Donovan McNabb: Don't Blame Him for Philly's Early Playoff Exit

It always comes down to the quarterback .

One way or another, regardless of how well they play, the quarterback is viewed as the top decision-maker and impact player on the field, and ultimately get all the glory, or all the blame.

In McNabb's case, he's been getting far too much of the latter.

McNabb didn't have a great game against Dallas in the first round, that's duly noted. By going just 19-37, for 230 yards, one touchdown and one interception, McNabb left it open for debate that he was the weakness in the Philly offense this past weekend.

This was an offense that was marketed as extremely potent, while possessing one of the most dangerous weapons in the game, DeSean Jackson.

And after a sorry performance by McNabb, that saw him finding his first completion in the second quarter, all the focus turns on him.

On top of a poor showing and a first round exit, the media immediately got the ball rolling on "will he or won't he?", in regards to Donovan McNabb returning in 2010 as Philadelphia's starting quarterback.

But that's where we need to draw the line.

Yes, McNabb could have performed better. Yes, he missed open receivers, made some bad reads, and ultimately just didn't perform at the level necessary to match the Cowboys' tempo.

But is he really to blame?

After all, McNabb was running for his life for much of the first half, as his offensive line struggled immensely to stop DeMarcus Ware and an aggressive Dallas pass rush.

Four sacks, 18 incompletions, and two turnovers, and suddenly Philly's golden boy is yet again facing questions about his ability to lead this team?

What about the horrid pass protection? Or the other two fumbles coughed up by Leonard Weaver and Michael Vick?

How about the Eagles defense giving Tony Romo all day to throw (two sacks), and letting Felix Jones tear them up for 148 yards and a touchdown?

But those aren't the reasons for Philly's downfall, either.

Believe it (or like it) or not, but the real reason why the Eagles lost on Saturday, and the reason why they continue to lose in the playoffs, is Andy Reid.

Let's face it. The Eagles don't want to run the ball. Hell, they hardly even try to run the ball.

Just look at the numbers.

In their most recent loss, they ran the ball just 13 times as a team, with no rusher getting more than five attempts.

That's not "steering from a game-plan". That's called "not having a game-plan".

Reid's offense relies almost solely on the pass, and then falls back on the ground game near the end of games.

Plain and simple: when you pass the ball 37 times and run the ball 13 times, you are more than likely coming out with a loss.

Granted, the final result, and the huge half-time deficit (27-7) suggest Philly had to pass, but a closer look at a few of the Eagles' losses earlier in the season shows that this wasn't a fluke. No, Philly faithful, this is a disturbing trend.

And it's not going away.

In an early season upset loss to the Oakland Raiders, the Eagles dropped back to pass 52 times (getting sacked six times), while rushing just 14 times as a team, giving no more than six attempts to a single player in that contest.

The same exact situation happened in another loss to the San Diego Chargers, where McNabb dropped back to pass 57 times, while the team ran the ball just 13 times.

Again, a trend is forming, and it's not pretty.

The fact is, Andy Reid's offense has become predictable. Despite having the players to produce yardage on the ground, the Eagles go for the big play far too often, and rely far too much on a quarterback that simply isn't that accurate.

McNabb is to blame for that aspect. In his entire career, McNabb has completed more that 61 percent of his passes just once (when he had Terrell Owens), and completed less than 60 percent in every single season.

This is not the formula for success.

But don't blame McNabb. No, don't call for Kevin Kolb. Call for Andy Reid's head.

It's his poor game-planning and execution that has driven the Eagles into the ground every post-season, with this season being a perfect example.

The question is, can you blame Donovan McNabb for the Eagles quick exit to this year's playoffs?

Of course, but it wouldn't be fair.

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