Daily PUMA Column - Commentary by Alessandro Machi

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Rush Limbaugh's Donovan McNabe tirade a few years ago comes back to haunt Rush now that he wants to be part owner of an NFL Football Team.

Several years ago, Rush Limbaugh went on a tirade about Donovan McNabe, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. Rush's basic claim was that the media wanted to have an african american quarterback they could rave about whether or not the quarterback was any good, and Donovan McNabe was the chosen one.

There are a couple of ironies about what Rush said back then. The first irony is that no truer words could have been spoken if Rush had been talking about the 2008 democratic race in which the media was indeed looking for an african american political candidate for president that they could rave about.

However, in Donovan McNabe's case, I think Rush Limbaugh should have taken a different tact, and a funnier more effective one as well.
If ever somebody had a name that screams out Hollywood swashbuckling celebrity, it's the name Donovan McNabe.
Rush Limbaugh could have simply avoided the race card and done a rant about Donovan's name, not his race, and gotten a big laugh as well. But Rush Limbaugh did play the race card back then, and now some have not forgotten and they don't want his money in the NFL.

It was silly to pick on Donovan McNabe, who at that time had led the Eagles to at least two NFC championship finals on his way to four consecutive NFC conference finals. That's really not so bad for what Rush Limbaugh seemed to be saying was an overrated african american quarterback that the media was overhyping simply because he was african american.

I don't know which year among those four straight NFC conference final series Rush made his comment, but if he made them after all four appearances, it really makes no sense since McNabe took his team to what amounts to a final four four years in a row. If Rush made the comments after the second of those four consecutive years, then McNabe proved Rush Limbaugh wrong by going to two more championship finals after Rush made his comments.

The bottom line is, McNabe has proven solid enough to be a final four quarterback a total of five times in his career, and that is very impressive.
I don't have a way to look this up, but Donovan McNabe may be the youngest football player to have he took his team to the fifth football conference playoff finals game of his career.
And this is the guy that Rush Limbaugh is claiming is a token african american quarterback that the media is overhyping?

yeesh.

As great as John Elway was throughout his NFL career as quarterback of the Denver Broncos, it wasn't until John Elway was in in his final season with Denver that he won his first super bowl, which in turn led Mr. Elway deciding to come back for one more season in which he won his second super bowl ring at the age of 38 years, old by NFL standards.
What if Elway had taken a real hard hit in the final game of the season before his first super bowl win, and had decided to retire right then and there? John Elway might have gone down as the biggest underachiever of all time for a quarterback with so much talent, it was not until John Elway was in his LATE 30'S that he actually lived up to the media hype surrounding his career. Yet there is Rush Limbaugh, blasting an african american quarterback was just in his late 20's!
So the question remains, why hate on Donovan McNabe when he had already taken his team to several NFC conference finals, and was still in the prime of his life and had many more seasons to still try and win a Super Bowl?

In the case of John Elway, one could further make the argument that it was Denver's improved defense, and a solid running game that actually allowed Elway's talents to truly shine. It becomes very clear that the difference between a great quarterback and a solid quarterback may not matter as much when it comes to winning a super bowl, it's the defense and running that appear to be the foundation for winning super bowls.
Rush Limbaugh's remarks about Donovan McNabe were not only off the mark, they could have been a lot funnier and poignant if Rush had done a rant about how reporters obviously liked McNabe because of his name and wanted to see him succeed, because of his name, and not his race. Now that would have been a breathe of fresh air, especially coming from Rush Limbaugh, clearly Rush Limbaugh dropped the ball on that one.

3 comments:

Paul said...

The NFL decides who becomes an owner not the other way around.

All this blowhard (Rush Hudson Limbaugh A.KA. Jeff Christie) has to offer is his money and his opinions, (which in my opinion are on the fringes of racism, one mans opinion). There are many more groups biding for the Rams, not just his group. Lets face it there are more men with money (Marshall Faulk) that will gladly fill the slot and the Rams will win or lose depending on how well they work as a team and not on whether or not Rush is an owner.

As for Vick, well he is a player (he has talent not like you, Rush or I, unless you are a NFL player?) and he served his time and the NFL decided we live in the land of second chances, so why not (I personally don’t like it but, oh well). Life has never been fair (NEWS FLASH!)

Now as to the “Free Speech” argument, I guess many of you like myself heard Rush on Thursday “Almost in tears”, priceless. But the last three days he now is in his normal ranting and will continue until someone surpasses him, “Free Speech” continues, so quit the lies that “Free Speech” is being stifled, it simply is not true, of course, you may not have a radio, so you might not believe.

http://www.chasingevil.org/2009/10/rush-limbaugh-in-his-own-words.html

Montana said...

When it comes to race relations in the USA, Rush is a Uniter not a Divider. Right guys!

Alessandro Machi said...

The problem with Rush Limbaugh's rant against Donovan McNabe a few years ago is that it was not accurate.

If one does a player comparison chart Donovan McNabe's name comes up along side of hall of fame quarterbacks when stats are comparied through the age that Donovan currently is.

I do believe that Donovan is probably on his way down where many of those other quarterbacks managed to either maintain or get better, but to claim the guy is mediocre when he led his football to four consecutive NFC conference finals is lame, and that is putting it nicely.

Rush Limbaugh could have been making the same claims about John Elway prior to Elway winning the super bowl, yet I am pretty sure we won't find any tape of Rush ragging on Elway.

Best Quality VHS to Digital Transfers

Best Quality VHS to Digital Transfers
Serious Customers Welcome.

Share Gadget

10,000 Dollar Grant! Another Great Find from FABULOUSLY40.com

10,000 Dollar Grant! Another Great Find from FABULOUSLY40.com
Would this be a good way to win funds for Louisa's Law ?