Interview Only: QB Donovan McNabb states no Super Bowl victory blocks his Hall of Fame status.

Published Feb 9, 2025, 7:00 PM

Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.

My next guest spent thirteen seasons as an NFL quarterback, eleven of those years with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he took the team to Super Bowl thirty nine. It's always good to get his perspective, at least in the eyes of some of y'all. To me, he's a damn night man. Nobody clowns me more than this. Nobody gets on my nerves more than this guy. He's always messing with me. But I miss him. The one and only Donovan mcnah, what's up, my brother?

How you doing that?

That wasn't there? That? That all that extra stuff.

I'm extra.

I can be extra. That's who I am. That's who I am. I can be extra. I'm Steven.

Drop the mic like that, do that.

I can do that right now when we just started. You know how you are.

To your biceps. Now you want to show off the pattern and looking on stylish.

Well, I am in better shape. I ain't as stick as your ass. I'm in better shape, Donovan. So listen, man, we got super Bowl super Bowl fifty nine. Here, we got the as the City Chiefs, your former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City coach by your former coach Andy Reid being down here for the Super Bowl, tell us what kind of memories it brings back for you personally.

As a player at that particular point.

You know what, it's the excitement, I think, the anticipation of the actual game.

You know, when we were back in thirty nine.

It was it was the excitement because we finally got over the hub and so it was more of the just the drive Monday, the Tuesday, the Wednesday, and you're just like, let's get to the game. And so now I think for a lot of these young guys, and they do a great job the NFL that is of the week before where you can get the tickets and travel and hotels and all of that out of the way and focus just on football on the game week. And so the excitement kind of really builds up by Friday.

Is it possible to get the damn ticket issue out the way?

Because I'm imagining no matter how many requests come in, they don't stop.

Well, you know how black families are, you know, it's always you know Uncle Tim and and you.

Can't forget about your cousin. You know me, your cousin grew up with you when you were six, you know, she lives out there. It's like I ain't seen her since I was six.

But you know, I think for it's it's hard because of that, the demands, but then you have to block it out and focus in and then the excitement of the game is just it's just basically like almost an extension of the NFC Championship.

When you think back to your experiences, how much did the week leading up to the game affect your performance during the game, if at all.

I don't think at all at all. No, not at all.

And the whole thing is when you're in the game, you're focusing in at the time, like time matters, and it's the play clock, it's the actual play getting the ball off on time. It's throwing it with timing, it's making the right checks, making the right reads, protecting the football, and at the end of it, trying to get a first down, trying to get a touchdown. And so it's the mistakes that mount up and what does that do to the football team and what does that do for field position? And that's what this game is. This game is about field position. Who has the ball past the fifty, who has the ball with what time left? Where in the third down or second down? Are you using third and medium? Is it third and long? Is it third and short. That's what decides on whatever play is coming in. How are we going to execute it? Do you have a shot at the touchdown? Or is it just to get the first down? Do I have enough time to get the ball out? And so those are things that you're thinking about come games.

In all the years I've known you, I've never asked you a question I'm about to ask you. I know that TiO was hurt and then came and performed and performed well in the Super Bowl, but he wasn't there for the divisional playoff game in the NFC Championship game.

If he had.

Never gotten hurt at all, do you think y'all would have won the Super Bowl? Like, I know he played in the Super Bowl, but I'm just thinking about the camaraderie that you had, the timing, et cetera, et cetera. I know he played well, but I'm talking about the other players on the team that had to adjust it.

Yeah, think about that.

I have it, I have it.

No, I would. I haven't thought about that question. I can't believe you even asked that question. You want something else. Now, I would say we were who we were, and the thing was we were that before and then it was an added dimension. So remember what we did. We did that due to of course of ten eleven weeks like with him, like that season, we really didn't play much in the later part of the year. So I mean, you know, hey, life would have been a little different.

But I can't complain how much different would your life be right now?

If you had won that.

Super Bowl and we were saying Donovan McNabb not just a great player, but Donovan McNabb a super Bowl champion.

I would have made it to at least the eight or probably the final final selection of the Hall of Fame. I might be in a Hall of Fame right now, because then I would be looked upon as a true Hall of Famer, which in a lot of people's eyes, I am.

I think you include myself.

I think you are, but I think I would definitely have made it further in the voting of for Hall of Fame.

Let's go back to the Super Bowl right now.

When we think about Patrick Mahomes, we think about Lamar Jackson, we think about Josh Allen, we think about Joe.

Burrow, et cetera.

And in the words of a quarterback who played at a high level in the National Football League, what does Patrick Mahomes have that none of the other quarterbacks have?

Super Bowls? Super Bowls?

I'm talking about his abilities because the super Bowls are obvious.

He's a champion.

I mean he has he has great arm talent, he's a game breaker, he's a playmaker, he's a he's a leader, he's everything that you see and a lot of these other guys, it's just that it's like Tom Brady. Tom Brady wasn't the best athlete. Tom Brady wasn't a probably at some point he wasn't the best quarterback, but he was a winner. And that's what he is. And ever since he had became a starter. And I'll take it all the way back to when he started in Denver in replace of Alex Smith that year that was to get Alex and Bress get Patrick some reps. And I think he threw for about two fifty two to seventy five in that game, to the point where that's when Andy knew what his future was and Alex knew what his future was. Right, And so now you're talking was this eight years for him though.

Seven years he started. But he's been a start for seven years, been in the league for eight years, been a starter last seven.

And it's been in the Super Bowl five times.

And been in the AFC Championship game every single year.

And to be honest with you and not I have just had this conversation in an interview. D Ford was lined up all sides by an an inch and he looked over at the ref and the ref usually would tell him to slide back, but the tackle was lined up all sides for New England. You know what happened on that play? What interception? Tom through an interception which he would have went to the Super Bowl that year.

Wow, So now we're talking every year.

He almost going to the super Bowl because when he went to the AFC Championship his first year, that was just one particular play by the referees that could have been Hey, slide back usually didn't tell you that, but.

There was no notice and he only he lost in the game.

Let's talk about your team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

From this respect, you got Jalen Hurts, Sakwon Barkley, It's spectacular.

What would Joe like Brian Westbrook was that dude.

I know.

He was a bad brother, but Saquon Barkley is Saquon Barkley.

Now, okay, what's it like?

I mean, what would it have been like for you to have Saquon Barkley as a runner back?

I have Brad Westbrook.

So you're just gonna be like that, right. I know he runs two thousand owns, but.

He had over almost three thousand total all purpose. Yeah, that's true.

It was only two. It was only too that in a particular time in the game him Meladania that was doing it like that.

Do you think what do you think rather Sequon Barkley needs to do in order for the Philadelphia Eagles to win the Super Bowl?

I think they need to run the football about thirty thirty to thirty two times I'll say thirty five including Jalen to keep it balanced. Because what it does is now sets up the play action game where Dallas guid has to be so effective in the middle of the football field versus their safeties and linebackers. And when you're running the football, now that keeps the safeties in, the linebackers the line where now they have to stop run first instead of dropping back in zones. And so if Spags decides to blitz and they do decide to run, now, if the tackles and guards can push out and open up oh, that's a home run right there. For So what it does now and what everybody has seen the effectiveness of this offensive line and what they can do to establish the run game and open up host If they can can establish that line of scrimmage, now that opens up opportunities on the outside with man and man coverage, with aj and Devonte.

Do you think the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line would be able to do that? The number one according to Pro Football Focus, they average six six, three hundred and twenty eight pounds. You would think they should be able to maul any any defensive line, even if it is that of the Kansas City Chiefs.

What are your thoughts about that?

Jones is a problem. Yes, and so that's Makai Beckton, and that's Dickerson. And if you're not healthy enough, he's gonna move you. He's gonna move you. So we've seen what happened with San Francisco when they were running the football had some effectiveness, but then when the play they need to be made, can't stop ninety five.

Have we talked about Kansas City's D defense enough?

No?

What should we be saying about them?

Timeless timeless plays that they make in the course of the game that changes the game, if it's from the D line or if it's from their safeties. Their safeties are ball hawks, but they also come down to stop the run. I think Reid is probably one of the unkept heroes like that. They don't talk about much, but he does a great job on their defense. And Spags is Spags, Spags is always gonna put them in position. We know about McDuffie, we know about Reid, we know about you know Jones, But if they have a lot of heroes on that on that defensive line and linebacker court that make big plays.

What was your relationship like with Andy Reid when.

You were playing. I didn't like them. You got.

What I know? You love that man.

Listen, that is my guy. Actually talked to him today. You know, I'm pulling one of my Steven d A's dropping dropping name. You know, I talked to him the other day breakfast that I talked to him, talked to him this morning and he's my like, he's my guy, Like we talk outside of football, And you know, I worry about his health when he was going through some different things.

Good to see his family's doing well. And it's more of.

The success that he's had because he allows his players to beat themselves. And the problem with the world today is these coaches get so enamored with being the one in control, controlling the narrative. Their ego stands too strong where they're not allowing their players to control the locker room, control the outcome, control what's in front of him. And Andy was a no judgment kind of a coach and still is a no judgment of coach, and that's what makes him elite.

You've heard the noise they've said about Nick Sirianni and Philadelphia. Uh, there was a time, believe it or not, even though he just got at the Philadelphia, he goes to a Super Bowl appearance a couple of years ago, they were talking about he might not be the right man for the job.

At one point.

They did the same thing that Doug Peterson. Then he wanted super Bowl.

They did the same thing that Doug Peterson. Then he won a Super Bowl.

You absolutely right with Nick Foles is his quarterback, By the way, what did you.

Think about the noise against Nick Sirianni when you first heard of the season.

I thought it was garbage.

And I talked to Nick and spoke up for him because I do a call in radio show every Monday, and I told him, I said, you want Tom. You want somebody who's up front. You want somebody to be brash, you want somebody who who's gonna be, you know, there for his team and be vocal. You got him. Now you're mad because he fired back at you. You know, So that that's the problem. Don't think, don't don't sit there and give it and then can't take it. And so what happened the team rallied behind him, and all of a sudden he pulled off a win streak or what where they went twelve in a row.

Or basically or something like that.

Yeah, you know what I mean.

And so that shows a lot about the respect that they have for him in that locker room, because Nick is just being Nick. And so you know when you fire at him, yeah, he's on fire back. He's a human being too, you know, just like when people come at you, you know, you.

Know I'm gonna hit him back.

Yeah, see, you know you know. I thought you mustache would grow a little a little more.

I've been cutting it off a little bit. I've been shaving myself. I didn't go to my barber, and I did try to. Now we go, I'm blaming myself.

So you said you messed it up.

I messed it up. But I can afford it.

I have room for I have room to grub gul anyway. Anyway, listen, man, I'm looking at right now. Everybody's been talking about Jalen Hurts.

Yes, including you.

Oh yes, I have Yes, I believe in a brother, but he's got to show it, Donovan.

Besides the wind.

No, what I'm saying to you is this, I'm measuring. I did the same thing with you. Don't let him off.

The hook.

Yesterday. But I was right. But I was right. I was right. I was right.

What I said was, I'm measuring what it's.

Gonna take for you to win the chick And what's not saying that you can't ball. I'm saying Jalen Hurts the Philadelphia Eagle since Week five, has run the football more than anybody in the league. They've thrown the football less than anybody in the league. So you're basically saying this, we'll run first kind of team, et cetera. I don't know if that's gonna get it done against Patrick Mahomes. What's wrong with saying.

That because you're now slighting what he's want, what he's been doing.

That's that's sensitivity.

Come on, man, So I'm Ralph trans Man.

Now, I don't know.

Maybe you don't need a man with sensitivity, but with.

Sensitivity, but that's okay, But go ahead, go ahead.

This is the thing that I think people don't realize. The concussion was something that he had to battle through. So his first game back after the concussion was the first round of the playoffs. His second game back was the second round.

I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about what they were saying about him during the season.

But they were saying it because they were trying to figure out, you know why Aj and DeVante were getting the ball but you're winning. They're not getting the ball because Kellen Moore is not calling what your quarterback is comfortable with.

You see, you're very frustrated.

You're very Let me tell you why, because I could imagine you when you were playing saying those exact same things to everybody around you. But you know, players, I mean, your stats speak for you, and when you go to the negotiating table, you're gonna have to live on that stuff. So they want the ball, they want. Everybody's gonna be that patient.

So if we're going to the NFC Championship and we're going to the Super Bowl, we're winning, and I'm throwing the ball effectively.

And officiate and league, I'm I'm offici.

If you're throwing the ball ten times instead of thirty times, that's twenty times, and ain't throwing the damn book.

I bet you Joe Burrow would love to switching being a jayln Hurst, I'm not sure about that. I bet you Josh Allen would love to be in his shoes. I bet you Lamar would.

But they didn't have to go against They had to go against my home. He doesn't have to until Sunday.

They don't matter who you gotta go against. Your win win is a win. We all, So you go with Jay Len. I'm good with what he's doing.

So you think, with what.

He's doing right now, that's gonna deliver you a Super Bowl championship Against Patrick Mahomes.

It would have brought him one last time they played, last.

Time they played these past with three hundred yards. He rushed for seventy, he scored four touchdown, but he didn't what are you talking about? He didn't have twenty six behind them.

Let me take one, not Brian Westbrook, that's what you mean.

I just asking.

I said twenty six. I did say thirty six. If he had thirty six back there, yes, he probably would have won a super Bowl. But you know he didn't have them. He had he had you know, Sanders was back there. Sanders is also a thousand yard Russian, you know. But the thing about it is he played well enough in that offense of what they had. Then this is a whole different office. The man that'd been through what three four coordinators and he only been in the league five years, It's true, and so so now he's in a new offense, learning new offense, and then after this game, he's gonna be another offense when Kellenmore takes the job here in New Orleans. So now then what we're gonna say, he's continuing to win. Okay, as a quarterback, we're measured by wins correct. Okay, hold On well measured by wins correct.

Yes, not just whens, but wins is a part of it. Okay, which is a part of it. Absolutely can't be losing.

You turn the ball over.

He turned the ball off ten ten turnovers the Eagles force. They haven't committed a turnover. You think that's gonna happen in the Super Bowls, Well, they're gonna be able to be turnover free.

I think the game, both sides will turn the football over. But it's when you turn the football and where you turn the full football over. I think that's what matters. So you stop talking about it.

Yeah, So you got winning the game.

Philadelphia Eagles by three, by three. It's gonna be a closed game?

Is it gonna be high scoring?

Yeah? Thirty twenty seven, thirty.

Twenty seven, you got the Philadelphia Eagles winning. Why they'll score thirty points?

Bro?

How how the gook scored thirty points?

Three touchdowns from Jaysen pass one rushing.

Three touchdowns from Jalen Hurts passing one touchdown running. It's not an emotional call, you know, quarterback loving the quarterback Philadelphia And so what I'm saying, that's just.

One of the great analyts just giving you.

This analytical opinion. No bisness, whatso wellen not at all.

Philadelphia Eagle's defense can hold Patrick Mahomes twenty seven points?

Correct. I love Patrick, Patrick's a great guy. Love Travis, love Big Red. You know it's it's great for them in this journey and what it does for the game of football, in the game of sports to have this opportunity that this possibly can happen with three people.

Last question, Patrick Mahomes and the kids say that she's win the Super Bowl against your prognostications, I my dad, they will have three ped it that would be four Super Bowl titles total, back to back to back Super Bowl championships. Does that make Patrick Mahons the greatest quarterback to have ever lived.

At the moment, You're just gonna give him that title just now?

Question?

No, okay, why not?

He's only seven years in the league. Eight years in the league. Okay, let him play about fifteen years. Matter of fact, with that resume, let him play thirteen to fifteen more years and if he decides to retire, yes, he will go down this and depending on what happens after that, But.

Patrick Mahons's record would be eighteen and three in the postseason, he'd have four Super Bowl titles. He'd have five Super Bowl appearances in seven years. In all seven years is starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. He would have been in the AFC Championship Game every single year. He would have won the division title every single year, and you still would to give it to him.

Win a three p. He has been in league ten years. Let him get in the league ten years. You can kind of talk about that.

Phillop for you who's thirty, can't see the Chiefs twenty seven?

Stick with it.

You want less chance change, You want less chance to change a prediction one last chance.

I mean, you feel like you about to put some money on this, So I'm trying to help you win some more money, you know, because you look like you're struggling right now.

This pattern, this pattern on the suit. I don't think I've ever seen him.

I could use a little more money.

Is it from overseas?

Used a little morning? It's not from overseas, It's from the States. It's from the States. Dotamic Dad, Ladies and gentlemen, Donavan vic Dad