McNabb exits, his promise never fulfilled

His arrival produced boos, his departure cheers and, in the 11 years in between, Donovan McNabb generated a near-constant, noisy cacophony in Philadelphia - elated roars, frustrated sighs and loud disagreements.

The era of the player Andy Reid called "the greatest quarterback ever to play for the Philadelphia Eagles" ended with a trade to Washington late on Easter Sunday, his lengthy career here apparently beyond salvation even on that day of redemption.

McNabb, who holds virtually all of the franchise's career quarterback records, was dealt to the Redskins for a second-round draft pick this year and a third- or fourth-rounder next year.

And while Reid told reporters at a late Sunday night news conference that he was happy with that compensation, it seemed in retrospect a paltry exchange for the promise McNabb embodied during his lengthy stay as the focal point of Philadelphia's obsession with the Eagles.

While that promise produced many tangible and significant results, including five NFC championship game appearances and the longest sustained run of success in Eagles history, McNabb - like his Eagles and the city's passionate football fans - was ultimately unfulfilled.

In January 2005, he lost the only Super Bowl he would reach. His failure - in that game and in not getting the Eagles to another - eventually caused many Philadelphians to sour on him even as NFL experts and his peers continued to laud him.

Asked to recall a McNabb highlight Sunday night, Reid referenced the desperate fourth-quarter pass his quarterback completed against the Green Bay Packers in the 2004 NFC playoffs.

"Fourth and 26," said Reid of that near-miraculous completion to Freddie Mitchell, "That was a pretty good day, right there. And there were a lot of those days. He made a mark in the City of Philadelphia and I know he's going to be a Hall of Famer."

But like so much of what happened in McNabb's time here, that highlight would soon be followed by a lowlight. In the NFC championship game a week later, he was flat and ineffective as the favored Eagles were beaten, 14-3, by Carolina - the third of his four losses in conference title games.

That all-too frequent juxtaposition of dazzle and disappointment virtually guaranteed that his Philly legacy, like the reaction of the city's fans to his talents and performances, would always be a mixed one.

McNabb won more games, threw for more yards and played in more postseasons than any other Eagles quarterback. But he couldn't win a Super Bowl. And, for a pro football-mad city that has craved that experience, it would be a fatal flaw.

Whether it was because of his relaxed demeanor, his smiling sideline persona or - though the subject was rarely raised in public forums - his race, McNabb became an easy target and a lightning rod for disagreements.

When it came to No. 5, Philadelphia never seemed able to resolve those spirited disputes.

Some believed that even in his last years as an Eagle, he was one of the league's best and needed only a better supporting cast, or a more balanced offense, to get the team over the top.

The moment that epitomized his failings for his detractors occurred during the fourth quarter of his lone Super Bowl appearance, a 24-21 New England victory. McNabb, they said, was so nervous on a late drive that he vomited in the huddle.

The quarterback later denied that, but the myth, unsupported by any visual evidence, lived on.

That anti-McNabb sentiment grew more widespread as his rift with star wideout Terrell Owens nearly tore the team apart the following season.

The McNabb-Owens feud reenergized some of the controversy surrounding McNabb, controversy that had cooled when comments made by Rush Limbaugh caused an outpouring of support for the Eagles quarterback.

In September 2003, the conservative radio broadcaster, who had been hired as an NFL commentator by ESPN, suggested McNabb was overrated."I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL, Limbaugh said. "The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well."

Limbaugh subsequently resigned and McNabb's status in Philadelphia and elsewhere was enhanced.

It all began at the 1999 draft, touted as one laden with quarterbacking talent, when the Eagles made the Syracuse product the No. 2 overall pick. That disappointed some fans who had traveled to New York for the event hoping that Texas running back Ricky Williams would be their choice. They loudly booed the decision.

His first touchdown pass was a 6-yarder to tight end Chad Lewis on Nov. 21, 1999, in a 44-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The rookie's first Eagles team went 5-11, but better days were ahead.