Is Donovan McNabb a Hall of Fame Quarterback?

Earlier this week Eagles head coach Andy Reid suggested that his quarterback, Donovan McNabb, is a Hall of Fame type player. This fueled a heated debate across the Delaware Valley and it culminated with a lit up message board throughout the day on the local sports radio scene. 97.5 The Fanatic & 950 ESPN Radio were at the epicenter of this debate.

I decided to do a little of my own research to see just where McNabb stands now, where he projects to be at the end of his career, and how he ultimately stacks up with other Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

McNabb's current stats, when compared with the 23 Hall of Fame quarterbacks of the modern era, would put him roughly in the middle of the pack. His 31,249 yards are better than 10 of the current members. If he plays 5 more years, averaging 2,000 yards per year, which is about 800 yards below his current average. He'll retire with over 40,000 yards. That would put him in an elite class. Only 7 current members have over 40,000 yards. It should be noted that 40,000 yards does not constitute an automatic bid into the Hall. Both Drew Bledsoe and Vinny Testaverde are career 40,000 yard passers and they are not in the Hall of Fame.

If you are a believer in the Passer Rating statistic, then this is where you will find the first fatal blow to McNabb's chances of reaching the Hall of Fame. His current 59.0 Passer rating is the fifth lowest when compared to the Hall's quarterbacks. Further damaging evidence is that the four quarterbacks below him all played part of their careers in the 1940s and '50s, hardly a passing era. You would have to think, after 11 years, this number isn't going to move to much one way or the other.

McNabb currently has a career total of 208 touchdowns. Using the same career longevity projection that we did for career yards, McNabb has another 95 touchdowns in his arm. Bringing his projected career total to 303. Which would put his total number of touchdowns ahead of 20 of the current quarterbacks in the Hall.

Aside from his passer rating, one can certainly make a strong argument for the case that, one day, McNabb should be elected to the Hall of Fame. But, why does the debate go on with so much fire. Because of the intangibles. Whether it's winning NFL Titles as Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and Troy Aikman have. Or delivering huge upsets like Joe Namath and Len Dawson. Each of the 23 quarterbacks currently in the Hall of Fame are known for doing something "amazing". This is where McNabb might fail the most. His record in big games is suspect. He is 1-4 in NFC Championship games, 1-3 as the favorite and 0-2 as the underdog. Also, he is 0-1 in the Super Bowl. He had chances to orchestrate winning drives in both Super Bowl XXXIX and last year's NFC Championship game, but failed both times. McNabb always seems to deliver against the teams he is supposed to defeat, but seems to come up empty when all of the chips are on the table.

Certainly this doesn't disqualify him for the Hall of Fame. Jim Kelly reached the Super Bowl in four consecutive seasons and never won a title. Fran Tarkenton is also winless in his three trips to the big game. Finally, Dan Marino reached the Super Bowl in his rookie year, but never got a second chance during the rest of his prolific career.

You could argue that John Elway may have been looking at a somewhat similar scenario during the latter stages of his career. Prior to winning both Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII, Elway was 0-3 in the NFL's ultimate game. But, Elway had something, even before the Super Bowl wins, that McNabb doesn't, the "intangible" factor. Elway was known for his fourth quarter comebacks, a record 47 to be exact. He has single handidly delivered the Broncos to the brink of a championship.

One day we will have an answer to Philadelphia's latest burning sports question. But there is a lot to be compiled before that day comes. So where do you stand on the topic today? Is Donovan McNabb a Hall of Fame quarterback? Yes or No?

-Mike Tursi

The Jeter/ Teixeira Debate

A huge debate sprung up today at the announcement of the AL MVP. No, it wasn't that Joe Mauer won, that was a bit of a foregone conclusion. Rather, the debate was about who finished second and third in the voting. Many Yankee fans were upset that Mark Teixeira finished ahead of Derek Jeter in the MVP race.

So, before this turns into Mantle/ Maris II, I thought I'd take a look at some numbers. Now, I'm no Bill James but what I found is pretty interesting.

It's no secret that Derek Jeter had a renaissance year of sorts in 2009, especially in the field, where he earned his first Gold Glove since 2006. But the player who won the Gold Glove at 1st base also wears pinstripes. coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

Jeter's fielding percentage for 2009 was .986, up from .979 in 2008. His errors also dropped from 12 in 2008 to 8 in 2009. But how much did the change in players at 1st base help this trend? Afterall, Mark Teixeira is known as one of the best fielding 1st baseman in the game. Jason Giambi and the resident platoon of 2008 certainly don't compare.

Turns out, not so much. Lets look around the infield to see fielding comparisons from 2008 to 2009. The players didn't change, with the exception of first base. So the comparison will be fair. Here's the breakdown:

2nd Base, Robinson Cano- 2008: .984%/ 13 Errors & 2009: .984%/ 12 Errors

Short Stop, Derek Jeter- 2008: .979%/ 12 Errors & 2009: .986%/ 8 Errors

3rd Base, A-Rod- 2008: .970%/ 10 Errors & 2009: .967%/ 9 Errors

1st Base, Jason Giambi/Richie Sexson- 2008: .994%/ 11 Errors & Mark Teixeira- 2009: .997%/ 4 Errors.

Cano and Rodriguez had similar fielding years despite the marked defensive upgrade at 1st base. So, it seems that's Jeter's resurgence had more to do with himself than with the glove of Teixeira inserted at 1st base for the 2009 season.

Now onto the offense. Jeter finished the 2009 season with a .334 average. His 212 hits were second only to perennial hts leader Ichiro. He acounted for 107 of the Yankees 915 runs. That's 11% of the Yankees total offense. Comparatively, Mark Teixeira drove in 122 runs, good for 13% of the teams total offense. Also, Jeter's run total is good for 4th in the AL, tied with teammate Johnny Damon. Conversely, Teixeira's RBI total was best in the AL, as was his 39 home runs (tied with Tampa's Carlos Pena). Those power numbers are the stats that the BBWAA fall in love with. Also, you can argue that Teixeira didn't get untracked until Alex Rodriguez came back from hip surgery in May. But Teixeira is a notoriously slow starter, and he finished with numbers that you would likely find on the back of his baseball card.

This argument comes down to intangibles and affection. Maybe this is already like Mantle vs. Maris? Mark Teixeira is already and will continue to be a beloved Yankee figure, especially if the Yankees keep winning World Series Titles. But Derek Jeter resides in the rare air of the Yankee Hierarchy. And, at least in the fans minds, no one is better.

I will say this. Jeter does have those "Intangibles" that everyone always talks about. The problem is, unless it's October, you're a die hard fan who doesn't miss a game, or a member of the media who covers the Yankees on a daily basis, you don't get to see it in action. The intangibles don't make it on Sportscenter. But, the home runs and RBI do.

In the end, I think that both Jeter and Teixiera were mutually beneficial of each other's abilities in garnering consideration for MVP. I'm sure both are much more concerned with the hardware they did receive in 2009 that the hardware they didn't. Namely, the World Series Trophy.

-Mike Tursi

Does The Hammer Really Belong In The Flyers Hall Of Fame?

I'm risking making a lot of enemies among Flyers fans with this post. But I don't believe that Dave "The Hammer" Schultz belongs in the Flyers Hall Of Fame. There, I said it. There is no doubting that The Hammer is a powerful figure in Flyers lore. But should that equate to Hall Of Fame status? I say no and I'll lay out my reasons why below.

The Hall Of Fame, a team's personal Hall or a League's, is a place reserved for those of the most elite statistical import to a franchise or a league's success. There are many kinds of successful players who come in all forms, but not all are worthy of the status "Hall Of Famer".

Dave Schultz is one of those players. He was what players and media today define as a character player. Good for team morale and providing a spark, but his numbers are hardly worthy of Hall Of Fame status. First of all, he only played four seasons for the Orange and Black, the least amount of tenure of any of the other forwards in the Flyers Hall. But he was fortunate enough to play in the Flyers golden era. And he became the face of that era, The Broad Street Bullies.

But, he was the face the league put on the Flyers image. A tough guy, a goon. A guy who would rather just deck you instead of making a nifty backhand move around you. But this wasn't the trademark of The Bullies from inside the Philadelphia city limits. For that, just look at the forwards who have entered the Flyers Hall before this night. Bobby Clark, Barber, Rick MacLeish, Gary Dornhoefer, and Reggie Leach could, and would, intimidate you. But they could also put the puck in the net. So much so that three of these players, Clark, Barber, and MacLeish, rank in the top four on the Flyers all time scoring list.

Bobby Clarke, forever the face of this franchise, was as tenacious as they came. His 1,453 penalty minutes are only surpassed by Rick Tocchet and current GM Paul Holmgren. Both of them have more than double the points of Schultz, but are not in the Flyers Hall Of Fame.

The Hammer ranks 50th among Flyer forwards on the teams all time scoring list, tied with Scott Hartnell, who will pass him with his next point, Justin Williams, and Peter Forsberg, who spent two injury plagued seasons with the Flyers.

You may argue that it's not fair to compare Schultz to Forsberg, because the latter is a superstar. But, that's exactly my point. He shouldn't be compared to Hall Of Famers. He's just not in that class.

Here are the Hammer's lasting stats during his four years in Philadelphia. He led the league in penalty minutes in three of those years. He still holds the NHL record for time spent in the penalty box in one year, 472 minutes in 1974-75. Again, hardly stats associated with a Hall Of Famer.

Don't get me wrong, Schultz played an important role in helping the Flyers win back to back Stanley Cups in the mid 70's, often antagonizing the opponents best player and taking that player off the ice with him after fighting majors or match penalties. But I think the odds would still be on those Flyers teams winning if Schultz was playing somewhere else. I'm not so sure that would be the case without some of the other players elected to the Flyers Hall Of Fame.

To further prove my point, the Flyers of the mid 80's had great teams the reached the Stanley Cup Finals two times. There are three forwardsfrom those teams, Brian Propp, Tim Kerr, and former Captain Dave Poulin, in the Flyers Hall. Those teams had a beloved enforcer too, Dave Brown. But I don't think he's getting into the Flyers hallowed circle anytime soon.

Championship caliber teams across all league's and all times have credited "character" players for their roles in the teams successes. But, that doesn't mean they need to be placed among the games elite talents.

-Mike Tursi

Note I: I only compared Schultz to other Flyer forwards because I wanted the statistical analysis to be on a comparable basis.

NoteII: I originally wrote this post for the Hockey Herald. It can also be viewed there by going to www.thehockeyherald.com

Emery Faces His Old Team As Flyers Roll

Here is the link to my recap of the November 12th matchup between the Senators vs. Flyers, written for The Hockey Herald.

http://bit.ly/36UxNS

-Mike Tursi

# 27 By The Numbers

1-As in 1st. 2009 was the inaugural season for the New Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees delivered a championship. Just like 1923.
2- Stolen bases (on 1 play) by Johnny Damon in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the World Series. Many say this play was the deciding factor in the Series.
3- Possible clinching games started by Andy Pettite. He was the winner in all three.
4- The Core Four. Veterans of the most recent Dynasty who played a major role on this team (Posada, Pettite, Jeter, and Rivera).
5- Rings for each member of "The Core Four".
6- Outs recorded by Mariano Rivera in Game 6 of the ALCS. Taking no chances, Girardi went to The Sandman early to secure the Yankees 40th American League Pennant.
7- Wins by the Yankees in games they trailed in the postseason.
8- Hits by Hideki Matsui (in only 13 at-bats) in The World Series. He also had 8 RBI, cementing his being awarded the MVP.
9- Pitches David Robertson threw to get out of a bases loaded, no one out jam in the top of the 11th inning of ALDS Game 2 vs. Minnesota.
10- Games Joba Chamberlain got in as a reliever, rebuilding the postseason bridge to Rivera as he went along deeper into October (and November).
11- Wins by the Yankees in the postseason.
12- Games without an error by the Yankees defense in the postseason.
13- Strikeouts of Ryan Howard by Yankee pitching in The World Series. A record for strikeouts by one player in The Fall Classic.
14- Double plays turned by the Yankees in the postseason, which Mark Teixeira's glove was on the back end of, snuffing out rally after rally.
15- Consecutive games Derek Jeter reached base in the postseason, that's at least one hit in every postseason game the Yankees played in 2009.
16- Innings pitched by Mariano Rivera, the only closer who didn't falter in the postseason.
17- Total number of Twins base-runners stranded by Yankee pitchers in Game 2 of ALDS (at least one every inning).
18- RBI by A-Rod, 6 in each series, shattering any doubt about his ability to perform in October (see also: Kate Hudson)
19- Innings pitched by 3 starters in The Division series (out of possible 27). That starting dominance allowed the Yankees to end their four year absence from the ALCS.
20- Home Runs hit by The Bronx Bombers in the postseason.
21- Strikeouts in The World Series by Yankee starters not named CC Sabathia. Not bad for a guy who was "too erratic" and another who is "Not the pitcher he used to be".
22- 1st pitch strikes thrown by AJ Burnett in Game 2 of The World Series. His performance was brilliant and allowed the Yankees to tie the Series at 1-1.
23- At-Bats by Melky Cabrera in the 2009 ALCS. He hit .391, second only to A-Rod among Yankees with at least 5 at-bats. Truly, an unsung hero in the Yankees return to The Fall Classic.
24- Calendar days it took to play out the magical 2009 postseason.
25- Number Joe Girardi wore as a player for the Yankees. Also, his last season as a player in Pinstripes ended in the teams 25th Championship.
26- Number of Yankee players on the 2009 World Series Roster.
27- Number of outs needed in Game 6 to secure the 2009 World Series Championship. And when Shane Victorino's ground ball was fielded by Robinson Cano, who fired to 1st baseman Mark Teixeira for the final out of the 2009 season, the Yankees did indeed have Championship number 27.

Ant that's #27, By The Numbers.

-Mike Tursi

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

The alarm clock goes off and your eyes shoot open. There's no need for the snooze button today. You're awake and ready to go. The morning routine is completed with purpose. There is something waiting out there, on the horizon, something big (Game 6).

As you settle into the day, you find that purpose and focus begin to shift somewhere else (Game 6), shifting to baseball. The match-ups fill your head. An endless stream of scenarios, both good and bad, begin to grow exponentially in your head. Slumps, pitching, hot bats. A celebration? A Game 7? Work seems harder to concentrate on, it seems so distant from where your mind is. The worries grow a little. The hope, a little bit more.

Your routine is the same as it always is, but as the day lengthens, the routine seems to grow more tiresome and old (Game 6). You don't want to think about it anymore. You'll worry about it when it gets here (Game 6). But you can't escape the thoughts. But you're forced to be patient.

And so, you wait. And it's hard. It's hard because this World Series has consumed you. And, though you have no control over the outcome, you just want it to start. You want to just be in that moment, to live with the game.

You tell yourself; "It will be here soon." Game 6 is no longer a whisper on the horizon, it is visible. And it's possibilities are limitless. You can feel it, it's close. But it's not here yet. And so, you wait...

-Mike Tursi

Things To Like If You're The Yankees Heading Into Game 6

OK, so it didn't go as you had hoped. AJ was terrible. It was 6-1 half way through the game. But we knew this might happen. That's why Game 4 was such a pivotal win. It allowed the Yankees to play this game with house money. And, they almost broke the bank. Despite the loss, there were some positives in Game 5, and they could carry over into tomorrow's Game 6.

The Yankees hit Cliff Lee, which shows that their offense continues to gain momentum. They climbed back into a game they appeared to be out of against a dominant starter and a bullpen that still has a lot of questions.

The Left handed portion of the Yankees starting staff has dominated the Phillies lineup. Even on short rest, Andy Pettite should do well as long as he can stick to the game plan. Jack Morris through a 10 inning shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series against the Braves, so it can be done.

More on pitching. Even though he gave up the home run in Game 4, Joba has looked good. He has assumed the role as the bridge to Rivera. Speaking of Rivera, he didn't pitch last night. If the Yankees have the lead in the 8th, we could see The Sandman for another 6 out save. This also shortens the game for the Yankees.

If October Baseball is about pitching and clutch hitting, the again, one has to like what they see from the Bombers. Damon has now jumped into consideration for MVP, A-Rod, while not hitting much, is hitting when it counts. Same for Jorge Posada. Also, being back in an American League park allows Matsui to be in the lineup again. If Hitting Coach Kevin Long can get Teixeira to stop swinging at breaking balls and Cano & Swisher find their bats, this could be a long night for Martinez. Also, you can now bat Gardner 9th. This turns the lineup over more quickly for Girardi and he can employ more hit and runs with Jeter, who is swinging a hot bat.

One final thought why the Yankees should like their chances... The are 3-0 this World Series in games not started by Cliff Lee.

-Mike Tursi