Maybe, for you, there is little debate.
The Eagles have had a lot of good-to-great quarterbacks over the last few decades. Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts and, of course, Bobby Hoying.
Well, maybe not the last one.
For this week’s Deadzone Debate, we’re going to dive into a simple question. Who is the best QB in Birds history?
No doubt everyone has their favorites. Cunningham was a unique talent and the first of his kind, a quarterback
who was just as dangerous a runner as a passer. Vick wasn’t here long, but put together one of the most exciting regular seasons in franchise history. Jaworski was an old school quarterback who was the team’s first Pro Bowl QB of the Super Bowl era. Foles won a Super Bowl with a run to the title that will live forever in NFL history. Wentz put together what was likely to be the greatest single season in 2017 before the injury torpedoed his career.
But that leaves us with two real choices.
Donovan McNabb and Jalen Hurts.
Let’s break it down.
First, the numbers.
McNabb’s overall counting stats are going to trump Hurts’ simply because he 74 more games under his belt. McNabb is the team’s leader in overall passing yards (32,873), completions (2,801), and TD passes (216) and went to six Pro Bowls.
McNabb also averaged more passing yards per game (223.2) than Hurts (192.4) and although Hurts’ 3,554 rushing yards is slightly more than McNabb’s 3,459, McNabb had a better rushing yards per attempt (5.6) than Hurts (4.6).
But when looking at the per-game stats, the competition is exceedingly close. Hurts’ winning percentage (.613) is better than Donovan’s (.587), his interception rate (1.9%) is lower (2.2%), and his overall passer rating (94.4) is far superior to McNabb’s (85.6).
Perhaps the deciding factor will be the most obvious one. Although McNabb played in five NFC Championship Games, he won only one of them, following the 2004 season, where he lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots at the beginning of their Super Bowl dynasty.
McNabb did not play well in that game, completing 30 out of 51 passes for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he threw 3 absolutely killer interceptions and was sacked four times. McNabb seemed to play well in the postseason until he reached the conference’s final round.
Hurts, however, has played his best in those situations. A three-time Pro Bowl participant himself, Hurts has a Super Bowl MVP to his credit following his epic performance in Super Bowl 59, and he would have been named MVP of Super Bowl 57 had the Eagles’ defense managed to stop Patrick Mahomes in the second half of their loss to the Chiefs. He has excelled in his two NFC Championship Game performances as well, leading blowout wins in both.
If you believe longevity is a key component when deciding whether someone is “the greatest” at a certain position, than you probably have to give the nod to McNabb. He was one of the NFL’s biggest stars for a decade and helped launch the longest run of sustained success in franchise history.
After all, the fact the Eagles retired McNabb’s No. 5 tells you a lot about his standing in the franchise’s lore.
But if you believe a Super Bowl title trumps all, than Hurts is your guy. While not as accomplished a passer as McNabb, Hurts’ willingness to do whatever it takes to win puts him in a special place. And, obviously, he is not done.
When all is said and done, Hurts will likely be the unquestioned greatest QB in Eagles history. But right now, how close is it a horse race for you?
