Reid Sends McNabb to Canton. Really?

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"A Hall of Fame player." Really, Andy? In this afternoon's press conference, Les Bowen of the Daily News caught the Eagles head coach uttering those words about his quarterback. Reid heaping effusive praise on Donovan is nothing new, but maybe he should try sending him to Miami first.

Such talk isn't entirely unheard of. Some in the media and plenty of fans have been saying it for years. I find it such a particularly interesting topic because the simplest explanation is almost universally ignored. The Hall of Fame has less to do with Donovan McNabb's accomplishments and how they stack up against current enshrinees, and more to do with the era of football in which he's playing. In other words, does he stand any chance at all with so many other clearly more qualified candidates? Let's have a look.

Total Locks: Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning

There are already three quarterbacks playing in the NFL right now for which there is positively no debate: Brady with three Super Bowls and counting, and Favre and Manning each with a ring and set to hold every major passing record in the history of the sport. Considering on average only four players are being elected per year on a typical ballot, the fact that we have three automatics in the bunch already complicates any other quarterback's chances.

Very Close: Ben Roethlisberger

Fair or unfair, rings matter in this debate, and Big Ben already has two. The Steelers are the kind of franchise that knows how to stay competitive, so he'll almost certainly have an opportunity for more. The numbers don't lie either, and with their club finally transitioning to more of a pass first mentality, he's well on his way to having the best season of his career statistically. Right now, he has a clear edge over McNabb.

On the Bubble: Steve McNair, Kurt Warner

The bubble might be a bit of a stretch for McNair, but he didn't fit into the other categories, and definitely at least belongs in the discussion. He once shared league MVP honors with Manning, and came a yard or two short of guiding an incredible fourth quarter comeback in the Super Bowl. McNair of course lost said championship to Kurt Warner, who since returned to the big game twice. He is also the recipient of two MVP awards, and has run some of the most prolific offenses of all time.

Building a Resume: Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers

Here are a few guys we think everybody can agree are doing some things. For starters, Brees very nearly broke the single season yards record in '08, earning Offensive Player of the Year recognition in the process. The Saints currently look like a serious contender. Speaking of which, Eli already got his bling. He hasn't done anything else too outstanding yet, but that hardware has got to mean something. Rivers is in a similar boat, just without the big win. He's still very young though, easily the most promising of all the lesser accomplished signal callers in the league.

Some Young Guys to Think About: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan

And really, a host of other quarterbacks who are just getting started. We don't have any reason to believe Rodgers or Ryan will make trips to Canton 20 years from now, and we don't have any reason to believe they won't. When the McNabbs and Mannings and Favres finally hang 'em up, new players will step up to elite status. Not necessarily these guys either. Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman, Chad Henne, Matt Leinart, Matt Sanchez, Matt Stafford, Vince Young... hey, who knows? Kevin Kolb?!?

Some Guys: Drew Bledsoe, Matt Hasselbeck, Carson Palmer, Tony Romo

A group of players who, for all intents and purposes, McNabb has not entirely distinguished himself from. Yeah, I would take him over any of these guys, but essentially we're talking about a bunch of Pro Bowlers who haven't won the big one. That can obviously still change for a few of them, and depending on the circumstances surrounding the remainder of their careers, a championship or two could be enough to propel them into the club.

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The point isn't to say who should be included instead of McNabb. If you simply look though at the sheer number of quarterbacks, many of whom are already held in much higher esteem, talking Hall of Fame seems like a silly thing to do, even for his head coach. It's not completely out of the picture, it's just the wrong picture to hang on the wall, period.

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