Donovan McNabb and Randall Cunningham: Comparing 10 Factors for Vikings Success

Based on the the comments being voiced on local sports talk in the Twin Cities, it seems that Vikings fans are split on the addition of Donovan McNabb as the latest version of "This Old Quarterback."

References have been made comparing this situation to when Randall Cunningham, another former Eagles quarterback, led the 1998 Minnesota Vikings to a 15-1 record—the best in franchise history.

Comparing the statistics for Cunningham and McNabb yielded some very interesting results.

McNabb will turn 35 in November and comes to the Vikings with 12 years of experience.

Cunningham was 34 when he joined the Vikings in 1998, a veteran of 11 NFL seasons.

McNabb has a 97-57-1 record as a starter with 230 touchdowns, 115 interceptions and a 85.7 passer rating.

Cunningham came to the Vikings with a 63-43-1 record and 150 touchdowns, 105 interceptions, a 78.7 passer rating. 

Ties are extremely rare in the NFL, yet both quarterbacks ended a game going scoreless in overtime.

In seven seasons as the Eagles starting quarterback, Cunningham led Philadelphia to the playoffs four times. McNabb guided the Eagles to the playoffs in eight of nine seasons as the starter including five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl.

After retiring from the NFL following the 1995, Cunningham would join the Vikings as a back-up in 1997. That season he would start three games for the Vikings. In 1998 he would takeover the starting role in Week 3 following a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Brad Johnson.  

McNabb comes to the Vikings after his own off year. 

After only one season in Washington, where McNabb had his lowest passer rating since becoming a starter in his second year in the league, he comes to the Vikings as the projected starter—at least until first-round draft pick Christian Ponder is ready to take the reins.

On paper it would certainly appear that McNabb comes to the Purple with much better quarterback credentials. So it should be a slam dunk that the Vikings will be better in 2011 than they were going into the 1998 season, and a return to the playoffs is a foregone conclusion. 

Sure, and if you believe that I have some ocean front property in Arizona for sale, along with a sure fire way to lose weight without exercise, and a fuel tank additive that will double your gas mileage.  

The truth is the Vikings are nowhere near the team they were in 1998, right?

I compared 10 factors between the 1998 and 2010 Vikings teams that would have an impact on the success of the quarterback.

So who has the edge?

Momentum Heading into the Season

Donovan McNabb is inheriting a team that, with a 6-10 record, fell to a last-place finish in the NFC North.

They finished the season with an uninspiring 20-13 loss to the Detroit Lions. Over the last 10 seasons the Vikings have only made the playoffs three times.

When Randall Cunningham took over as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback in 1998, the team had made the playoffs in seven of the previous 10 seasons—only once finishing below .500.

Perhaps one of the greatest factors to determine success, is the success demonstrated in the past that a team can build upon.

Winning is a state of mind, and the current Minnesota Vikings team needs to learn how to win.

Edge: Randall Cunningham and the 1998 Vikings.

The Vikings Offense

In 1997, the year before Randall Cunningham took over as the starting quarterback, the Vikings offense averaged 22.1 points per game and finished with the eighth ranked offense in total yards.

In 1998 the Cunningham and the Vikings offense led the NFL with a 34.8 points per game scoring average—almost two touchdowns improvement over the previous season. 

Last season the Vikings averaged only 17.6 points per game and finished with the 23rd ranked offense in the NFL. It will take an extremely heroic effort by Donovan McNabb to match the kind of offense scoring improvement the Vikings made in 1998.

Edge: Randall Cunningham and the 1998 Vikings.

The No. 1 Wide Receiver

Heading into the 1998 season, Cris Carter had made the Pro Bowl in each of the previous five seasons. A perennial 1,000-yard receiver, Carter led the NFL with 122 catches in 1994.

Right now after Sidney Rice's ferr-agent signing with the Seattle Seahawks, the No. 1 wide recevier is Bernard Berrian by default.

In his seven seasons Berrian has yet to exceed 1,000 yards, and his career high in receptions is 71 when in 2007, his last season in Chicago.

The Vikings need to upgrade at wide receiver for 2011, and just about anything they do will help, but there are no Cris Carters out there as free agents waiting to be signed.

Edge: Randall Cunningham and the 1998 Vikings.  

The No. 2 Wide Receiver

In 1998 the Vikings were able to draft Randy Moss with the 21st pick in the NFL draft. Because of some off-the-field issues he was passed over by 19 other teams.

Moss came into the season with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. He led the NFL with 17 receiving touchdowns and earned NFL AP Rookie of the Year.

At this point Greg Camarillo would be the second wide receiver of the Vikings roster. In five years Camarillo has exactly five touchdowns.

This is an easy one.

Edge: Randall Cunningham and the 1998 Vikings.

The No. 3 Wide Receiver

I know, Percy Harvin is not the Vikings No. 3 receiver. However, he is so much more effective when he lines up in the slot or backfield than when he is out wide.

Like Randy Moss, Harvin was passed over by several because of concerns and dropped to the Vikings with the 22nd pick in the 2009 draft. Again like Moss, Harvin had something to prove and was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

In two seasons he has caught 11 touchdowns, rushed for another, and has returned kick-offs for another three.

In 1998 with the emergence of Moss, Jake Reed was demoted to the third receiver in the Vikings offense. Coming off four consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards receiving, Reed would only amass 474 yards on 34 receptions.

The closest thing the 1998 Vikings had to Harvin would have been wide receiver/kick returner David Palmer. In seven seasons returning punts and kicks for the Vikings, Palmer had three touchdowns.

Edge: Donovan McNabb and the 2011 Vikings.

The Running Backs

Heading into the 1998 season, Robert Smith was coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season in his fifth year in the NFL. Smith is currently the franchise rushing leader with 6,818 yards over eight seasons with the Vikings.

Donovan McNabb will have the luxury of handing off to Adrian Peterson, the NFL's best running.

Since joining the Vikings in 2007, Peterson has exceed the century mark in rushing every year and is currently only 1,036 yards behind Smith.

Peterson was named the AP NFL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and is a two-time First-Team All-Pro, along with being named to the Pro Bowl every year he has been in the league.

While Smith was a good running back, this one is no contest.

Edge: Donovan McNabb and the 2011 Vikings.  

The Tight End

In 1998 the Vikings tight end was Andrew Glover. Andrew Glover? Who was Andrew Glover? 

By default this one goes to Visanthe Shiancoe. In four seasons with the Vikings Shiancoe has averaged 43 receptions and 5.2 touchdowns.

In three seasons with Minnesota, Glover averaged 31 receptions and three touchdowns.

The Vikings will also have the services of second-round draft pick Kyle Rudolph out of Notre Dame. Over three seasons with the Irish, Rudolph had 90 receptions for 1,032 yards and eight touchdowns.

Edge: Donovan McNabb and the 2011 Vikings.

Offensive Line

Heading into the 2011 season the Vikings desperately need to find some depth in the offensive line.

Last season the Vikings suffered injuries to both guards Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera requiring them to put together a patchwork line to finish the season.

Three of the starters will be 30 or older this season.

In 1998 the Minnesota offensive line was anchored by left tackle Todd Steussie and perennial Pro Bowler and seven-time First-Team All-Pro left guard Randall McDaniel.  

Unfortunately for Donovan McNabb, unless the Vikings can make an upgrade, he will be lining up behind the line that allowed Brett Favre's consecutive streak of games started to end. Favre took so many hits that he finally succumbed to the beatings and was forced to miss three starts.

Edge: Randall Cunningham and the 1998 Vikings.

The Vikings Defense

There's the old adages that the best offense is a great defense, and it's defense that wins championships.

The ability of the defense to prevent the opposition from scoring will be key.

If the Vikings find themselves constantly behind by two touchdowns, it forces them away from their strength, which is handing the ball off to Adrian Peterson.

In 1998 the Vikings had the sixth best scoring defense in the NFL when they allowed 18.5 points per game. With the top scoring offense in the NFL this was more than adequate to limit the Vikings to a single loss during the regular season.

Last season the Vikings defense yielded 21.5 points per game—ranked 18th in the NFL.

The Vikings defensive backfield is an area in need of improvement. For the 1998 Vikings the safety positions were held down by Robert Griffith and Orlando Thomas. Combined they would intercept seven passes. Last season the Vikings had a revolving door for the safety positions with Husain Abdullah and Madieu Williams as the starters with Jamarca Sanford and Tyrell Johnson each getting a couple of starts.

With the Vikings releasing Williams, there are a lot of questions surrounding the defensive backfield that will need to be answered before the season opens September 11th.

Edge: Randall Cunningham and the 1998 Vikings.    

The Coaching Staff

Dennis Green led the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons he was the head coach. With a 97-62 record he is the second most successful coach in Vikings history behind Bud Grant with a 158-96-5 record.

When Randall Cunningham took over in Week 3 for the Vikings in 1998, it was Green's seventh season in Minnesota. By then Green's fingerprints were all over the Vikings.

In 2011, Leslie Frazier will be starting his first full season as the Vikings head coach. He took over for Brad Childress after the Vikings' embarrassing 31-3 loss to the Packers, dropping them to 3-7. He finished the season going 3-3 with Joe Webb as his quarterback.

Edge: Randall Cunningham and the 1998 Vikings.  

In Conclusion...

While there can be no debate that Donovan McNabb has been much more successful than Randall Cunningham when you compare the results of their careers, the situation that McNabb is walking into is much worse than that for Cunningham in 1998.

The Vikings need upgrades to both lines, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive backfield.

Every team in the NFC North got better in 2010 with the exception of the Vikings, making the task to turn things around that much more difficult.

I still believe that the signing of McNabb was a mistake, and he alone is not enough to make the Vikings a playoff team in 2011.