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It's easy to be hated in City Of Brotherly Love

Brett Fischer

Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: Sports

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Media Credit: Ron Jenkins/Fortworth Star-Telegram-MCT

Donovan McNabb needs to lead his team to a win over the Giants this weekend if he wants to give his team any chance of making the playoffs this season. The Philadelphia Eagles are 5-7 and one game behind sixth place for the final spot in the NFC Playoffs. Recently, Philly fans have not been supportive of McNabb.

Heading into the Eagles/Patriots game, one thing was certain for Philadelphia fans: They did not want Donovan McNabb spending his 31st birthday on the football field. They wanted AJ Feeley, a second string quarterback, to try and fill the void and take the Eagles back to the playoffs just like Jeff Garcia last season.

Feeley was in a similar situation back in 2002. McNabb broke his right ankle, forcing him to miss the rest of the regular season. Koy Detmer stepped in for the injured McNabb and tried to lead his team to a huge upset over the 49ers, who were 7-3 heading into the game at San Francisco. He just so happened to have the best performance of his career as he threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another one. Maybe the Eagles were going to be good for the rest of the season after all. Unfortunately, after completing a 24-yard pass to Jeff Thomason, Detmer was drilled by Chike Okeafor and landed awkwardly on his arm, kicking his legs in immense pain. Detmer was gone with a dislocated elbow, meaning AJ Feeley, who hadn't thrown a pass all season, would have to lead his team.

Shortly after, Feeley threw a TD pass to Chad Lewis and finished with a 129.9 passer rating for the game.

He then guided his team to four straight victories over the Rams, Seahawks, Redskins and Cowboys. He would have made it five straight if David Akers didn't miss a 35-yard field goal attempt with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter against the Giants. By the end of the season, it was obvious that fans wanted AJ Feeley to continue playing quarterback heading into the playoffs. Forget about McNabb, even though he led his team to a 7-3 record before his injury.

There is a recurring theme every football season. McNabb does considerably well, but fans want a Koy Detmer, a Jeff Garcia or an AJ Feeley to be first string quarterback. Then McNabb gets injured, usually in November, and fans get their wish.

Continued...

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