Give up?

Well, #1 is Steve Young, a Hall of Famer. #3 is Troy Aikman, a Hall of Famer. #4 is Bob Griese, a Hall of Famer. #5 is Joe Namath, a Hall of Famer.

And who is #2? Who has numbers comparable to other Hall of Famers? Surely, this man must already be in Canton if he is with the likes of these legends!

It's Donovan McNabb.

Yeah, that Donovan McNabb.

The greatest QB in Eagles history.

But, the general consensus, it seems, is that he isn't a Hall of Famer. He is a Hall of Very Good player. Even with those numbers. Why? Because he never won a Super Bowl. That is what matters most to the fans, the voters and to the people who determine a player's legacy. The other 4 quarterbacks I mentioned all have rings. Super Bowl 3 is really the only reason Joe Namath is in the Hall. McNabb doesn't have that, so, despite his Hall of Fame numbers, he probably won't be a Hall of Famer.

Well, since apparently only championships matter now, we should rename it the Hall of Champions, and inform Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, Dan Fouts and Fran Tarkenton that they are no longer members. After that, let's call up Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, and Mark Rypien to let them know they are in, and ask their jacket size and if they want to be smiling on their bust.

Does that sound ridiculous to you too?

Football, more than almost any other sport, is based on the team. A great team can make up for bad QB play, and maybe win a Super Bowl. At the same time, a great QB's career can be ruined by a bad team, and maybe they never win a Super Bowl.

Just for a second, let's look at how the Eagles might have to take some of the blame off Donovan McNabb, at least in the instance of Super Bowl XXXIX:

It is McNabb's fault that Andy Reid never ran the ball, and asked him to throw 51 times in the Super Bowl? Yeah, 45 rush yards in the big game is really helping out the team in the clutch. Or how about that they played a 14-2 New England team in the Super Bowl? It was a group that had already won two rings, and wanted to cement its place in NFL History as a great dynasty. Or what about the Eagles' secondary? Who was covering Deion Branch when he had that nice Super Bowl record 11 catch performance?

It was never the Eagles losing. It was always McNabb losing. He doesn't play defense. He can't throw and catch the ball, to paraphrase Giselle. He went out there, usually with a receiving corp that featured Freddy Mitchell, or Jason Avant, or Reggie Brown as its #1 threat, and made the Eagles relevant. He is the best QB in the team's history, easily. He is a Top 5 player in the team's history, but he will never be good enough because he didn't win the Super Bowl like those other Eagles QBs.... OH WAIT! No Eagles QB ever has! Yet the fans and media hate McNabb with a passion and always will.

Am I saying that he should be a first ballot Hall of Famer? No. Very few people are. But McNabb should be a serious candidate. It isn't as crazy as your first assumption might be. Maybe on the 7th or 8th ballot. Even if it takes until the Veterans Committee nomination in 30 years. I think it is pretty hard to keep a guy like McNabb out when you look at those numbers. They are, without a doubt, the numbers of a Hall of Fame quarterback.