Reid And Vick Talk About McNabb’s Amazing Work Ethic

There was a theme today that you heard in Andy Reid’s news conference and it also came up a number of times in Michael Vick’s session with the media.   They both talked about Donovan McNabb’s amazing work ethic.

Reid said it was the thing that separated him from other quarterbacks.  Vick said it was the characteristic which he learned from McNabb that has made the biggest difference in his improved play.

I heard one of McNabb’s former teammates, Jeremiah Trotter, on 610-WIP with The Morning Guys this morning and he was telling Angelo Cataldi, that McNabb’s work ethic was the most important item that allowed the Eagles to go to the playoffs eight times in 11 years.

I saw the way McNabb immersed himself in the business of preparing for each game throughout the season.  The quarterback arrived at the Nova Care Complex at about 6am and he went into the weight room and put muscle on his body.  Number five spent an hour or two in the weight room each day, so that he could take the hits from opposing defenses each week.

It’s the reason he was able to take the pounding but stay on the field.  It’s the reason he as able to pull through tackles.  Vick was telling me today that he learned from McNabb to get in the weightroom so you can take the hits.

Message to Kevin Kolb get in the weight room because there are big monsters in the NFL who pound on you.

McNabb isn’t a natural passer like Vick.  If you watch their throwing motion, Vick is much more fluid, but McNabb has succeeded as a quarterback because he worked at it.

Following the lifting session, he would go into the video room and started looking at footage of his opponent.  He watched their blitzes, defensive fronts, coverages and everything else, then he watched it again.

He would be in there on Mondays watching  the previous day’s game footage.  The key for Monday was learn from the good and the bad in the previous day’s game, then let it go.

On Tuesday’s when the rest of the team was off, McNabb was at the Nova Care Complex getting an early look at the next opponent.  He would be working with the coaches and center Jamaal Jackson on the adjustments needed for the blitzes they would see.

Of course on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, McNabb was up there early working out, looking at video and getting prepared for the upcoming game.  He would be the first one to get there in the morning and the last one to leave at night.

Yes, he missed open receivers and failed to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl, but Donovan McNabb prepared and was ready for each game he played in as a Philadelphia Eagle.

Think about how many times you’ve read and heard things about McNabb.  You heard about his news conferences, throwing balls into the dirt, not being able to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl, yet you rarely heard about his work ethic during his 11 years on the football team.

Wouldn’t you give a guy who enjoyed the consistent success that McNabb experienced, the benefit of the doubt?  Does everybody think he took the Eagles to the playoffs year after year, by being lucky?

Reid and Vick talked about the way McNabb worked.  They talked about his attention to detail and ability to master every minute piece of knowledge about the opponent.

Most people don’t know it, but McNabb was a self-made NFL quarterback.  He was any but a classic NFL quarterback when he came into the league, but he became a success from hard work.