McNabb on GQ
Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb did an interview with GQ. Here are some of the highlights:
"So were you upset the Eagles traded you within the division?I was more happy that it was over. Every year for the last three or four years, it was the same drama, me and Brett Favre, going back and forth, âIs Brett going to play, is he not, are the Eagles going to trade Donovan, is this it for Donovan McNabb?â Brett does what he wants to do, heâs his own man. For me, I just believe in keeping everything to myself and continuing to stay focused on the goal at handâto win a Super Bowl no matter what team Iâm with."
"Youâre a pretty placid guy. Some people take that to mean you donât care.The people in the Eagles locker room and the people in that building know how much I care, and am truly passionate about it. If they come out here and watch me train, theyâll understand. If Iâm in 112-degree weather working out, then I truly care, and when I step out on that field, I care. You canât focus on what people may think. Everyone has their own opinions, and if they express it to me, I say âThank you for sharing that with me,â because that bothers them more, when you donât get upset.What was the secret to your relationship with Andy Reid?He stuck his neck out to draft me when he had the Mel Kipers of the world and some scouts who said, âHeâs not accurate, heâs going to take three, four, five years to learn a West Coast offense.â Our relationship is so strong that I can finish his sentences sometimes. We laugh about it. When Iâm out on the field, if he calls a play and I canât hear it, Iâd look back and mouth âWhat is it?â and heâd just say, âJust call something.â Iâd go out there and probably get a first down or we score or whatever, and heâd say, âWhy donât you just call the whole game?â and I would say, âIâve been waiting on that.âI asked Governor Rendell if he had any questions for you, and he said to ask you if T.O. had not gone crazy, how many Super Bowls would you have made it to? The whole T.O. situation, it was unfortunate, to say the least. When we both decided to make that move and bring him over to Philadelphia, the atmosphere changed in the locker room, the atmosphere changed in the city of Philadelphia. Every time we stepped out on the field, it wasnât, âAre we gonna win?â It was, âHow much are we gonna win by?â and everyone had that confidence in the locker room that they were going to make a big play to either score or put us in position to score â Iâm talking about defense, special teams, offense. And itâs unfortunate how everything panned out afterwards, and weâve talked about it to this day.The NFL Network did a show on the leagueâs top ten feuds, and you and T.O. were number six. You donât seem like a feud guy.Itâs so funny because they always try to bring that up, and the clip that they show, we werenât feuding then. The whole feud happened in the offseason. When he was walking behind me at the Pittsburgh game, he was actually trying to calm me down. At that time I believe we were 7-0, and we went out there playing like a team that was 1-8 or something, and he was trying to calm me down: âHey, weâre going to get this thing going, donât worry about it, talk to the O-line, just give them some time.â After he talked to me, he went and talked to the offensive line. Then if you remember, we played that game, and then we played Dallas the next Monday night, and we re-enacted it, I was following him and made fun of the whole deal.Hereâs the question every Eagles fan wants to know. Itâs the Super Bowl, youâre down by 10 to the Patriots late in the fourth quarter. Why did that touchdown drive take so damn long?We were trying to figure out if T.O. was in or if T.O. was out, because of his leg. T.O. wanted to be in. We were trying to rotate different guys in and get the personnel together and things of that nature. The play calling was a little slow, maybe, but it made it look like we were just kind of standing around. We were hustling, it was just blown out of proportion.What was the secret to your relationship with Andy Reid?He stuck his neck out to draft me when he had the Mel Kipers of the world and some scouts who said, âHeâs not accurate, heâs going to take three, four, five years to learn a West Coast offense.â Our relationship is so strong that I can finish his sentences sometimes. We laugh about it. When Iâm out on the field, if he calls a play and I canât hear it, Iâd look back and mouth âWhat is it?â and heâd just say, âJust call something.â Iâd go out there and probably get a first down or we score or whatever, and heâd say, âWhy donât you just call the whole game?â and I would say, âIâve been waiting on that.âI asked Governor Rendell if he had any questions for you, and he said to ask you if T.O. had not gone crazy, how many Super Bowls would you have made it to? The whole T.O. situation, it was unfortunate, to say the least. When we both decided to make that move and bring him over to Philadelphia, the atmosphere changed in the locker room, the atmosphere changed in the city of Philadelphia. Every time we stepped out on the field, it wasnât, âAre we gonna win?â It was, âHow much are we gonna win by?â and everyone had that confidence in the locker room that they were going to make a big play to either score or put us in position to score â Iâm talking about defense, special teams, offense. And itâs unfortunate how everything panned out afterwards, and weâve talked about it to this day.The NFL Network did a show on the leagueâs top ten feuds, and you and T.O. were number six. You donât seem like a feud guy.Itâs so funny because they always try to bring that up, and the clip that they show, we werenât feuding then. The whole feud happened in the offseason. When he was walking behind me at the Pittsburgh game, he was actually trying to calm me down. At that time I believe we were 7-0, and we went out there playing like a team that was 1-8 or something, and he was trying to calm me down: âHey, weâre going to get this thing going, donât worry about it, talk to the O-line, just give them some time.â After he talked to me, he went and talked to the offensive line. Then if you remember, we played that game, and then we played Dallas the next Monday night, and we re-enacted it, I was following him and made fun of the whole deal.Hereâs the question every Eagles fan wants to know. Itâs the Super Bowl, youâre down by 10 to the Patriots late in the fourth quarter. Why did that touchdown drive take so damn long?We were trying to figure out if T.O. was in or if T.O. was out, because of his leg. T.O. wanted to be in. We were trying to rotate different guys in and get the personnel together and things of that nature. The play calling was a little slow, maybe, but it made it look like we were just kind of standing around. We were hustling, it was just blown out of proportion.Do you regret being honest enough to say you were confused about the overtime rules?The media wants you to be honest and up front with them, and then when you are, they just throw the dagger at you. âOh, what was he thinking?â There were a lot of responses from other players who said the same thing I did, and then when the referee tells you, âHey, you get another five minutes to go after this quarterâŠâ Nobody talks about that.Youâre in the game and the refâŠ?Weâre in the game, and we go off on third and out, theyâre out there, and Iâm like, âHey, we need to get this thing going, how much time is left?â Iâm looking at the clock and the ref is like, âWeâve got another five minutes after this quarter if no one scores.â [Editors note: Yep, thatâs what he said. The NFL had no comment.] I didnât think nothing of it, but I did hear it. It was a mistake on my part. Iâve got to know the rules.To learn more aboutâŠTo learn more about Mike Shanahan, his approach, things of that nature, to learn more about [his son] Kyle Shanahan as an offensive coordinator. I think itâs important, if weâre going to work together, we need to know a little more about each other, and more than just me talking to them. I need to talk to some other people, and Iâve been learning a lot on the run. Weâve been running through OTAs [organized team activities], three minicamps, working out at the facility, and Iâve been at the facility more in Washington than I have in Philadelphia, so Iâve been putting that time in and trying to get the understanding together, the chemistry with the guys. I think it will pay off.Youâre a veteran, but you donât know all these Redskins that well. And then Albert Haynesworth stages an epic holdout. Did you weigh in?Yeah, what I tried to tell Albert was just to come in, talk to [defensive coordinator] Jim Haslett yourself, you canât hear Jim Haslett telling you one thing, then you have [general manager] Bruce Allen telling you another thing and Mike Shanahan telling you another. Come and talk to Jim Haslett yourself, find out exactly what he wants you to do, come to minicampâitâs only three daysâcome to three-day minicamp, see where theyâre at, and make a decision from there.And he saidâŠ[laughing] He said he was going to be there for the mandatory one. And then I just looked up on TV and found out he wasnât coming.Read More http://www.gq.com/sports/guides/201009/nfl-preview-fall-2010-gq/donovan-mcnabb-extended-interview-eagles-redskins-qb?currentPage=2#ixzz0xWqwRrOo"