Donovan McNabb doesn’t want to be known as a running quarterback because it perpetuates a stereotype of black quarterbacks he has tried to outrun.
“I was never a running quarterback,” he said.
Proud as he is to be only the third African-American quarterback to start a Super Bowl, McNabb desperately wants to separate race from all the tangible and intangible assets that have made him the Philadelphia Eagles’ star and leader.
“David Carr ran for more yards than I did, so maybe you should call Carr a running quarterback,” McNabb noted.
Carr, the Houston Texans’ quarterback, indeed ran 73 times for 299 yards; McNabb ran 41 times for 220.
Yet if the Eagles are to beat the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Sunday, it likely will be because of McNabb’s mobility and escapability if not his outright running ability.
“He is a threat to run to buy time to throw and he is a threat to run to gain yardage,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel added: “When I say he can hurt you with his feet, it’s not only just running, but his scrambling ability to get outside and throw the ball downfield.”
More, from Patriots’ linebacker Mike Vrabel: “Donovan has shown the ability to make plays in the pocket and be successful throwing. But when he wants to take off and run . . . he’s big and he looks like a running back.”
And more, from Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour: “We definitely don’t want him to run. If he gets outside of the pocket and creates plays, he’s an elusive guy and it all starts with him. We just want to try to make him one-dimensional. If he gets two-dimensional, able to run and pass, then he is on fire and it will be a long day for us. We just want to try to keep him in the pocket.”
When McNabb was 11, he saw Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins become the first African-American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl.
“That was kind of an open door for African-American kids to have dreams and aspirations of playing in the NFL–not only in the NFL, but in the Super Bowl,” McNabb said.
Williams couldn’t run from here to the end of this sentence, yet the stereotype of black quarterbacks being primarily runners was still strong when McNabb played for Mt. Carmel High School. Nebraska and Syracuse were the only colleges who agreed to give him a shot to play his position.
As an Eagle, McNabb’s running yardage has diminished five seasons in a row. Still, Carr, Minnesota’s Daunte Culpepper (406) and Atlanta’s Michael Vick (902) were the only quarterbacks who gained more than McNabb’s modest 220 yards.
Culpepper, Vick and McNabb will represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl next week and all are African-American. There are three other African-American starting quarterbacks in the league: New Orleans’ Aaron Brooks, Jacksonville’s Byron Leftwich and Tennessee’s Steve McNair, who was the second to play in a Super Bowl.
The subject has not been a big deal at this Super Bowl. Instead of being asked, as Williams was, “How long have you been a black quarterback?”, McNabb’s vote for most ridiculous question has been, “Do we really feel we can win this game?”
McNabb’s mobility poses a problem unfamiliar to the Patriots. The only quarterback to gain more than 20 yards against them all season was Pittsburgh rookie Ben Roethlisberger, who ran for his life for 45 yards two weeks ago.
The Patriots pretty much have faced a series of statues. The longest quarterback run against them all season was 19 yards in the season opener, by Peyton Manning no less.
The Patriots haven’t faced a quarterback as mobile as McNabb since the second week of the 2003 season, 36 games ago. Then McNabb ran six times for 53 yards, the most quarterback rushing yardage against the Patriots in two seasons.
The Patriots are well aware of the challenge.
“He will pick you apart if you let him sit in the pocket and he will pick you apart with his feet,” linebacker Willie McGinest said.
Linebacker Tedy Bruschi said: “If you think you have him in the pocket, is there a chance of him scrambling for 10 yards and a first down? Absolutely. Is there a chance of him coming to the line of scrimmage to throw it across the field for about a 50-yard completion? Absolutely.
“There are just so many factors we have to account for in our game plan that it is going to be a lot more difficult than in the past two weeks.”
But the Patriots also remember the bottom line in their last encounter with McNabb. They limited him to 18 completions in 46 attempts for 186 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and seven sacks.
“I’m not Peyton Manning,” McNabb said. “I’m not Ben Roethlisberger. I’m Donovan McNabb and I’m going to do what I do to help this team win.”
He will have to be the best Donovan McNabb he’s ever been.
