During his highly productive NFL career, which included five NFC championship game appearances for the Philadelphia Eagles and a memorable Super Bowl XXXIX duel with Tom Brady, Donovan McNabb had a knack for blocking out the noise. From being booed on draft day to getting stigmatized by Rush Limbaugh to being one of the league’s first prominent black quarterbacks, McNabb never had it easy--but he maintained a healthy perspective and did a whole lot of smiling. In this spirited conversation with a journalist who witnessed a lot of it (and his impressionable daughter), McNabb reflects on his journey and looks ahead to Super Bowl LV, as his former coach, Andy Reid, tries to win a second consecutive Lombardi Trophy. McNabb also voices strong opinions about Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Chiefs offensive coordinator (and head coaching candidate) Eric Bieniemy and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
McNabb explains why the winning quarterback from Sunday’s NFC championship game, Tom Brady, can be considered the greatest of alltime--and why he believes the losing QB, Aaron Rodgers, has not earned that same consideration. In previewing Super Bowl LV, McNabb highlights a pair of former players and accomplished offensive coordinators, Eric Bieniemy and Byron Leftwich, that he thinks are being overlooked for head-coaching opportunities. We hear about the playoff game Mike spent in the McNabb Family luxury suite--which featured Donovan’s miraculous fourth-and-26 completion to Freddie Mitchell--and why he received a better greeting from Mr. McNabb than Jay-Z did. We also hear about Donovan’s tense interactions with future 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on the practice field and why he felt fellow Washington assistants (and future head coaches) Matt LaFleur and Sean McVay needed to break away from Shanahan to realize their potential.