McNabb Doesn't Know the Rules of His Sport

[jhay610]

"I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book," he said after the game. "It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it...

"I guess we're aware of it now," McNabb said. "... I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and in the playoffs. You have to settle with a tie.""

"In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the professional ranks it would end that way.

I know this happened a few days ago but no one has commented....is anyone else as shocked as I am?

Apparently several other Eagles were clueless as well.

"Me and Greg Lewis were discussing it on the sideline, so we asked one of our trainers and he told us it ends in a tie," running back Correll Buckhalter said.

"I found out while we were in OT," rookie wideout DeSean Jackson said.

"I thought we kept playing," linebacker Omar Gaither said.

WHAT??!?? This shocks me. It raises the question whether the Eagles were playing with the proper sense of urgency in the game's closing minutes. Donovan didn't understand why Andy Reid called a hail mary when the Eagles took over with :7 left, he said he was looking forward to another chance to drive down the field and win the game.

"When the play was called, I kind of figured, 'I guess there's ties in the NFL.' "

That just blows me away. That tie functions similarly to a loss for the Eagles, too. They dropped to 5-4-1, out of the playoffs if it started today.

Now Ben Roethlisberger is estimating that "50% of the league" doesn't understand the rule.

Wow.

FYI Donovan - in the playoffs the game continues until a winner is decided. The Eagles PR staff should have whisked McNabb away when he started talking about this in the postgame interviews...

Edited November 19, 2008 by jhay610

[BigDirty]

Well it seems like the stereotype about dumb athletes applies to the NFL.

[DrReality]

Been smoking too much????

[Diesel]

I know this happened a few days ago but no one has commented....is anyone else as shocked as I am?

Apparently several other Eagles were clueless as well.

"Me and Greg Lewis were discussing it on the sideline, so we asked one of our trainers and he told us it ends in a tie," running back Correll Buckhalter said.

"I found out while we were in OT," rookie wideout DeSean Jackson said.

"I thought we kept playing," linebacker Omar Gaither said.

WHAT??!?? This shocks me. It raises the question whether the Eagles were playing with the proper sense of urgency in the game's closing minutes. Donovan didn't understand why Andy Reid called a hail mary when the Eagles took over with :7 left, he said he was looking forward to another chance to drive down the field and win the game.

That just blows me away. That tie functions similarly to a loss for the Eagles, too. They dropped to 5-4-1, out of the playoffs if it started today.

Now Ben Roethlisberger is estimating that "50% of the league" doesn't understand the rule.

Wow.

FYI Donovan - in the playoffs the game continues until a winner is decided. The Eagles PR staff should have whisked McNabb away when he started talking about this in the postgame interviews...

Actually, I would not be surprised if 75% of the league didn't know about ties. Honestly, in Pop Warner, you play until there is a winner. IN HS, you win by penetration (in some places). IN college, you play overtime after overtime until there is a winner.

When do coaches take a bunch of pro players and go over the rules? The answer is NEVER. It's probably in a book somewhere, however, if you have played football all your life and all your life, the rules have been consistent, how much are you going to read a rule book?

I don't hold it against him that he didn't know that you can have a tie. Because it is so rare. I mean 6 years removed and 11 Yrs removed for the Eagles.

Where I do find fault with McNabb is that he didn't know that playoff games continued until a winner is declared. That's a DUH!!

[Admin]

According to Big Ben he thinks half of the league didn't know that the game could end in a tie. Even Heinz Ward who was part of a tie game didn't know it could end in a tie. Are you kidding me?

Apparently Andy Reid didn't either which I agree with PFT if that's the case he should be fired immediately.

My thinking is how can we expect the players to know all of the rules if our officials don't even know the rules and it's THEIR JOB to know them!

Back to McNabb though, it's pretty damn sad that he didn't know a game could end in a tie. I thought he was a pretty sharp guy but I guess you just never know.

Then again how can we get on McNabb or other athletes when probably half of the high school students in America couldn't point out Washington, D.C on a map.

[DJlaysitup]

Actually, I would not be surprised if 75% of the league didn't know about ties. Honestly, in Pop Warner, you play until there is a winner. IN HS, you win by penetration (in some places). IN college, you play overtime after overtime until there is a winner.

When do coaches take a bunch of pro players and go over the rules?

LOL - obviously not in the Pros...ROTFLMAO...why would anybody making millions as a Quarterback want to know the rules in the game he is playing in?? This is SAD. It's not like we (Falcons) didn't make the playoffs because of a tie against Pittsburgh a few years ago (9-6-1) - this is really sad....total ignorance on the part of the team leaders....coaches.

Edited November 20, 2008 by DJlaysitup

[DJlaysitup]

....When do coaches take a bunch of pro players and go over the rules? The answer is NEVER.

Well then the coach should be fired - if your F'n QB - field leader - doesn't even know the rules of the game - you should be fired.

[Diesel]

Well then the coach should be fired - if your F'n QB - field leader - doesn't even know the rules of the game - you should be fired.

No, I think it's just something assumed on both parts.

It's like a coach explaining how to get fix a mouthpiece.

or a coach explaining how to put on shoulder pads...

At this level, it's just understood.. but nobody goes over it. So like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if 75% of the league didn't know.

Moreover, Pitt ties Atlanta happened 6 years ago.

[DrReality]

Firing the coach is a little rash, given that it happens once every blue moon, but it sure did make them look stupid.