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RalphEvaluation

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 12 months ago

What makes a man a good leader? In the world of professional football, every team must have someone who steps up and takes charge, urging the team to surge forward, and leading them in their pursuit of success. A good leader possesses qualities that will bring a team together, and inspire them to put their physical well-being on the line, pouring forth every ounce of effort they have to gain every inch possible in the fight to reach that one common goal, victory. These intrinsic qualities are perhaps more vital for a quarterback to have than any other position in all of football. The man who calls the signals, reads the defense, and touches the ball on every single offensive play (for the most part) must have poise and confidence in order to succeed. Donovan McNabb, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, has these qualities. Despite the disrespectful pleas of his doubters, Donovan has kept his poise and been mature in leading the Philadelphia Eagles through many productive and winning seasons. Through evaluation of his statistical success, and the opinions of those around him, the presence of McNabb’s first-rate leadership abilities will be proven.

When a team is tired, facing hardship, and ready to give up, all eyes in the huddle look to one man, the leader. It is often said that character is judged best when put under the heaviest adversity. A good leader will not lay down and die, he will display confidence and rally the troops in one final drive for victory. Legends like John Elway, {Delete the comma} and Joe Montana seem to have the uncanny ability to stir the echoes within a stadium and drive their team to victory when all hope seems to have faded. In the 1987 AFC Championship game the Hall-of-Fame quarterback and his Denver Broncos trailed the Cleveland Browns by a touchdown with five minutes and thirty seconds remaining. They had seemingly one more chance for a win, and they got the ball on the two yard line. He did the impossible and drove them 98 yards and threw a game-tying touchdown pass with 37 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime where they eventually won. Elway has a record 47 fourth quarter come backs in his career. Most would agree Elway is a good leader but what of McNabb? {{*New paragraph}** In a divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers on January 11th 2004, the Eagles were faced with a situation of similar uncertainty. Trailing in the game by three points with a little over a minute remaining in the fourth and final quarter (1:12) the Eagles had the ball on their own 25 with no timeouts remaining. It was also 4th and 26. Failure to gain the necessary 26 yards to keep the drive alive would allow the Packers to easily run out the clock and win the game. However Donovan would not let hope die, he inspired his team in the huddle and threw a 28 yard completion into the teeth of the Packer defense. This was followed by another first down run by McNabb setting up the game tying field goal, and sending the game to overtime, where the Eagles eventually won.

A good leader also displays confidence in his teams abilities, even when his team is an underdog. Joe Namath, one of the greatest quarterbacks and leaders of all time, led his Jets into Super Bowl three against the heavily favored Colts. After being disrespected by the media and fans alike for the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Namath’s response to the Jets being given no chance was a guarenteed victory. This display of tremendous courage and confidence inspired his team, and led them to a 13 to 6 victory over the Colts, one of the greatest upsets of all time. Such adversity and doubt started before McNabb even played a game in the pros. The Eagles selected McNabb second overall in the 1999 draft, and he was greeted by boos from everyone in the crowd (mainly Eagles fans themselves). Without even being given a chance, McNabb brushed off the doubters, who thought he was a waste of a pick, and within three seasons led the Eagles from having the worst record in football, to making the playoffs, and becoming the most successful team in the NFC. Throughout the entire process of proving himself, McNabb’s confidence was unwaivered, and this characteristic was transferred to the rest of the team, leading them out of the NFC East cellar.

Along with on the field credentials, there are many off the field requirements that are necessary for one to be considered a good leader. A good leader has a locker room presence that demands respect and if challenged will purge a bad influence from the team. In addition, a good leader will set a positive example for off the field activities, helping with the community and avoiding trouble with the law. Donovan is a proven leader in the community and has reached out to touch many lives in the Philadelphia area and the rest of the country. He started the DM5 foundation to help raise awareness and money for those who have diabetes. He also leads a football clinic along with other Eagle players every year in the Eagles’ training complex facility for children of the Philadelphia area. This allows kids who usually don’t have the space or equipment to play to have the opportunity to play with professionals and other kids their age. Donovan also dressed up as Santa Clause and visited the Christian Alliance Community Center, as well as the Temple University Children’s Hospital, and Shriner’s Hospital. As far as locker room presence is concerned, Donovan has the support of all his teammates, who know he is the unquestioned leader of the team. A perfect incident to support this claim is the headline news story of earlier this season, when Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens questioned McNabb’s leadership and quarterbacking abilities. Owens, a member of the Eagles, and one of the best wide-receivers in the league, took several cheap shots at McNabb, calling him inaccurate, and saying that he choked in the 2005 Super Bowl. McNabb however kept his cool and maintained his maturity, not taking shots back at Owens to escalate the problems in the locker room, but instead avoiding the issue with the media and trying to mediate problems. The team’s support of McNabb then became evident as Owens became an outcast in the locker room, with everyone backing McNabb. The Eagle’s front office was so eager to support McNabb that they suspended Owens, and will not be taking him back as a player or member of the ball club. This is an ultimate sacrifice, as he is one of if not the greatest receiver in the NFL, and they are willing to lose his big play ability in order to keep their locker room problem free and under the control of their great leader, Donovan McNabb.

McNabb maintains a high level of maturity when dealing with the media as well. When racism issues have surfaced numerous times in the past few years, he has kept his cool, and remained above the problem. Rush Limbaugh claimed that McNabb was only considered a good quarterback because he was black, there was a huge fuss raised about racism. However, McNabb just shook off the comments, and went about his business of winning football games. Keeping understanding and perspective, he has helped to stop the controversy and help maintain the healthy image of the NFL.

Donovan McNabb is one of the premiere superstars in the NFL today. His success in college and into the NFL has made him a fan favorite, and a favorite in the locker room with his team. The Big East Player of the decade (1990's), a four time pro-bowler, and the league’s MVP runner-up in 2000, Donovan’s on the field accomplishments have not gone to his head. He has remained grounded and kept the interests of his team as the priority over his own personal interests. He has played hurt, throwing four touchdowns in a game while playing on a broken leg, and suffering a sports hernia and still playing six games. This sacrifice and courage inspires those around him to give maximum effort in the face of any adversity, and this is what allows Donovan to effectively lead his team into battle, making him a terrific leader.

 

Works Cited

 

N/A. The Official Site of ESPN. http://espn.go.com/classic/s/add_elway_john.html

 

N/A. The Official Site of the NFL. http://www.nfl.com

 

N/A. The Official Site of Donovan McNabb. http://www.donovanmcnabb.com

 

N/A. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_and_26

 

N/A. Historic SuperBowls. http://football.about.com/cs/superbowl/a/bl_superbowl/3.htm

 

N/A. NFL Draft Statistics. http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/years/1999

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