Donovan McNabb has quickly fallen from an upper-tier NFL quarterback to a man without a job discussing his legacy. Yes, it's time to start the McNabb Hall of Fame debate.
First up in the discussion: Donovan McNabb.
"What happens a lot of times is we look at what the list says, so we talk about the five NFC Championship Games, the six Pro Bowls and then we come to the end, 'Well, he never won the big game,' " McNabb told Mark Kriegel of FoxSports.com, via the Philadelphia Daily News. "Well, Peyton never won the big game until he won the Super Bowl. Dan Marino never won the big game. Does that mean his career is a failure? No, not at all."
Kriegel started the discussion by saying there would be "no debate" whether or not McNabb was a Hall of Famer if he had a title. McNabb was asked what makes a Hall of Famer:
"First of all is his numbers. How many times has he led his team to the big game?" McNabb said "The big game still is the NFC Championship Game, the game to lead you there, and most importantly of all, did he make the players around him better? In his time, in his era, was he a top-five, top-10 quarterback in the league?"
McNabb said he'd "absolutely" vote for himself to be in the Hall of Fame, which is a comment that will be mocked in Philadelphia. We don't think it's that crazy.
McNabb was a top-five quarterback for much of his career. The decline happened fast, but he still had a 10-year prime when he played at a Pro Bowl level for one of the best teams in the league.
There is no doubt McNabb has been a better overall pro than, say, Eli Manning. Eli has two more rings, but the Hall of Fame shouldn't be all about rings. McNabb made six Pro Bowls for a reason.
In the end, we see McNabb as a borderline Hall of Famer. He's not a guy who'll likely get in right away, but he deserves serious consideration, and we'd expect to eventually see him as a Hall of Fame finalist.
This debate is just getting started.