DONOVAN McNABB GETS NO RESPECT, I TELL YOU!

Nearly 35,000 yards, over 200 touchdowns, five trips to the conference championship game, and a trip to the Super Bowl.

Any player that has those numbers would be respected and not criticized, right? Well, anyone but Donovan McNabb.

Not many players have produced more scrutiny, yet still produced more than McNabb.

It all started in 1999, when the Philadelphia Eagles selected McNabb with the second pick of the NFL Draft. Eagle fans wanted Ricky Williams, so they booed the choice immediately.

Frankly, it really could have worse. The Eagles could have wrecked their franchise by selecting Akili Smith or Cade McNown. Also, Williams is not a bad player, but he only made one Pro Bowl (yes, one). McNabb made six and took his team to four straight NFC Championship Games.

True, McNabb is not the best active quarterback or the best in the 2000's. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are definitely higher than him, but McNabb should be top five in the last decade. Though, where's the respect?

In 2003, Rush Limbaugh said, "The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well," and called him overrated. After Super Bowl XXXIX, Terrell Owens questioned McNabb's ability to run a two-minute offense and rather wanted Brett Favre. Even McNabb's loyal coach Andy Reid betrayed him by benching him against the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, while the Eagles organization traded him to Washington on Apr. 4, 2010.

Now his new coach, Mike Shanahan, said that McNabb did not have the "cardiovascular fitness" to run a two-minute offense (with Owens stating the same on the "T.Ocho Show). The result? Rex Grossman replaces McNabb in the game against the Detroit Lions, and fumbles on the next play to seal a Lion victory. Then two days later, JaMarcus Russell is invited to practice.

While Russell was not signed, Shanahan still wanted McNabb to be the starter. However, if you expected McNabb to be mad and ticked off, you were wrong.

As always, he took the high road as usual, being diplomatic in times where most would be militant. In matter of fact, I would rather him be militant maybe once or twice, just to show that he is not a person to mess with. Still he was never respected as the “good ‘ol boy image” never garnered it.

On Nov. 15, the good and the bad happened to McNabb as he and the Redskins agreed to a five-year, $78 million extension, with $40 million of that being guaranteed.

However later that night, Michael Vick singlehandedly embarrassed Washington on Monday Night Football, 59-28. McNabb threw for 295 yards, but he had to watch as the player that he wanted on his team last year threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more in a career game.

In a day that McNabb was awarded a contract that compared to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, he was once again outshadowed and upstaged by someone else.

The great comedian Rodney Dangerfield said it best throughout his life, “I don’t get no respect, I tell you! No respect at all!” That same quote can be said about Mr. Donovan F. McNabb.

Sometimes, it doesn't matter what people have done good in life. All people seem to do is dwell on the defeats.

THE FALLS OF ALLEN IVERSON & RANDY MOSS

Originally, this note was solely going to be about Allen Iverson. Yet giving Randy Moss's recent troubles, this has to be lumped together.

10 years ago, these two players were arguably the best in their respective leagues.

Iverson's size (6'0 and 165 pounds), his toughness, and the way he embraced the hip-hop community made him an instant fan favorite with many fans, including myself. While Moss had freakish attributes, such as jumping ability, speed, and hands to go along with his 6'4, 210 pound frame.

However, their cavalier attitudes accelerated their downfalls.

Before the 2000-2001 season where Iverson single-handedly carried the 76ers to the NBA Finals, he had a love/hate relationship with his coach Larry Brown. Things were so topsy-turvy that he was placed on the trading block and almost could have been sent to the Clippers. His MVP season in 2001 changed all of this.

Yet, instances such his repeating of "practice" 22 1/2 times (give or take) and numerous others wore out his time in Philadelphia, and he was traded in 2006. After failing to get out the first round with Denver, he went to Detroit for Chauncey Billups. The result was that Denver advanced to the Western Conference Finals with Billups, and the Pistons floundered with A.I. not wanting to come off the bench and quitting on the team. The same happened after three games in Memphis and he "retired", only to go back to Philadelphia and leave midway because of his daughter and family situation.

The same goes for Moss, who fell to the 21st pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.

Moss is one of the best receivers to ever play the game, but his work ethic has always been questioned, especially if his team is losing or he's not having a great game.

He has been known to say, "I play when I wanna play," and demonstrated that when he walked off the field before a game was over in the 2004 regular season finale against the Washington Redskins as a Minnesota Vikings. Also this happened in 2006, when on Monday Night Football, Moss looked uninterested in the Oakland Raiders' game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Other situations include numerous drug problems, him bumping a police officer with his car, complaining that Tom Brady got a new contract and he did not, and now allegedly criticizing food in his second stint with the Vikings made his act tired.

Now as both players near the end of their careers, one can wonder why these two are not even wanted, yet still proving that they have more than enough in the tank.

Moss eventually was picked up by the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 3, while Iverson has now been exiled to Turkey.

Although they both have been great athletes, had their attitudes been better...would they have a ring and a solid job right now?

It has been a sad downward spiral since they both wowed us as young players.

The more that things change, the more that they stay the same.