Sporting new looks
TEMPE, Ariz. — To become a starting quarterback in the NFL is to reach the pinnacle of an elite profession. Losing that job can be a long, painful fall from grace.
Donovan McNabb, Tarvaris Jackson and Kevin Kolb have not only been through it, they're relishing new starts after downfalls that are closely linked.
McNabb, considered among the game's best for most of his 11 seasons in Philadelphia, has replaced the finally retired Brett Favre in Minnesota after an embarrassing benching with the Washington Redskins a year ago. Jackson, the starter in Minnesota before Favre's arrival, is off to Seattle and as of now is the Seahawks' starter.
Then there's Kolb. Groomed to be McNabb's successor with the Eagles only to be overtaken by Michael Vick's triumphant comeback, he is in Arizona, elated to be in a system that seems so well-suited to his style, with one of the league's top big-play targets in Larry Fitzgerald.
“It worked out perfect,” Kolb said.
Unlike the other two, McNabb need not prove he can be a consistent winner. Not with a record of 97-57-1, five NFC championship appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl.
The question is whether the 34-year-old quarterback still has it, an issue he prefers to avoid.
“You know what, that whole something-to-prove deal, I've moved past that,” McNabb said. “For me, it's just going out and being who I am and doing what I do. ... Any time you get into that ‘chip on the shoulder, I can do this or that,' it takes away from what you are capable of doing, or who you are as a player and as a person. I've been through that, I'm not going there anymore.”
McNabb, of course, replaces a much older veteran in Favre, who retired at 42 after two seasons in Minnesota. McNabb joins a team that wants to win now and needed an experienced quarterback to do it.
“You take a look at his history and you just see the things that he's accomplished as a football player in the National Football League and, of course, our familiarity with him and watching him in this league and seeing the maturation of him throughout his career, I just know that there's some good football left in Donovan,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said, “and I think we'll be the beneficiary of that.”McNabb called his experience in Washington “a little bump in the road” and said he has lost none of his desire.“Oh yeah, I'm hot right now. I'm burning up, and that's not because of the weather,” he said. “But that's that passion and fire, that determination to get out here and be the best. Each opportunity, you have the chance to prove it. I love going out and competing with the guys.”The Eagles traded McNabb to Washington after the 2009 season, but after 12 starts in 2010 he abruptly found himself the No. 3 quarterback for the rest of the season.“Adversity is in front of all of us, not just as athletes, but normal human beings,” he said. “We go through adversity, it's all about how you overcome it. We all know that was a big adversity last year. But we moved on — I moved on, and the story continues on.”Jackson started 20 games in his five seasons with the Vikings, 12 in 2007, his second year as a pro. But he often struggled, and the decision was made that a team built to win immediately could not put its fortunes in the hands of such a young player. Enter Favre, and the high drama that accompanied his remarkable 2009, followed by a disappointing 6-10 campaign in 2010. Jackson became a free agent and the Seahawks, seeking a replacement for Matt Hasselbeck, came calling.Jackson joined his former Minnesota offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, who was hired by Seattle coach Pete Carroll. The Seahawks also signed ex-Vikings standout wide receiver Sidney Rice.“It's a brand new start for all of us,” Jackson said. “We're not looking back.”Jackson loves being reunited with Bevell.“It's like I never left and he never left,” Jackson said. “He's a lot happier guy up here, I'd say. Everybody is happy in the offseason, before the regular-season games start, there's not as much stress. It's been fun so far, though. I was happy to see him get a job up here, and luckily it worked out and we're back together.”The preseason has not been kind to Jackson, though, and his grip on the starting job is tenuous.Kolb, however, is in control in Arizona, and the Cardinals, especially Fitzgerald, are ever so thankful.
