Rush Limbaugh is wrong about a lot of things. He is wrong about the war in Iraq, wrong about tax cuts, wrong about budget deficits, and wrong about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Of all the ignorant, boozed-up, sedative-induced, ill-guided and abrasive things that Rush Limbaugh has ever said “Donovan McNabb is overrated” is truly one of the most asinine.
McNabb is one of the NFL’s best players, and his impending matchup with gunslinger Brett Favre has prevented me from sleeping the past few days. I need a break. It has been downhill since I prophetically predicted the Packers to stomp the Bears and Ahman Green to end up on the horse-trailer. That column was not even printed. Last week I raved about Bill Belichick only to have his genius unwind my hopes of a Broncos victory. If my father were a member of the Mafia, I might have known that Jason Elam was going to get hurt. He is not; so I did not.
Previously I gave the lowly Chargers a chance against the Miami Dolphins. I did this out of love for LaDainian Tomlinson, but savage wildfires in Southern California forced the game out of San Diego and extinguished the Chargers flame. They were trounced on a neutral field.
Before that I predicted that the Bucs would have their way with the Indianapolis Colts on head coach Tony Dungy’s birthday. I was deliciously right for 57 minutes of the game. I was on my couch sipping a glass of fine Peruvian Merlot in my bathrobe and had a Costa Rican victory cigar chewed and ready to light. Then the Colts staged an unbelievable comeback. I took a Xanex and went to sleep. I need a break, and to get one I have to pick against Donovan McNabb or Brett Favre. I am not comfortable in this predicament.
Favre is a riverboat gambler. He plays hurt, competes hard and gives his team a chance to win games. At 34 years old, Favre is still one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He competes like his life is on the line week in and week out and has fun doing it. After a rousing performance last week at Minnesota, the Packers are 4-4 and poised for a potential playoff run. If the Vikings implode, the Packers could win the NFC central or at least scrape by with a wild card berth. The next two games are pivotal for the Packers. They face off this Monday night at home against Philadelphia, then travel to Tampa Bay. A loss this week to the Eagles and Green Bay faces a stacked deck in their quest to make the postseason.
The Eagles also need a win this Monday night. After a sluggish start that prompted vociferous clamoring for the head coach Andy Reid to bench Donovan McNabb, they seem to have righted the ship. Reid stayed with McNabb (editor’s note: Andy Reid is not addicted to oxycontin), and the Eagles have lost only once since dropping their first two games. They scratched out a win against the New York Giants on Oct. 19 despite a dismal performance on offense, then went on to beat the Jets and Falcons in consecutive weeks to move their record to 5-3. Last week against a porous and demoralized Atlanta secondary McNabb had his first statistically solid game, passing for over 300 yards. However, I am not convinced the Eagles are for real. McNabb is an amazing player, but his receivers are abysmal and the Eagles’ running game is inconsistent. The Eagles’ defense, while still strong, is not what it once was.
The Packers need this game more than the Eagles and are notoriously tough to beat at home. Ahman Green is one of the league’s most explosive backs, and he could victimize the Eagles run defense. When Green runs well the Packers usually win. Green has rushed for 118, 160, 176, and 139 yards in the Packers’ four victories, and he has been under 100 yards in three of their four losses. It seems to me that the question is whether or not Green will run well against the Eagles. I think he will. I like the Packers in this one. I must admit, though, that this is a cautious prediction on my part. The Packers are giving five points in Las Vegas, so it may be wiser to use this month’s rent check to buy hard booze or to pay rent. Even with terrible receivers, McNabb’s talent can be overwhelming and he normally can keep his team in games. As for the horse trailer, it will be Favre. Madden loves this guy and rightfully so. If I am wrong, it will be McNabb — but I will not be wrong.