Donovan McNabb denies NFLN accusations, thinks Eagles will prevail
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Former Eagles legend Donovan McNabb, who lost Super Bowl XXIX to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, believes the Eagles will win their first Super Bowl championship on Sunday and send the city of Philadelphia into pandemonium.
“I do, absolutely,” McNabb told the Post in an exclusive interview.
McNabb predicts that RB Jay Ajayi will be MVP of Super Bowl LII.
“I see him scoring two or three touchdowns,” McNabb said.
But what if LeGarrette Blount gets the ball near the goal-line instead of Ajayi?
“If he runs it before you get to the goal-line, than that’s Jay Ajayi and not LeGarrette Blount,” McNabb said.
McNabb was in Minneapolis briefly before leaving Friday for his Phoenix home. The idea of the Eagles playing the Patriots again in the Super Bowl normally would have made McNabb a popular guest this week on Radio Row. However, these are not normal times for McNabb.
McNabb and former 49ers defensive back Eric Davis were suspended by ESPN in December and later fired after sexual harassment allegations became public from when they were NFL Network employees. McNabb was last employed by NFL Network in 2013.
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Jami Cantor, a former wardrobe stylist for the company, sued NFL Network, accusing several co-workers of sexual misconduct. McNabb is accused of sending inappropriate text messages, making lewd comments and rubbing his body against Cantor. The suit became public knowledge Dec. 11, and ESPN suspended McNabb and Davis the following day. They were both fired in January.
“There’s an ongoing investigation at the NFLN, and I certainly respect the need for change with regard to this issue, but as far as my situation, I did not sexually harass anyone,” McNabb told the Post.
Three other former players, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk and Ike Taylor, and former executive producer Eric Weinberger, were also named in the suit. The three players have all been suspended by NFL Network. Weinberger was suspended by his current employer, the Bill Simmons Media Group.
NFL Enterprises, which owns the NFL Network, denied all of Cantor’s sexual harassment allegations Jan. 25 in a formal response to the lawsuit.
McNabb spent 11 of his 13 years as an NFL quarterback in Philadelphia, and helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl after the 2004 season. His team lost, 24-21, to the Patriots.
He sees a different outcome this time around, calling for a 28-17 Eagles win in which the running game will open things up for Nick Foles.
“Because now you’re asking your linebackers or your safeties to cover Zach Ertz, Brent Celek,” McNabb said. “Then now that puts you one-on-one on an island outside where you’re gonna see the third corner versus Nelson Agholor, and that’s something you don’t want.”
McNabb sees a confident Foles.
“He had been in this system with Andy Reid, so he has a comfort level,” McNabb said. “What I’ve seen is a maturation process that you see from most quarterbacks who have played, not from guys who have been backups.”
McNabb loves Doug Pederson’s riverboat gambles on fourth down.
“Offensively, you have to come out and try to go for the throat,” he said. “I think that’s how you attack a team like the New England Patriots. And when you do that, now that sets the tone throughout the whole game.”
McNabb believes the Eagles defensive linemen can stay fresh enough to bother Brady.
“When you’re playing against the greatest coach, the greatest quarterback of all time, it’s a chess game,” McNabb said. “You don’t want to get there and try to just be the smartest guy in the room. You have to challenge them at times to see how they respond and react. And a lot of times what Bill Belichick does, he has you show your hand, and then he’ll respond, or he’ll react. He allows the opposing coach to pretty much make the mistake. Towards the end, when it becomes a mind game, you can see him just looking over at the opposing coach and just telling him basically, ‘What’s your next move?'”
McNabb revisited the infamous end of the Eagles’ 24-21 Super Bowl loss 13 years ago in Jacksonville. He was asked if he threw up during the time-consuming late drive that drew the Eagles to within a field goal.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “Absolutely not. It’s been brought up and they continue to talk about it, but there is no footage of me throwing up.”
McNabb conceded that everyone was fatigued at that point in the game.
“We got caught up with what plays that we were gonna call during the two-minute drive,” he said. “It didn’t come off as crisp as we needed it to. We ended up scoring, but yeah, we wasted a little bit too much time.”
McNabb had his differences with wide receiver Terrell Owens.
“He continues to bring my name up for no reason, but it is what it is,” McNabb said. “People just can’t seem to forget about me, I guess.”
But asked about T.O.’s Hall of Fame candidacy, McNabb said: “He should have been in, and he probably should get in this time. And I think Brian Dawkins should also be in and this’ll be the year I think he gets in as well.”
McNabb was booed on draft day in 1999 by Eagles fans who wanted running back Ricky Williams.
“They’re a great group of fans who are true fans who really appreciate everything we were able to do and accomplish,” McNabb said. “They show me love when I come back to Philadelphia. So I played for them. I also played for some of the idiots too. At the end of it all, it’s about winning.
McNabb knows exactly what Philadelphia will be like if he is right about this Super Bowl.
“No kids’ll be in school … no one’s going to work … everyone will be down Broad Street or in the stadium, ’cause it’s gonna go down Broad Street and end up at our stadium,” he said. “It’s gonna be one that for a lot of family members, for members who have passed away, it’s kind of a breath of fresh air, of finally. It’s not gonna be a one-day affair.”
It has been the elephant in the Eagles room — no championship since 1960.
“It was brought up every year,” McNabb said. “We heard about it, and that’s why we wanted to win it for the fans.”
McNabb was asked what his pregame speech to these Eagles would be:
“Don’t get caught up in the moment. This is just another game, and when it’s all said and done, you’ll be holding the trophy at the end.”