July 5, 2025 • 50 mins
On this episode of Rory & Mal Don't Know Ball, the guys are joined by Philadelphia Eagles legend Donovan McNabb! Rory and Mal get into what it was like being booed on draft night, playing for the city of Philadelphia, and his relationship with current Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback, Jalen Hurts #volume
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
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Speaker 2 (00:35):
The volume.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
All right, Rory, So we're back for another episode of
Don't Know Ball? Yes, so where we could let our
fans know exactly how much of ball we do not know.
But it's okay because we invite we invite people on
that can kind of help us along the way. Today
we are joined by a.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Legend. Is one of the few legends that we've had.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Definitely a legend, somebody that I think has helped the
NFL look the way it looks today at this at
the quarterback position. So with the second pick in the
nineteen ninety nine NFL draft, Rory, the Philadelphia Eagles selected
(01:24):
a legend a dog, a competitor, one of the greatest
ever from the Syracuse University University of Syracuse.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Donovan McNabb. And then we double salute don true true
Philly fashion, they bowed the person that made their franchise.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yes, which was absolutely crazy. But we are joined by
the legend Donovan McNabb. Sir, how are you feeling, Donovan?
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Great?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
You look good.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
You look great, You look like you could still play.
What you're doing, man, trying to get back out there.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Man, by the win, they're giving that money out one year, yeah,
one year contract yet my kids, kids stuff, but you
know it is, man, Just still continue to work out. Man.
My kids are all active in sports. I have a
daughter that's just graduated from Syracuse who played with the
Syracuse women's basketball team. Still be you know, fulfilling.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
True to your wife as well.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
She played. Absolutely. I appreciate that. I got twins out
are sixteen and one plays football and basketball and my daughters.
He plays soft bomb basketball. Then I have a hockey
player who's also a high schooler. So man, I'm just
staying busy, you know, keeping my sexy alive. Yeah, just
working out every day.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Donovan just told us basically all his kids are working.
First of all, he has y'all gonna earn if you
earn your kid as a.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Kid that plays hockey in Arizona, so you know they
have to be the best hockey player on earth. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Well the's funny thing is, man, I got an that's
actually playing I think tonight for the Edmonton Oilers.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh okay, Darnell Nurse. Shout out to Donell Nurse or.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Yeah, the defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers. Uh. So this
is round two against the Florida Panthers for the Stanley Cup.
Unfortunately didn't win it last year in Game seven. Uh,
but we'll see this year be different.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
So we we're rooted for Edmonton now, of course have to.
I mean you love Canadian Yeah, yeah, we have to.
We have to root for Edmonton now, Donovan, so talk
to us about the early years growing up. You grew
up in Chicago. Uh you you actually played basketball as well? Yes,
you played with Uh right, yeah, what was it? What
(03:43):
was it like growing up? Like we we hear about
how tough it is in Chicago, but Chicago is known
for breeding phenomenal athletes, of phenomenal ball players. What is
it about the city of Chicago that breeds whether it's
just basketball, but it's like basketball and football.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
What is it about Chicago?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
The thing about it I think that's missing in today's
game for a lot of these kids is we didn't
have trainers. We went out to the park and play point.
So it's about it's about competing out on the black top.
And for all of us, didn't matter if you play football,
no matter if you ran track, whatever, you still picked
up a basketball and you went out to compete. And
so what's different about Chicago is we we come from
(04:24):
around dogs. If you ain't if you ain't tough minded,
if you ain't tough physically coming out of Chicago, you
ain't really from the crib. And so you know, it's
just for a lot of the skilled guys that we had.
We mentioned Antoine Walker, who I went to high school.
Where people realize Anthein was six nine sixty seven in
high school, and you talk about in the nineties, you
(04:44):
in high school at six seven, you almost walk around
like you seven foot you know what I'm saying, right,
And he's the guy that can put the ball on
the floor. You can see the floor he was, he
was what you see of the modern day Lebron James.
You know, he was dynamic. We had a lot of
other guys that came out of the Chicago area that kind
(05:05):
of blew up. But as far as athletes are concerned,
we had man We had a lot of great football
players that ran track or played any other sport. But
it was just they ended up going to these power
for schools and being able to make their market, which
as a young kid growing up, gave us hope. It
gave us opportunity that we felt like we can get
(05:27):
out of the hood sort of speak, or out of
you know, out of Chicago and go and see other things.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
What did Antwoine play football as well?
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Antoine actually played football when he was young. He could throw,
but obviously quarterback. So you know, I think what happened
was at that particular point he already had his mindset
that he was going to just strictly play football. I
mean strictly played basketball. But when we played gym class,
so you know, we'd do our flag football tag or
(05:57):
whatever in recess or whatever it may have been. Always
he had an arm. He can play baseball. He was
a baseball player.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Okay, what brought you to Syracuse as opposed to maybe
a Midwest college at the time.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Kevin Rodgers was the quarterback coach at that particular time
who ended up being an offensive coordinator. He and coach
Paul Pascal on in Kayla, Chicago and recruited me, and
our offense was very similar to the Syracuse offense, just
as Nebraska was at that time under Tom Osborne. And
so those are my top two schools, and then Texas
(06:31):
Notre Dame were also followed in that whole recruiting process.
But Syracuse was an opportunity for me to come in
possibly as a redshirt freshman redshirt my first year and
then played for the next four years and start running
the same type of offense. And I just loved everything
about the university. I wanted to become a sports broadcaster,
and they were ranked in the top two or three
(06:53):
at that particular point academically, so that was another end
for me as well as football and the opportunity to
play basketball at Syracuse. So I thought it was just
a you know, a great fit for me to have
an opportunity to one graduate academically. There's syracusean had the
opportunity to play both sports see.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Where I think that's gangs is. Donovan didn't give us
an answer that was just like a jock answer. He
was like, nah, They're broadcast program was top two in
the country.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
It's like, you don't hear talking like that. I'm thinking
the league, Yeah, I'm thinking.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Like brought the broadcast journalism program top two in the country.
I gotta go here talk to us about Draft night.
Woo you got boo Draft night, And to this day,
I still don't understand why they booed.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
What was that?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
What was that feeling initially when you hear your name,
because obviously it's something that you know, everybody dreams about
the play sports hearing their name called on draft night.
So you have your moment, but then your moment is
met with booze from the fans that are in attendance.
Did you take it personally or did you just feel
like these are just fans of maybe the Giants the
Jets that are in here that are just booing everybody.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Well, the funny thing is, you know, obviously, being from Chicago,
I was always embarrass faith and so I didn't know
the dynamic of you know, the NFC East and you
know all of that At that particular point and having
the draft at Madison Square Garden, you know, you were thinking,
there are a lot of Giants fans, There are a
lot of fans there in general. And so the funny
(08:24):
thing about me and my family, we laugh at about
a lot of different stuff. And so when my name
was called during the introduction, you know where they introduced
all of us that were back in the green room,
there was slight boozed in. And so when I came
back into green room with my family, me and my brother,
we just started cracking up and I was looking at
my dad. He was like, what was going on out there?
(08:45):
I'm like, I thought they were booing, but you know,
he was like booing. Ooh, I'm like booing me. But
I don't know. I mean, you know, that's the case
that's on them. And so when my name was called
on actual TV, that's when the camera kind of panned
to the village fans and they booed. And if you
see my face, that's when it became personal because now
(09:07):
I didn't I thought they boomed into introduction, but now
they booed while the TV cameras are rolling. And so
if you go back to the film, like I always
I'm growing to Chicago. It's cold. I put the baseball
hat on, I bended up, and I put it down.
And so you know, at that particular time, Paul tagger Boot,
you know, he would left my hat up just so
(09:28):
they could see my face, and I would grab itt
bring it back down again because I'm pitsed. I'm not pitched,
and so I'm happy to be the first pick for
the Philadelphia Eagles and the second pick of the overall drivet.
But now I'm pissed because now it's time for me
to prove you wrong. And so that was my whole
mentality from that point on all throughout my career that
(09:49):
I was going to prove all the Navy sayers wrong.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Oh so that's why he kicked the Giants ass. Every
time we get it, You're welcome, we get these answers.
Did you feel that same energy in those first few
preseason games your rookie year just from the Eagles fan
base in general, you know what?
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Not necessarily because at that point, as a rookie, I
was trying to learn an offense, get comfortable in that offense,
and also understand the difference between playing in college and
playing in the NFL. So if you recalled, my first
preseason game was canceled because we played against the Baltimore
Ravens and at that point they were on HBO on
(10:29):
the Hard Knock series, and they came out and tested
our field, which was not linked financially. It was the
vet and there were potholes where the bases were from
the baseball field, and they came out. I was like, nah,
we ain't playing here, like you know, and there was
a you know, obviously a whole deal that happened with
Wendell Davis and you know, some other players that are
(10:52):
kind of hurt themselves, torn the ecls or whatever on that,
so they chose not to play, and so my first
preseason game was canceled. I'm like, oh man, I mentally
was all ready to get out here and play, and
so I had to wait another another week. But my
preseason was all about me getting comfortable being in the NFL,
in this new offense and see what I can do
(11:13):
in it.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
How bad is it playing on those baseball field slash
football fields back in the day, because I feel like
the Raiders did it for a while.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
The Raiders were theirs was on grass and it was dirt.
Ours was turf. With that turf, I mean they're divits
and so you're talking where the bases are, where you
know the actual dirt. You know, it's just a lot
of a combination of that. And that's why a couple
of years later we ended up going to field turf
(11:45):
and changing that and then led us to moving across
the street over to Lincoln financially where they built that
and be the home for the Philadelphia Eagles. But it
was one I was used to it because it's Syracuse
in the Big East at that particular point for back basketball.
You know, we're in football. We're playing against Temple University. Okay,
So I was used to it. Yeah, Oh for everyone
(12:07):
else it was it was something new.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And if you grow up playing like you said on
the black top talking about go left at the Honda,
cut left at the Honda, like you a little divid
in the field, that ain't nothing, man. We just suer caps.
You ran over sewer caps, all of that.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
When the owners are making billions of dollars getting me
off this base, no, let's go back to college millions. Yeah,
protect those needs.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Yeah, we would trying to, you know, scrap up some money,
so you go to the corner store and get you know,
it was a juice box of.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Let's go back to college a little bit.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
How do you feel about I have my reservations about
the whole transfer portal, and you know, the nil thing.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
I do love that athletes are being paid. I do.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I think they should because you know, you generate so
much money for schools and universities and things like that.
The transfer port though, right, how do you how does
Donovan McNabb how do you view the whole transfer portal theme?
Speaker 4 (13:07):
You know, I'm a fan, but not a fan. And
remember I get kids that are now in high school
now getting recruited. And so I have a son that
plays wide receiver here in Phoenix, and he's recruited. He's
got seventeen eighteen offers right now. But my worry as
a dad and former player, is are you recruiting these
(13:28):
athletes out of high school to develop these kids? Or
is it you're expecting them to come in ready? And
if they're not ready, now are you going in the
transport portal to pretty much recruit over them to get
someone that has already been in the program, understands the
academic aspect of and the studying and being able to
play football going through the regiment. And then also are
(13:51):
you bringing him in for the next two to three years,
where now that kind of pushes the development back from
my son going in And what does that mean? Now
we have to enter the transfer portal and now kids
will start going around where it's modern day free agency
and with the nil stuff. Now you bring in a
kid who may not be as talented as your son
(14:13):
or my son that's coming in young, and you already
offer them and he signed now for a million dollars,
So now he has to play. He has to play
because you're giving them a million dollars and he's probably
got some exotic car deal and he's driving around on campus.
And this kid is standing next to my son on
the sideline, but he's probably the first one to go
in because he's already been in college. You're already giving
(14:34):
them a million dollars, whatever it may be. I worry
about where the landscape of the playing field is because
if you looking across the collegiate level right now, majority
of the schools that are offering these big contracts, big
deals to these kids out of the transfer portal these
are the teams that are still scratching the surface of
(14:56):
trying to get up to the top where the Ohio
States are, where you know what I'm saying, where all
these teams are that are consistently at that level. And
so now you're just throwing money away to try to
compete at that level, but find yourself still at that medium.
And so I love the fact that these kids are
getting rewarded for their potential talent or maybe stuff that
(15:21):
they've already accomplished. But they're going to have to put
a cap on this at some point. I hear that.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I mean, speaking of athletes getting there, they're just due.
I feel like at your peak, the Jersey era was
also at its peak, and I think that where we.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Would have made our money, we would have made our
money for the Jerseys T shirts. You know, it wouldn't
have been so much of where these kids are now.
We would have had sponsorships like grocery stores and you know,
little stuff like mom and pop shops. These dudes, they
may get five hundred thousand dollars to go smile in
(15:57):
front of a candy store, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Right, I mean, even in the pros. I feel like,
of course NFL jerseys are always going to sell no
matter what. But the early two thousands and mid two thousands,
that whole jersey culture really really hit and I felt
you could not escape with Donovan McNabb jersey in the
mid two thousands. Was that a big part of your
contracts at that time contracts for us? Yes, of you
(16:21):
getting a piece of your jersey, that's being so.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
I didn't. I was in the era where we didn't
receive any money any nil, because remember the Charles O'Bannon
I'm saying, when.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You were the Eagles, not not not with circus.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Yeah, you get your royalties from the NFL, but it wasn't.
It wasn't to the point the piece and the percentage
in which we receive is not to Where is that now? Yeah,
Like I remember getting my royalties for the men in
their apparel, but also got royalties from the females in
the jersey sales that I was able to receive from
that from the females wearing my jerseys. At that point,
(16:57):
they made the pink and white jerseys for the Yeah,
they also had the regular jerseys for us, but my
pink and white jerseys for the ladies were high as well.
So that was a percentage that I received that really
I appreciate it at that particular point. But you know,
the game is changing, is as all we're talking. We're
talking almost what fifth. I've been out of the game
(17:18):
now almost thirteen fourteen years, and so you know it's
it's I love where it's evolving, where it's going. I'm
not one of these old guys that's like I went.
They need to make it what we made.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I feel like you maybe contributed to the NBA dress
code because wasn't the last straw for Iverson? He had
the your jersey on backwards walking on to the ring.
I think that was the last straw for the least we.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Made one for for Iverson. Ai and I came out
of high school pretty much together. You know, Kobe wore
my jersey okay sideline and Kobe was a big Eagles fan.
And so you know for in the NBA particular point,
because football, when we when we played at home games
or travel, we wore suits. Yeah, the game changed in
(18:07):
the NBA where they had to dress. It was a
dress code. If you know, you didn't play, you sit
on the sideline and then they bought that and that's
when Ai and all of them start wearing sweatsuits and
all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
So, yeah, do you have any great Ai or Kobe stories?
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Kobe and I went golfing, uh in California. It was
actually a weird time because that was when Michael Jackson
passed away. Oh wow. We were all on the golf
course together, me and him just talking. We kind of
stayed in contact. And then my oldest daughter was I
believe she may have been one or two years older
than Gigi, and so we both coached club girls basketball
(18:46):
and we got a chance to be in a couple
of tournaments together and sit down and talking and just
talk about the future of where women's basketball is. And
at that particular point, so unfortunate what happened, uh to
code well down as one of the greatest of all time.
Absolutely and just with his impact, and like I mentioned,
(19:06):
his impact not only in the men's game, but also
the women's game as well. Of what he transcended for
a lot of these young girls that are now going
into the collegiate level, uh incoming out of it. So
for him and then me and Ai, we we had
so much fun together anyway, uh in Philadelphia, what he
was doing across the street over with the Sixers and
(19:28):
then coming over what we were doing at that particular
time when they went to uh the World Championship playing
against the Lakers. I think we went to the Super
Bowl that year. The Phillies were winning at that particular time.
So Philadelphia was a hot bed for ya.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Had y'all had Philly? Y'all have Philly on fire?
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Y'all? P D Krag Yeah, yeah, yeah, was on fire.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
So we just had the We just had the NFL
Draft a couple of months ago, and obviously the big
news coming out was Shador uh Shad or Sanders dropping
to the fifth round. Now, you know, I attribute you
to the a lot of the reason why the NFL
quarterback position looks the way it looks today. Obviously a
(20:16):
lot of these guys grew up watching you and know
who you are and and and saw a lot of.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Your your games.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
How did you feel watching that, like, what was what
was your mindset? And how did you feel about seeing
Shador you know, and and just and coach Prown having
a deal and go through that situation.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Uh As And it's not an evaluator. You know, ever
since I left the game, you know, obviously being a
part of the media and being being on that side
of it annoying from both sides of it. I felt
like he would drop. You know, after cam Ward there
were a few teams that needed quarterbacks at that particular point,
(20:56):
I didn't think they were great landing spots for him.
Uh And after I think it might have been New Orleans.
I think at eight or nine, everybody was banking on
Pittsburgh and I think twenty one and everybody saying, well,
Mike Tomlin, don't take you. You know, Mike is a
guy that's always going to reach out and try to
help our community, you know, with black quarterbacks. So you
(21:19):
look at the roster in which he's had since he's
been there, I mean, from the Charlie Batches, the Denist
Dixon's to Mike vic to you know what I'm saying.
So the list goes on, and when he decided to
go in another direction, not drafting Chadure, my antenna's went
up because you know, in today's game, the thing that
I want to see from these young kids is a
(21:41):
little bit more professionalism. And I say that because you
look it on the sideline of these games. These kids
out here with about one hundred and fifty two hundred
thousand dollars worth of gold on a neck or you know, changed.
And I'm like, first of all, it all starts with
the coaching staff of not allowing that let's get polo
shirts and look presentable. And so now when you go
(22:04):
through the draft of what's going on, what's been said,
and all of this, of not being prepared for these
meetings or whatever it may be. I know, in the
recent years, I want to say, the last seven or
ten years or so, Manicans may be deeper. What these
teams do is they send you a DVD of the
plays and install plays that they want you to look
(22:25):
at and go over. So now when they come in,
you have to now be able to get on the
board and explain that. And for what I understand, you know,
they weren't able. He wasn't able to do that. And
then they kind of kept talking about the headphones, and
you know, he kept talking about himself legendary and blah
blah blah, and you know, all of this, which I
don't know for sure because I'm in the room or
(22:48):
whatever it may be. But I just want these young
guys to understand the business aspect of things, of how
to look presentable, present yourself in the right way when
you sitting and talking to these sins, because it's a
job interview at the end of the day, it's a
job interview.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
They want to know can you be a CEO of
their company with ten to twenty to thirty million dollars
on the table and can you handle that, you know
what I mean, still be focused on the task at hand.
So I didn't think he would draft. He would drop
to the fifth round. That's a real big drop. Normally
it would probably happen in the third round, mid second.
(23:29):
But the funny thing for me is when mel Kiper
was up on stage and he's harping, you know what
they're doing. They don't know how to valuate quarterbacks when
just last year or two years ago he was pushing
for Will Levis to be in that same position and
it didn't work out for Will Levins.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
So it will mails you know, the best judge of
talent when it comes to quarterbacks especially.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Would be able to pick up and learn the West
Coast office for years and.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Then fucking find one. Yeah, So on on your way
to your first EA Sports meeting. Did you have in
the back of your mind maybe the Madden curse is real?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
You know, I'm not a big guy believe in curses.
I'm not even that I got hurt in years, I don't.
I don't believe in that. Now people say, well, you
you know, well me and Mike Vic and I think
Ray got heard or whatever. You know, but things have
changed over the recent years for guys that have been
on the cover of Madden, expectations are higher. After you're
(24:35):
on on the cover, people were expecting great things or whatever.
If you have a down year compared to the previous
year and then everyone looks at it in that particular way.
But I'm not a big believer in the curses.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
What's the process like with that outside of you just
being on the cover, Like, were you heavily involved when
they put the green suit on you and have to
get your mannerisms and everything. What's the process of making
the I'm.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Trying to remember. I know I went to San Diego
and did some of that stuff where the bulls and stuff.
You know, I did some of that stuff. But you
gotta remember too, at that time there was no, there
was no fork was it four K or whatever? You know,
we were talking.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
We just saw your number. We saw your number.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
That's it. You got closed caption, you got like four cameras.
Now you got cameras everywhere.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
It was.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It was an exciting time for me because we were
all playing Matten at that time. While we're playing, there
was no fantasy football, there was none of this other stuff.
It was hey, man, you get to one of your
boys house, man, you grab a drink, everybody sitting there
and order some pizza. A man, I'm up first, like
you am mad? All right? Like now it's like on
(25:49):
the computer, it's Internet, it's all this other stuff that's
going on, and so man, it's it was a great
honor for me.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I have to ask in the locker room when the
new Madden Gang drops, is anyone is anyone upset about
their rating?
Speaker 4 (26:05):
I was at that point. You got to remember, at
that point we were just playing. I was because I
think I did an event and it was me and
Tony Gonzalez and they were talking to Tony about his speed,
his catching, and so Tony's I think at that point
(26:25):
Tony might have had a ninety two speed or something
to that effect, and I had like an eighty six
or something.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
And I was like, wait a minute, we can go
outside and race right now.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
You know what I'm saying. I'm like, yo, we can
line up like I know, y'a. But you know, it
was like he was talking about it and that was
all my mindset, like the speed, like I'm fashion than him.
But it was just it's still to that point. At
that time, man, it was just an honor to be
on the cover because here's a kid out of Chicago,
(26:58):
who we got Chicago sometimes newspaper, you know, w g
A TV. You know, we got we got that's our
social media. If you make it in the paper in Chicago,
that mean you did something. And so going through going
to Syracuse, but we got the Syracuse you know newspaper
that's the school paper. And then obviously in Syracuse that
(27:20):
was a big thing. Now we're talking about on the
cover of a video game that I know everybody in
America is playing. Yeah, like that was a real big
honor for me. And I was on the cover of
Backyard Football. Yeah yeah, yeah, come on.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
I totally forgot to go Backyard for I forgot about
that one.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
And all that.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah, I will say I share with you the same.
Tony Gonzalez is a legend, but ninety two speed is
fucking crazy. For yeah, I was like, where's Marshall? Fuck like.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
What I'm saying. So we didn't I mean the whole
ninety nine ratings and all that now, but yeah, we
wasn't getting all that back in the day.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
So let's talk about the Super Bowl. So what happened.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
What's the story about mcdonovan McNabb throwing up. It's false,
didn't happen, No way doing this shit.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Okay, it's false. It didn't happen. There's no video of it.
I could tell you straight out top of it wasn't
it didn't happen. Did I get hit in the mouth? Yeah, okay,
I got hit in the mouth, like the third playing
the game from Teddy Bruski, Like right up under ship
it will.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Be Teddy Ruski. Yeah, great media guy now too.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
Yeah. I mean, but you know again, it was interesting
because it was we lost the game, and I think
there were a comment by one of my offensive linemen
or somebody said like I was tired or whatever may be. Yeah,
I'm tired. We're playing the Super Bowl. But I'm like, okay,
and then it went to you know, throwing up or whatever,
(28:55):
and I was like, what are y'all talking about? So
this has been now twenty plus years and everybody's still
talking about it. There's no video of me throwing up.
It didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
If social media existed at that time, do you think it.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Would have ended? It would have ended right after that
because you have no footage or no evidence in that.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Would you have cleared it up though, like say a
Twitter or Instagram no existed, Because.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
The thing with me is I'm not gonna give any
more legs or energy or gas to something that doesn't
make sense. Okay, So I never talk about anything unless
it's presented to me. And then I gave the same answers,
Like for twenty years, I've been giving the same answers.
But people, it's still a question people keep bringing up.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
And I mean, even though it was back when there
wasn't like cell phone cameras, it was the fucking Super Bowl,
somebody would have that footage. Cameras everywhere, cameras everywhere. No,
the only thing not boosted with boost Mobile is the
price is mall. I freestyled that they didn't even tell
me to say that nice. That was bars. With Boost Mobile,
(30:01):
you pay twenty five dollars a month forever. That is
unlimited talk, text and data starting at just twenty five
dollars a month with no price hikes.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Five G speeds not available in all areas. After thirty
GB customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay twenty
five dollars a month as long as they remain active
on the Boost Unlimited plan. So with with the with
the quarterback position now in the NFL, who is Who's
(30:32):
some of your guys that you look at that you
can't like you have to watch their game, like I
gotta watch. I love watching them play. He approaches the
game the right way. Who is some of those guys
for you?
Speaker 4 (30:45):
Well, starts with Patrick because I have I have that
relationship with Patrick obviously being coached by Andy Reid, right,
And I've talked to Patrick on many occasions. Almost every
Super Bowl, every Super Bowl or that I talked to
the team, they won, oh wow, and the team and
the time I didn't, we won, so uh.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
So it.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Worked out well in New Orleans. But Andy's my guy.
So I love watching Patrick. I love watching Lamar Josh Allen.
I love watching you know, Joe Burrow and the weapons
that he has. I love. I loved watching two of
them because of plays a game a different way and
I would love for him to be healthier, uh, if
(31:35):
he was to be able to finish out full seasons,
because I think two is one of those guys that's
truly accurate. He throws with anticipation, doesn't have the strongest
of arms, and he has he has a little bit
of dog in him, which I would love for him
to protect himself a little bit more, but sometimes you
just can't. You can't pull back that kind of energy
(31:56):
when you already have it. And then also Baker may
Field brings he brings different type of attitude to the
game where he has a linebacker mentality, you know, quarterback position,
and so I just love watching these particular guys and
the offers is something different. And so obviously I had
Jalen hurtson there because as my guy, that was.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Just great to say. If you don't say, Jalen, we
got to ask why.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Well, No, I mean I've been Jayla's like a little
brother to me, you know, I've been mentoring and talking
to Jalen since his name was called. And I tried
to explain to people when he was drafted that he
was coming into the quarterback room as the grown man
in the room. Here's a guy that that has so
many offensive coordinators since his freshman year Alabama all the
(32:42):
way to Oklahoma to Philadelphia, and so he's learned four
different offenses in four or five years.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
I didn't think about it like that.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Yeah, and so you know, and he was coached by
his dad in high school, and people don't realize he
was the starting quarterback as a seat in Alabama as
a sea you're in high school. He went up in
the spring, played spring ball, competed to win that position,
to start his freshman year at Alabama at Alabama University,
and to go to the National Championship. And so it
(33:14):
says a lot about like him winning the Super Bowl,
going to the Super Bowl two years. That's not a
shock to me because he's played almost every year he's
played in the National Championship Game almost except when he
was at Oklahoma.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
The one thing that we do say about Jalen, he
carries himself like an older professional. Yeah, he's he's very professional, exactly.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
That's My point, like, these young kids in college need
to take on the role of these guys like Jalen
and be more professional. And I guarantee you this, they'll
make more money. You take the gold out your mouth,
You stop walking around with two hundred thousand dollars around
your neck talking about talking to third person in the
(33:57):
media when you're getting interviewed. These are different things they
need to understand. Yeah, the money you're getting to go
to the university, that's good with the collective and all
of that, but you can make so much other more money,
like for instance, Kaitlan Clark, Kaitlan Clark, everybody want to
talk about what she's making now, what she's done. Kayln
Clark made like three million dollars off the court from
(34:19):
State Farm and all this other stuff that because that's
the professionalism is where the money is outside of what
you're doing.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Yeah, how are you on that? Back to the field,
who was the corner or safety that gave you the
most trouble throughout your career?
Speaker 4 (34:39):
You had Dion who I played against Dion when he
was in Dallas, I think when he was in Washington,
when he was in Baltimore. Ernias Williams with the Rams,
you know he was, he was solid Hall of Famer.
(34:59):
You know safeties, I mean Sean Taylor was a was
an animal, and safety Troy Paula Walla was was a beast.
Darrin Sharper, even my own Brian Dawkins. You know, I
see him every day at practice, and you know, obviously
I didn't have to compete with him come game time
(35:21):
because he changes into a whole different person of game time.
But again, like Deans, Michael Straighthan, you know, t Suggs,
like all these guys that I played against that that
are Hall of famers and were dynamic, you know at
their position.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
What are your thoughts on a toush push? And I'm
trying to get rid of it.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
I don't have a problem with it, because the funny
thing is everybody has tried it. Not everybody's been as
successful as the Philadelphia. Nobody's gotten hurt, nobody's careers ended
because of it. Now, is it hard? Yeah, I'm sure
it's hard to stop. But Kansas City stopped Buffalo and
they tried to do it three times. Fact, you know
(36:02):
what I'm saying. I think Baltimore had their reign with
it a little bit but then they just decided not
to put Lamar and the Harms away and then just
give it to Derrick Henry. The list goes on of
other teams that have tried it, they just haven't been
as successful as Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
Now, you dropped some names when we were told them
about how you had Philly on fire when it came
to rap, Beanie siegu pd Crag. Who are some of
the guys that you were listening to on your way
to the stadium. Like what was Donovan listening to in
his in his car.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
State property? You know, he all a Philly, all my
Philly representatives. You know, I was an R and B
head you know, I was an R and B head man.
And remember at that time we had music sold Kyle Belile,
all of all the R and bs from Philly, but
me very from Chicago and people you know, may get
(36:55):
a little little witty, but I was an ar Kelly fan.
R Kelly in the.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Booth, Yeah, Kelly Kelly in the booth all us, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
R Kelly in the booth, you know, from a vant uh.
And then I'll even throw my girl to Brandon that
because he from the crib as well.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
Absolutely, you know, so I was I was a.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
Mix depending on how I was feeling at that particular time.
It was either R and B R and B remixes
or was it just straight up Harcourt rapp?
Speaker 2 (37:23):
I like how Donovan went from State Property. Yeah, you
had to get his Jill Scott there first.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
With the R and B.
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Like, no, that's a complete playlist. What would be your
top five Philly rappers?
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Uh? Oh, Dad, that's hard.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
You gotta go beans where you gave us beans already.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
Yeah, I mean, but that's hard because you know you
got beans, you got beans free way. Always always got
to put even there because he changed the game for
the for the females in the rap game. You know, Uh,
that's that's the next next two is kind of hard.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
But he said state property, so that covers off.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
So that that that kind of throws through four of them.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
And you you were going by the time Meat probably
showed up right, Yeah?
Speaker 4 (38:15):
Well me me, actually, I was. I was toward the out,
but my brother worked with me. But Mick is definitely
in that top five obviously representing Philly, you know, because
when it comes to old school, like you know, Will
Smith and all of them, if you want to put
Will Smith in that that group. But what Will Smith
did just kind of on both angles, you know, changed
(38:37):
added a little bit more to the game.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Do your kids like Uzzie?
Speaker 4 (38:42):
You know what they don't. I mean, I don't know
what they listened to, you know, because it's not so
much of the lyrics like like when we used to
nas jay z like you know all back in at
that time, like we were about lyrics common. Yeah. Now
it's just like you got to have a catchy hook
(39:03):
and a beat because some of the stuff, I don't
think they opened up their mouth. It's beyond mumble raps. Now,
back in the day you had the mumble.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Wrap that was that was no just don't even did
anyone try to wrap in the in the locker room, uh.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
I mean you had some freestyle sessions fret, but it
wasn't prevalent like that. You know. It wasn't like we
had one guy that that can drop some bars like
some people. You you you try to push them the
rap because you know it's gonna be stupid. You know,
it's one of them guys like you have somebody read.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
But you know he can't read, like yeah, so let's
make him wrap some rookie Hazen for sure. So we
spoke to one of the former teamates, Lashan McCoy. We
had him on uh probably last week?
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Was that last week? Two weeks ago? Two weeks ago? Yeah,
and uh, and talking to him, he he wants to know,
why is it that? Why do you feel like.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
Philly fans don't embrace Donovan McNabb, like you're not the
guy that really helped bring the Eagles back to a
respectable organization.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
That's That's the one that I can't answer, to be
honest with you. I mean, I did what I did.
You know, I did a lot of stuff in the community.
You know, I gat here with with Philadelphia. So at
some point they always kind of was, you know, he's
not he's not one of us, whatever the hell that means.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
But you know that was it was saying that about
somebody from Chicago. Was crazy.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
You know what I'm saying, that he's not one of us,
Like okay, parents in the house, right, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Championships.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
I know how to carry myself like a wrong man,
like you know what I mean? Never it may be,
but you know what's funny, Like you'll hear a small
portion of percentage of people that say stuff like that, Yeah,
but the mass, mass percentage of people know that I'm
all about Philly, and they were very supportive of what
I've been able to accomplish and do and what I
(41:04):
was able to do in my my decade of playing
there absolutely success bad and everything I was able to accomplish.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, I mean, Philly fans individually are good people, but
when they get together there's some of the worst animals
I've ever come across from my entire life, Like to
the point that you take them to five NFC Championships
and they honor a bartender that made special teams and
make a movie about it. Like, Philly fans are the
weirdest human beings I've ever fucking met.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
But you know what, you know what it is, it's
it's and that's wasn't social media, it was talk radio. Yeah,
And so you know, people want to you know, expose
or kind of let out bad energy of how they
feel about a game, how they feel about And then
I became a lightning rod. My name became a lightning
rod for people to you know, say they're expressed their
(41:53):
feelings about how I played in the game or how
whatever it may have been or we won, it wasn't
because to me, whatever it may been, and it became
about talk radio. And so anytime I speak, like even
probably after this whole this show we're doing, and y'all
put excerts out about, you know, about some of the
questions and some of my answers, I'm sure a whole
(42:15):
lot of people will probably come negative about. You know,
I can't stand when these talks or no one cares,
you know, whatever may be watching it. I've always explained
to people, if you mentioned my name, that means you're thinking.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
About that's the fact.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
Thank you. You know, I appreciate.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Who are some of Who are some of your most
underrated quarterbacks in the league right now? I know you
said too you kind of feel like he deserves more love. Okay,
who are some of your most underrated quarterbacks right now
in the league?
Speaker 4 (42:48):
I would say probably Russell Wilson. Oh okay, you know,
I'll throw m you know, Justin Herbert, although people put
Justin in that top five, which I don't think he's
the top five quarterback, but he's underrated because this offense
(43:09):
that Harbaugh has incorporated, it's old school, it's run first play, action,
quick game, explosive plays. So he's gonna now start to explode.
I believe in this offense. I think people like, what's
my man name? He's out in Oakland now from Seattle,
(43:33):
Gino Smith, Gino is since his opportunity, He's he's flourished
in in the moment, he's played well. I think Brock
Purty of what he's been able to do so far,
uh being an Arizona kid too, showing some love and
guys like that. I just look at guys like that
(43:54):
that I think like two guys that I look at
and I'm kind of watching to see what happens in
these next couple years for them is Trevor Lawrence and
Justin Fields. I hope the best for Justin because he's
a good kid, comes with great family and he just
needs an opportunity where he's in a great system, where
they have great players around him to be able to
(44:16):
just play his game.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
Yeah, playing against Belichick. Do you have any predictions for
this upcoming season with North Carolina.
Speaker 4 (44:25):
I think they'll be I think they'll be competitive. I
think they'll be probably a little bit of mid midway
in the pack in the ACC because he doesn't have
his full recruits here. I think he's been recruiting heavily
of the twenty seventh class and a little bit of
the twenty sixth class, and so the twenty five class
(44:45):
he hasn't been able to kind of jump on that
because he came in late. He got a few guys.
And I think the transfer portal for a school like
Carolina would be big. Who doesn't want to wear the
Jordan brand, who doesn't want to wear the baby? But
I always dream to play in North Carolina, And I
think for for Belichick, I think two years from now,
two three years from now, they'll be they'll be up
(45:09):
in the lights with Clemson, uh, Okay State and you
know in that where you start talking a little bit
about North Carolina football.
Speaker 3 (45:19):
Now, before we let you go, Donovan, I got to
bring this up. So your former teammate Freddie Mitchell put
together an album, and is this this this there's a
there's there's remnants. I'm hearing things that there may be
a Donovan McNabb verse. You may have recorded a verse
for an album.
Speaker 2 (45:37):
Is that true? Did you lay some bars.
Speaker 4 (45:39):
Down you telling me on on on Freddy's album? Yeah?
Absolutely not.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
I was gonna try to get you to spend some
bars real quick.
Speaker 4 (45:50):
Absolutely. Uh. If Freddy's doing that, that's gonna be interesting.
It's hilarious. Would I be Would I be on this? No? No,
absolutely not. You know, you know, as the Fellas get together,
we have fun. Yeah, comes out fit some stupid bars
(46:15):
that don't make sense, but we think it's hot. Yeah,
you can't take it nowhere else.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
It just stays in, It stays in. He recorded it though,
So if he did record this and.
Speaker 4 (46:28):
And thing came out like like yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Speak speaking of bars, we put together a list of
rappers that have name dropped you in their verses, and
we want to see if you could guess which rapper
it was. We'll start with the first one. Excuse me,
but cuse me, gott to see you got it? Excuse me?
What happened? I'm flyer than Robin, I'm flyer than an Eagle. Yeah,
(46:56):
Donovan mcnabbn. Do you know rapper that is? These are
Philly rappers just across the board, rappers in general.
Speaker 4 (47:08):
Now, who's that?
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Oh the barbs are gonna kill you. That's Nicki Minaj,
Nicki Minaj?
Speaker 4 (47:13):
Is it? What? What? Song.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
Was that shaking it for daddy? Pause? I'm just answered
your question. Your dog would be a question you asked
me a question I answered Donna then turned the rapper.
He made sure a wife he wasn't walking in the room.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
Wait what Okay, I definitely had to look that up.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
It's Robin thinking NICKI minaj Oh, okay, well smart and
be there.
Speaker 4 (47:39):
Robin was popping back. Okay. I don't know if I'm
gonna type it taking it for daddy.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
Yeah, you don't feel right typing that in.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
Yeah, I don't know what to make pop up.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
It definitely fun with your algorithms. Another one, Uh, when
we met you was a V like Donna.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
Now you're in the field running plays like Donovan mcnad
before you get in the cab.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Oh yay, Kanye talk.
Speaker 4 (48:08):
About our love from the crib.
Speaker 2 (48:11):
You know, absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 4 (48:13):
I don't know what's happening now, but.
Speaker 2 (48:16):
Nod at one point. Yeah, Well you take the next
one just based off the lyrical content.
Speaker 4 (48:22):
Then all right.
Speaker 3 (48:23):
Last one'st some words that I probably just year.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
I got this one.
Speaker 3 (48:29):
I got you, Yeah, I got you, And I rocked
my rag like it's eighty eight and niggas still rocking shaft.
So put the hundreds in the bag or I'm gonna
put the eagle to your helmet and the fiftie a
chest like Donovan mcnad, Was.
Speaker 4 (48:45):
That a meet?
Speaker 2 (48:48):
Was that me? No, that's that's the game.
Speaker 4 (48:52):
Whoa that's from West Coast Honeyballs and Running. Oh okay, yeah, oh,
I'll definitely have to listen to that one. Yeah you can.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
You can type that in that one, you can type.
I mean we have this one like a remix of
n W. It was on the hundred Bars and Running,
which was like original distang unit. I think it was
probably on the n W A B. Yeah, yeah, okay,
I mean this this has his name in it. But
one of my favorite Beanie Seagull songs period. You know,
(49:23):
seagull play with them, eagles may put there, niggas, don't
get tagged, throw bullets out them dirty birds like mcnath
trying go back and forth. We get you a little
back and forth on that last.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
My partner can't say that one. Don You can't say
that one. Yeah, yeah, Donovan, we appreciate you, man. Congratulations
with is twenty years on the cover of Madden Yes, sir,
we appreciate you. A legend and every sense of the word.
Thank you for everything you did for the game. Thank
you for the way you paid for the for black
quarterbacks that are playing today. We appreciate you a legend forever.
(49:59):
Thank you for taking time to cat good with us today.
Speaker 4 (50:00):
Bro, I appreciate you guys having me. Man, we gotta
swag out that couch though, you know we got we got.
We gotta upgrade that couch.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
Yeah, we're gonna were gonna listen, we were a deep
couch to here like this right, it's so right for
what we're doing right now. We ain't at the house.
We'll never had this type of couch of the house,
but it's great for what we're doing right now.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
Not all of us pay the same taxes in Arizona.
We don't get to keep our money like you were
in New York. Bro, they're killing us with these taxes.
This is the type of this the type of money
our taxes could a forward. Right. We appreciate you, Bro,
Thank you, Man.
Speaker 4 (50:36):
Appreciate that no doubt.
Speaker 3 (50:37):
Love
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Speaker 2 (00:35):
The volume.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
All right, Rory, So we're back for another episode of
Don't Know Ball? Yes, so where we could let our
fans know exactly how much of ball we do not know.
But it's okay because we invite we invite people on
that can kind of help us along the way. Today
we are joined by a.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Legend. Is one of the few legends that we've had.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Definitely a legend, somebody that I think has helped the
NFL look the way it looks today at this at
the quarterback position. So with the second pick in the
nineteen ninety nine NFL draft, Rory, the Philadelphia Eagles selected
(01:24):
a legend a dog, a competitor, one of the greatest
ever from the Syracuse University University of Syracuse.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Donovan McNabb. And then we double salute don true true
Philly fashion, they bowed the person that made their franchise.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yes, which was absolutely crazy. But we are joined by
the legend Donovan McNabb. Sir, how are you feeling, Donovan?
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Great?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
You look good.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
You look great, You look like you could still play.
What you're doing, man, trying to get back out there.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Man, by the win, they're giving that money out one year, yeah,
one year contract yet my kids, kids stuff, but you
know it is, man, Just still continue to work out. Man.
My kids are all active in sports. I have a
daughter that's just graduated from Syracuse who played with the
Syracuse women's basketball team. Still be you know, fulfilling.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
True to your wife as well.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
She played. Absolutely. I appreciate that. I got twins out
are sixteen and one plays football and basketball and my daughters.
He plays soft bomb basketball. Then I have a hockey
player who's also a high schooler. So man, I'm just
staying busy, you know, keeping my sexy alive. Yeah, just
working out every day.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Donovan just told us basically all his kids are working.
First of all, he has y'all gonna earn if you
earn your kid as a.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Kid that plays hockey in Arizona, so you know they
have to be the best hockey player on earth. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Well the's funny thing is, man, I got an that's
actually playing I think tonight for the Edmonton Oilers.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh okay, Darnell Nurse. Shout out to Donell Nurse or.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Yeah, the defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers. Uh. So this
is round two against the Florida Panthers for the Stanley Cup.
Unfortunately didn't win it last year in Game seven. Uh,
but we'll see this year be different.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
So we we're rooted for Edmonton now, of course have to.
I mean you love Canadian Yeah, yeah, we have to.
We have to root for Edmonton now, Donovan, so talk
to us about the early years growing up. You grew
up in Chicago. Uh you you actually played basketball as well? Yes,
you played with Uh right, yeah, what was it? What
(03:43):
was it like growing up? Like we we hear about
how tough it is in Chicago, but Chicago is known
for breeding phenomenal athletes, of phenomenal ball players. What is
it about the city of Chicago that breeds whether it's
just basketball, but it's like basketball and football.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
What is it about Chicago?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
The thing about it I think that's missing in today's
game for a lot of these kids is we didn't
have trainers. We went out to the park and play point.
So it's about it's about competing out on the black top.
And for all of us, didn't matter if you play football,
no matter if you ran track, whatever, you still picked
up a basketball and you went out to compete. And
so what's different about Chicago is we we come from
(04:24):
around dogs. If you ain't if you ain't tough minded,
if you ain't tough physically coming out of Chicago, you
ain't really from the crib. And so you know, it's
just for a lot of the skilled guys that we had.
We mentioned Antoine Walker, who I went to high school.
Where people realize Anthein was six nine sixty seven in
high school, and you talk about in the nineties, you
(04:44):
in high school at six seven, you almost walk around
like you seven foot you know what I'm saying, right,
And he's the guy that can put the ball on
the floor. You can see the floor he was, he
was what you see of the modern day Lebron James.
You know, he was dynamic. We had a lot of
other guys that came out of the Chicago area that kind
(05:05):
of blew up. But as far as athletes are concerned,
we had man We had a lot of great football
players that ran track or played any other sport. But
it was just they ended up going to these power
for schools and being able to make their market, which
as a young kid growing up, gave us hope. It
gave us opportunity that we felt like we can get
(05:27):
out of the hood sort of speak, or out of
you know, out of Chicago and go and see other things.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
What did Antwoine play football as well?
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Antoine actually played football when he was young. He could throw,
but obviously quarterback. So you know, I think what happened
was at that particular point he already had his mindset
that he was going to just strictly play football. I
mean strictly played basketball. But when we played gym class,
so you know, we'd do our flag football tag or
(05:57):
whatever in recess or whatever it may have been. Always
he had an arm. He can play baseball. He was
a baseball player.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Okay, what brought you to Syracuse as opposed to maybe
a Midwest college at the time.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Kevin Rodgers was the quarterback coach at that particular time
who ended up being an offensive coordinator. He and coach
Paul Pascal on in Kayla, Chicago and recruited me, and
our offense was very similar to the Syracuse offense, just
as Nebraska was at that time under Tom Osborne. And
so those are my top two schools, and then Texas
(06:31):
Notre Dame were also followed in that whole recruiting process.
But Syracuse was an opportunity for me to come in
possibly as a redshirt freshman redshirt my first year and
then played for the next four years and start running
the same type of offense. And I just loved everything
about the university. I wanted to become a sports broadcaster,
and they were ranked in the top two or three
(06:53):
at that particular point academically, so that was another end
for me as well as football and the opportunity to
play basketball at Syracuse. So I thought it was just
a you know, a great fit for me to have
an opportunity to one graduate academically. There's syracusean had the
opportunity to play both sports see.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Where I think that's gangs is. Donovan didn't give us
an answer that was just like a jock answer. He
was like, nah, They're broadcast program was top two in
the country.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
It's like, you don't hear talking like that. I'm thinking
the league, Yeah, I'm thinking.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Like brought the broadcast journalism program top two in the country.
I gotta go here talk to us about Draft night.
Woo you got boo Draft night, And to this day,
I still don't understand why they booed.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
What was that?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
What was that feeling initially when you hear your name,
because obviously it's something that you know, everybody dreams about
the play sports hearing their name called on draft night.
So you have your moment, but then your moment is
met with booze from the fans that are in attendance.
Did you take it personally or did you just feel
like these are just fans of maybe the Giants the
Jets that are in here that are just booing everybody.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Well, the funny thing is, you know, obviously, being from Chicago,
I was always embarrass faith and so I didn't know
the dynamic of you know, the NFC East and you
know all of that At that particular point and having
the draft at Madison Square Garden, you know, you were thinking,
there are a lot of Giants fans, There are a
lot of fans there in general. And so the funny
(08:24):
thing about me and my family, we laugh at about
a lot of different stuff. And so when my name
was called during the introduction, you know where they introduced
all of us that were back in the green room,
there was slight boozed in. And so when I came
back into green room with my family, me and my brother,
we just started cracking up and I was looking at
my dad. He was like, what was going on out there?
(08:45):
I'm like, I thought they were booing, but you know,
he was like booing. Ooh, I'm like booing me. But
I don't know. I mean, you know, that's the case
that's on them. And so when my name was called
on actual TV, that's when the camera kind of panned
to the village fans and they booed. And if you
see my face, that's when it became personal because now
(09:07):
I didn't I thought they boomed into introduction, but now
they booed while the TV cameras are rolling. And so
if you go back to the film, like I always
I'm growing to Chicago. It's cold. I put the baseball
hat on, I bended up, and I put it down.
And so you know, at that particular time, Paul tagger Boot,
you know, he would left my hat up just so
(09:28):
they could see my face, and I would grab itt
bring it back down again because I'm pitsed. I'm not pitched,
and so I'm happy to be the first pick for
the Philadelphia Eagles and the second pick of the overall drivet.
But now I'm pissed because now it's time for me
to prove you wrong. And so that was my whole
mentality from that point on all throughout my career that
(09:49):
I was going to prove all the Navy sayers wrong.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Oh so that's why he kicked the Giants ass. Every
time we get it, You're welcome, we get these answers.
Did you feel that same energy in those first few
preseason games your rookie year just from the Eagles fan
base in general, you know what?
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Not necessarily because at that point, as a rookie, I
was trying to learn an offense, get comfortable in that offense,
and also understand the difference between playing in college and
playing in the NFL. So if you recalled, my first
preseason game was canceled because we played against the Baltimore
Ravens and at that point they were on HBO on
(10:29):
the Hard Knock series, and they came out and tested
our field, which was not linked financially. It was the
vet and there were potholes where the bases were from
the baseball field, and they came out. I was like, nah,
we ain't playing here, like you know, and there was
a you know, obviously a whole deal that happened with
Wendell Davis and you know, some other players that are
(10:52):
kind of hurt themselves, torn the ecls or whatever on that,
so they chose not to play, and so my first
preseason game was canceled. I'm like, oh man, I mentally
was all ready to get out here and play, and
so I had to wait another another week. But my
preseason was all about me getting comfortable being in the NFL,
in this new offense and see what I can do
(11:13):
in it.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
How bad is it playing on those baseball field slash
football fields back in the day, because I feel like
the Raiders did it for a while.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
The Raiders were theirs was on grass and it was dirt.
Ours was turf. With that turf, I mean they're divits
and so you're talking where the bases are, where you
know the actual dirt. You know, it's just a lot
of a combination of that. And that's why a couple
of years later we ended up going to field turf
(11:45):
and changing that and then led us to moving across
the street over to Lincoln financially where they built that
and be the home for the Philadelphia Eagles. But it
was one I was used to it because it's Syracuse
in the Big East at that particular point for back basketball.
You know, we're in football. We're playing against Temple University. Okay,
So I was used to it. Yeah, Oh for everyone
(12:07):
else it was it was something new.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And if you grow up playing like you said on
the black top talking about go left at the Honda,
cut left at the Honda, like you a little divid
in the field, that ain't nothing, man. We just suer caps.
You ran over sewer caps, all of that.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
When the owners are making billions of dollars getting me
off this base, no, let's go back to college millions. Yeah,
protect those needs.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Yeah, we would trying to, you know, scrap up some money,
so you go to the corner store and get you know,
it was a juice box of.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Let's go back to college a little bit.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
How do you feel about I have my reservations about
the whole transfer portal, and you know, the nil thing.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
I do love that athletes are being paid. I do.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I think they should because you know, you generate so
much money for schools and universities and things like that.
The transfer port though, right, how do you how does
Donovan McNabb how do you view the whole transfer portal theme?
Speaker 4 (13:07):
You know, I'm a fan, but not a fan. And
remember I get kids that are now in high school
now getting recruited. And so I have a son that
plays wide receiver here in Phoenix, and he's recruited. He's
got seventeen eighteen offers right now. But my worry as
a dad and former player, is are you recruiting these
(13:28):
athletes out of high school to develop these kids? Or
is it you're expecting them to come in ready? And
if they're not ready, now are you going in the
transport portal to pretty much recruit over them to get
someone that has already been in the program, understands the
academic aspect of and the studying and being able to
play football going through the regiment. And then also are
(13:51):
you bringing him in for the next two to three years,
where now that kind of pushes the development back from
my son going in And what does that mean? Now
we have to enter the transfer portal and now kids
will start going around where it's modern day free agency
and with the nil stuff. Now you bring in a
kid who may not be as talented as your son
(14:13):
or my son that's coming in young, and you already
offer them and he signed now for a million dollars,
So now he has to play. He has to play
because you're giving them a million dollars and he's probably
got some exotic car deal and he's driving around on campus.
And this kid is standing next to my son on
the sideline, but he's probably the first one to go
in because he's already been in college. You're already giving
(14:34):
them a million dollars, whatever it may be. I worry
about where the landscape of the playing field is because
if you looking across the collegiate level right now, majority
of the schools that are offering these big contracts, big
deals to these kids out of the transfer portal these
are the teams that are still scratching the surface of
(14:56):
trying to get up to the top where the Ohio
States are, where you know what I'm saying, where all
these teams are that are consistently at that level. And
so now you're just throwing money away to try to
compete at that level, but find yourself still at that medium.
And so I love the fact that these kids are
getting rewarded for their potential talent or maybe stuff that
(15:21):
they've already accomplished. But they're going to have to put
a cap on this at some point. I hear that.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I mean, speaking of athletes getting there, they're just due.
I feel like at your peak, the Jersey era was
also at its peak, and I think that where we.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Would have made our money, we would have made our
money for the Jerseys T shirts. You know, it wouldn't
have been so much of where these kids are now.
We would have had sponsorships like grocery stores and you know,
little stuff like mom and pop shops. These dudes, they
may get five hundred thousand dollars to go smile in
(15:57):
front of a candy store, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Right, I mean, even in the pros. I feel like,
of course NFL jerseys are always going to sell no
matter what. But the early two thousands and mid two thousands,
that whole jersey culture really really hit and I felt
you could not escape with Donovan McNabb jersey in the
mid two thousands. Was that a big part of your
contracts at that time contracts for us? Yes, of you
(16:21):
getting a piece of your jersey, that's being so.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
I didn't. I was in the era where we didn't
receive any money any nil, because remember the Charles O'Bannon
I'm saying, when.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You were the Eagles, not not not with circus.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Yeah, you get your royalties from the NFL, but it wasn't.
It wasn't to the point the piece and the percentage
in which we receive is not to Where is that now? Yeah,
Like I remember getting my royalties for the men in
their apparel, but also got royalties from the females in
the jersey sales that I was able to receive from
that from the females wearing my jerseys. At that point,
(16:57):
they made the pink and white jerseys for the Yeah,
they also had the regular jerseys for us, but my
pink and white jerseys for the ladies were high as well.
So that was a percentage that I received that really
I appreciate it at that particular point. But you know,
the game is changing, is as all we're talking. We're
talking almost what fifth. I've been out of the game
(17:18):
now almost thirteen fourteen years, and so you know it's
it's I love where it's evolving, where it's going. I'm
not one of these old guys that's like I went.
They need to make it what we made.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I feel like you maybe contributed to the NBA dress
code because wasn't the last straw for Iverson? He had
the your jersey on backwards walking on to the ring.
I think that was the last straw for the least we.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Made one for for Iverson. Ai and I came out
of high school pretty much together. You know, Kobe wore
my jersey okay sideline and Kobe was a big Eagles fan.
And so you know for in the NBA particular point,
because football, when we when we played at home games
or travel, we wore suits. Yeah, the game changed in
(18:07):
the NBA where they had to dress. It was a
dress code. If you know, you didn't play, you sit
on the sideline and then they bought that and that's
when Ai and all of them start wearing sweatsuits and
all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
So, yeah, do you have any great Ai or Kobe stories?
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Kobe and I went golfing, uh in California. It was
actually a weird time because that was when Michael Jackson
passed away. Oh wow. We were all on the golf
course together, me and him just talking. We kind of
stayed in contact. And then my oldest daughter was I
believe she may have been one or two years older
than Gigi, and so we both coached club girls basketball
(18:46):
and we got a chance to be in a couple
of tournaments together and sit down and talking and just
talk about the future of where women's basketball is. And
at that particular point, so unfortunate what happened, uh to
code well down as one of the greatest of all time.
Absolutely and just with his impact, and like I mentioned,
(19:06):
his impact not only in the men's game, but also
the women's game as well. Of what he transcended for
a lot of these young girls that are now going
into the collegiate level, uh incoming out of it. So
for him and then me and Ai, we we had
so much fun together anyway, uh in Philadelphia, what he
was doing across the street over with the Sixers and
(19:28):
then coming over what we were doing at that particular
time when they went to uh the World Championship playing
against the Lakers. I think we went to the Super
Bowl that year. The Phillies were winning at that particular time.
So Philadelphia was a hot bed for ya.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Had y'all had Philly? Y'all have Philly on fire?
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Y'all? P D Krag Yeah, yeah, yeah, was on fire.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
So we just had the We just had the NFL
Draft a couple of months ago, and obviously the big
news coming out was Shador uh Shad or Sanders dropping
to the fifth round. Now, you know, I attribute you
to the a lot of the reason why the NFL
quarterback position looks the way it looks today. Obviously a
(20:16):
lot of these guys grew up watching you and know
who you are and and and saw a lot of.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Your your games.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
How did you feel watching that, like, what was what
was your mindset? And how did you feel about seeing
Shador you know, and and just and coach Prown having
a deal and go through that situation.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Uh As And it's not an evaluator. You know, ever
since I left the game, you know, obviously being a
part of the media and being being on that side
of it annoying from both sides of it. I felt
like he would drop. You know, after cam Ward there
were a few teams that needed quarterbacks at that particular point,
(20:56):
I didn't think they were great landing spots for him.
Uh And after I think it might have been New Orleans.
I think at eight or nine, everybody was banking on
Pittsburgh and I think twenty one and everybody saying, well,
Mike Tomlin, don't take you. You know, Mike is a
guy that's always going to reach out and try to
help our community, you know, with black quarterbacks. So you
(21:19):
look at the roster in which he's had since he's
been there, I mean, from the Charlie Batches, the Denist
Dixon's to Mike vic to you know what I'm saying.
So the list goes on, and when he decided to
go in another direction, not drafting Chadure, my antenna's went
up because you know, in today's game, the thing that
I want to see from these young kids is a
(21:41):
little bit more professionalism. And I say that because you
look it on the sideline of these games. These kids
out here with about one hundred and fifty two hundred
thousand dollars worth of gold on a neck or you know, changed.
And I'm like, first of all, it all starts with
the coaching staff of not allowing that let's get polo
shirts and look presentable. And so now when you go
(22:04):
through the draft of what's going on, what's been said,
and all of this, of not being prepared for these
meetings or whatever it may be. I know, in the
recent years, I want to say, the last seven or
ten years or so, Manicans may be deeper. What these
teams do is they send you a DVD of the
plays and install plays that they want you to look
(22:25):
at and go over. So now when they come in,
you have to now be able to get on the
board and explain that. And for what I understand, you know,
they weren't able. He wasn't able to do that. And
then they kind of kept talking about the headphones, and
you know, he kept talking about himself legendary and blah
blah blah, and you know, all of this, which I
don't know for sure because I'm in the room or
(22:48):
whatever it may be. But I just want these young
guys to understand the business aspect of things, of how
to look presentable, present yourself in the right way when
you sitting and talking to these sins, because it's a
job interview at the end of the day, it's a
job interview.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
They want to know can you be a CEO of
their company with ten to twenty to thirty million dollars
on the table and can you handle that, you know
what I mean, still be focused on the task at hand.
So I didn't think he would draft. He would drop
to the fifth round. That's a real big drop. Normally
it would probably happen in the third round, mid second.
(23:29):
But the funny thing for me is when mel Kiper
was up on stage and he's harping, you know what
they're doing. They don't know how to valuate quarterbacks when
just last year or two years ago he was pushing
for Will Levis to be in that same position and
it didn't work out for Will Levins.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
So it will mails you know, the best judge of
talent when it comes to quarterbacks especially.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Would be able to pick up and learn the West
Coast office for years and.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Then fucking find one. Yeah, So on on your way
to your first EA Sports meeting. Did you have in
the back of your mind maybe the Madden curse is real?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
You know, I'm not a big guy believe in curses.
I'm not even that I got hurt in years, I don't.
I don't believe in that. Now people say, well, you
you know, well me and Mike Vic and I think
Ray got heard or whatever. You know, but things have
changed over the recent years for guys that have been
on the cover of Madden, expectations are higher. After you're
(24:35):
on on the cover, people were expecting great things or whatever.
If you have a down year compared to the previous
year and then everyone looks at it in that particular way.
But I'm not a big believer in the curses.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
What's the process like with that outside of you just
being on the cover, Like, were you heavily involved when
they put the green suit on you and have to
get your mannerisms and everything. What's the process of making
the I'm.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Trying to remember. I know I went to San Diego
and did some of that stuff where the bulls and stuff.
You know, I did some of that stuff. But you
gotta remember too, at that time there was no, there
was no fork was it four K or whatever? You know,
we were talking.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
We just saw your number. We saw your number.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
That's it. You got closed caption, you got like four cameras.
Now you got cameras everywhere.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
It was.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It was an exciting time for me because we were
all playing Matten at that time. While we're playing, there
was no fantasy football, there was none of this other stuff.
It was hey, man, you get to one of your
boys house, man, you grab a drink, everybody sitting there
and order some pizza. A man, I'm up first, like
you am mad? All right? Like now it's like on
(25:49):
the computer, it's Internet, it's all this other stuff that's
going on, and so man, it's it was a great
honor for me.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I have to ask in the locker room when the
new Madden Gang drops, is anyone is anyone upset about
their rating?
Speaker 4 (26:05):
I was at that point. You got to remember, at
that point we were just playing. I was because I
think I did an event and it was me and
Tony Gonzalez and they were talking to Tony about his speed,
his catching, and so Tony's I think at that point
(26:25):
Tony might have had a ninety two speed or something
to that effect, and I had like an eighty six
or something.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
And I was like, wait a minute, we can go
outside and race right now.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
You know what I'm saying. I'm like, yo, we can
line up like I know, y'a. But you know, it
was like he was talking about it and that was
all my mindset, like the speed, like I'm fashion than him.
But it was just it's still to that point. At
that time, man, it was just an honor to be
on the cover because here's a kid out of Chicago,
(26:58):
who we got Chicago sometimes newspaper, you know, w g
A TV. You know, we got we got that's our
social media. If you make it in the paper in Chicago,
that mean you did something. And so going through going
to Syracuse, but we got the Syracuse you know newspaper
that's the school paper. And then obviously in Syracuse that
(27:20):
was a big thing. Now we're talking about on the
cover of a video game that I know everybody in
America is playing. Yeah, like that was a real big
honor for me. And I was on the cover of
Backyard Football. Yeah yeah, yeah, come on.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
I totally forgot to go Backyard for I forgot about
that one.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
And all that.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah, I will say I share with you the same.
Tony Gonzalez is a legend, but ninety two speed is
fucking crazy. For yeah, I was like, where's Marshall? Fuck like.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
What I'm saying. So we didn't I mean the whole
ninety nine ratings and all that now, but yeah, we
wasn't getting all that back in the day.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
So let's talk about the Super Bowl. So what happened.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
What's the story about mcdonovan McNabb throwing up. It's false,
didn't happen, No way doing this shit.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Okay, it's false. It didn't happen. There's no video of it.
I could tell you straight out top of it wasn't
it didn't happen. Did I get hit in the mouth? Yeah, okay,
I got hit in the mouth, like the third playing
the game from Teddy Bruski, Like right up under ship
it will.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Be Teddy Ruski. Yeah, great media guy now too.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
Yeah. I mean, but you know again, it was interesting
because it was we lost the game, and I think
there were a comment by one of my offensive linemen
or somebody said like I was tired or whatever may be. Yeah,
I'm tired. We're playing the Super Bowl. But I'm like, okay,
and then it went to you know, throwing up or whatever,
(28:55):
and I was like, what are y'all talking about? So
this has been now twenty plus years and everybody's still
talking about it. There's no video of me throwing up.
It didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
If social media existed at that time, do you think it.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Would have ended? It would have ended right after that
because you have no footage or no evidence in that.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Would you have cleared it up though, like say a
Twitter or Instagram no existed, Because.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
The thing with me is I'm not gonna give any
more legs or energy or gas to something that doesn't
make sense. Okay, So I never talk about anything unless
it's presented to me. And then I gave the same answers,
Like for twenty years, I've been giving the same answers.
But people, it's still a question people keep bringing up.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
And I mean, even though it was back when there
wasn't like cell phone cameras, it was the fucking Super Bowl,
somebody would have that footage. Cameras everywhere, cameras everywhere. No,
the only thing not boosted with boost Mobile is the
price is mall. I freestyled that they didn't even tell
me to say that nice. That was bars. With Boost Mobile,
(30:01):
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Speaker 3 (30:11):
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GB customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay twenty
five dollars a month as long as they remain active
on the Boost Unlimited plan. So with with the with
the quarterback position now in the NFL, who is Who's
(30:32):
some of your guys that you look at that you
can't like you have to watch their game, like I
gotta watch. I love watching them play. He approaches the
game the right way. Who is some of those guys
for you?
Speaker 4 (30:45):
Well, starts with Patrick because I have I have that
relationship with Patrick obviously being coached by Andy Reid, right,
And I've talked to Patrick on many occasions. Almost every
Super Bowl, every Super Bowl or that I talked to
the team, they won, oh wow, and the team and
the time I didn't, we won, so uh.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
So it.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Worked out well in New Orleans. But Andy's my guy.
So I love watching Patrick. I love watching Lamar Josh Allen.
I love watching you know, Joe Burrow and the weapons
that he has. I love. I loved watching two of
them because of plays a game a different way and
I would love for him to be healthier, uh, if
(31:35):
he was to be able to finish out full seasons,
because I think two is one of those guys that's
truly accurate. He throws with anticipation, doesn't have the strongest
of arms, and he has he has a little bit
of dog in him, which I would love for him
to protect himself a little bit more, but sometimes you
just can't. You can't pull back that kind of energy
(31:56):
when you already have it. And then also Baker may
Field brings he brings different type of attitude to the
game where he has a linebacker mentality, you know, quarterback position,
and so I just love watching these particular guys and
the offers is something different. And so obviously I had
Jalen hurtson there because as my guy, that was.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Just great to say. If you don't say, Jalen, we
got to ask why.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Well, No, I mean I've been Jayla's like a little
brother to me, you know, I've been mentoring and talking
to Jalen since his name was called. And I tried
to explain to people when he was drafted that he
was coming into the quarterback room as the grown man
in the room. Here's a guy that that has so
many offensive coordinators since his freshman year Alabama all the
(32:42):
way to Oklahoma to Philadelphia, and so he's learned four
different offenses in four or five years.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
I didn't think about it like that.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Yeah, and so you know, and he was coached by
his dad in high school, and people don't realize he
was the starting quarterback as a seat in Alabama as
a sea you're in high school. He went up in
the spring, played spring ball, competed to win that position,
to start his freshman year at Alabama at Alabama University,
and to go to the National Championship. And so it
(33:14):
says a lot about like him winning the Super Bowl,
going to the Super Bowl two years. That's not a
shock to me because he's played almost every year he's
played in the National Championship Game almost except when he
was at Oklahoma.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
The one thing that we do say about Jalen, he
carries himself like an older professional. Yeah, he's he's very professional, exactly.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
That's My point, like, these young kids in college need
to take on the role of these guys like Jalen
and be more professional. And I guarantee you this, they'll
make more money. You take the gold out your mouth,
You stop walking around with two hundred thousand dollars around
your neck talking about talking to third person in the
(33:57):
media when you're getting interviewed. These are different things they
need to understand. Yeah, the money you're getting to go
to the university, that's good with the collective and all
of that, but you can make so much other more money,
like for instance, Kaitlan Clark, Kaitlan Clark, everybody want to
talk about what she's making now, what she's done. Kayln
Clark made like three million dollars off the court from
(34:19):
State Farm and all this other stuff that because that's
the professionalism is where the money is outside of what
you're doing.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Yeah, how are you on that? Back to the field,
who was the corner or safety that gave you the
most trouble throughout your career?
Speaker 4 (34:39):
You had Dion who I played against Dion when he
was in Dallas, I think when he was in Washington,
when he was in Baltimore. Ernias Williams with the Rams,
you know he was, he was solid Hall of Famer.
(34:59):
You know safeties, I mean Sean Taylor was a was
an animal, and safety Troy Paula Walla was was a beast.
Darrin Sharper, even my own Brian Dawkins. You know, I
see him every day at practice, and you know, obviously
I didn't have to compete with him come game time
(35:21):
because he changes into a whole different person of game time.
But again, like Deans, Michael Straighthan, you know, t Suggs,
like all these guys that I played against that that
are Hall of famers and were dynamic, you know at
their position.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
What are your thoughts on a toush push? And I'm
trying to get rid of it.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
I don't have a problem with it, because the funny
thing is everybody has tried it. Not everybody's been as
successful as the Philadelphia. Nobody's gotten hurt, nobody's careers ended
because of it. Now, is it hard? Yeah, I'm sure
it's hard to stop. But Kansas City stopped Buffalo and
they tried to do it three times. Fact, you know
(36:02):
what I'm saying. I think Baltimore had their reign with
it a little bit but then they just decided not
to put Lamar and the Harms away and then just
give it to Derrick Henry. The list goes on of
other teams that have tried it, they just haven't been
as successful as Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
Now, you dropped some names when we were told them
about how you had Philly on fire when it came
to rap, Beanie siegu pd Crag. Who are some of
the guys that you were listening to on your way
to the stadium. Like what was Donovan listening to in
his in his car.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
State property? You know, he all a Philly, all my
Philly representatives. You know, I was an R and B
head you know, I was an R and B head man.
And remember at that time we had music sold Kyle Belile,
all of all the R and bs from Philly, but
me very from Chicago and people you know, may get
(36:55):
a little little witty, but I was an ar Kelly fan.
R Kelly in the.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Booth, Yeah, Kelly Kelly in the booth all us, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
R Kelly in the booth, you know, from a vant uh.
And then I'll even throw my girl to Brandon that
because he from the crib as well.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
Absolutely, you know, so I was I was a.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
Mix depending on how I was feeling at that particular time.
It was either R and B R and B remixes
or was it just straight up Harcourt rapp?
Speaker 2 (37:23):
I like how Donovan went from State Property. Yeah, you
had to get his Jill Scott there first.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
With the R and B.
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Like, no, that's a complete playlist. What would be your
top five Philly rappers?
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Uh? Oh, Dad, that's hard.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
You gotta go beans where you gave us beans already.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
Yeah, I mean, but that's hard because you know you
got beans, you got beans free way. Always always got
to put even there because he changed the game for
the for the females in the rap game. You know, Uh,
that's that's the next next two is kind of hard.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
But he said state property, so that covers off.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
So that that that kind of throws through four of them.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
And you you were going by the time Meat probably
showed up right, Yeah?
Speaker 4 (38:15):
Well me me, actually, I was. I was toward the out,
but my brother worked with me. But Mick is definitely
in that top five obviously representing Philly, you know, because
when it comes to old school, like you know, Will
Smith and all of them, if you want to put
Will Smith in that that group. But what Will Smith
did just kind of on both angles, you know, changed
(38:37):
added a little bit more to the game.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Do your kids like Uzzie?
Speaker 4 (38:42):
You know what they don't. I mean, I don't know
what they listened to, you know, because it's not so
much of the lyrics like like when we used to
nas jay z like you know all back in at
that time, like we were about lyrics common. Yeah. Now
it's just like you got to have a catchy hook
(39:03):
and a beat because some of the stuff, I don't
think they opened up their mouth. It's beyond mumble raps. Now,
back in the day you had the mumble.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Wrap that was that was no just don't even did
anyone try to wrap in the in the locker room, uh.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
I mean you had some freestyle sessions fret, but it
wasn't prevalent like that. You know. It wasn't like we
had one guy that that can drop some bars like
some people. You you you try to push them the
rap because you know it's gonna be stupid. You know,
it's one of them guys like you have somebody read.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
But you know he can't read, like yeah, so let's
make him wrap some rookie Hazen for sure. So we
spoke to one of the former teamates, Lashan McCoy. We
had him on uh probably last week?
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Was that last week? Two weeks ago? Two weeks ago? Yeah,
and uh, and talking to him, he he wants to know,
why is it that? Why do you feel like.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
Philly fans don't embrace Donovan McNabb, like you're not the
guy that really helped bring the Eagles back to a
respectable organization.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
That's That's the one that I can't answer, to be
honest with you. I mean, I did what I did.
You know, I did a lot of stuff in the community.
You know, I gat here with with Philadelphia. So at
some point they always kind of was, you know, he's
not he's not one of us, whatever the hell that means.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
But you know that was it was saying that about
somebody from Chicago. Was crazy.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
You know what I'm saying, that he's not one of us,
Like okay, parents in the house, right, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Championships.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
I know how to carry myself like a wrong man,
like you know what I mean? Never it may be,
but you know what's funny, Like you'll hear a small
portion of percentage of people that say stuff like that, Yeah,
but the mass, mass percentage of people know that I'm
all about Philly, and they were very supportive of what
I've been able to accomplish and do and what I
(41:04):
was able to do in my my decade of playing
there absolutely success bad and everything I was able to accomplish.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, I mean, Philly fans individually are good people, but
when they get together there's some of the worst animals
I've ever come across from my entire life, Like to
the point that you take them to five NFC Championships
and they honor a bartender that made special teams and
make a movie about it. Like, Philly fans are the
weirdest human beings I've ever fucking met.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
But you know what, you know what it is, it's
it's and that's wasn't social media, it was talk radio. Yeah,
And so you know, people want to you know, expose
or kind of let out bad energy of how they
feel about a game, how they feel about And then
I became a lightning rod. My name became a lightning
rod for people to you know, say they're expressed their
(41:53):
feelings about how I played in the game or how
whatever it may have been or we won, it wasn't
because to me, whatever it may been, and it became
about talk radio. And so anytime I speak, like even
probably after this whole this show we're doing, and y'all
put excerts out about, you know, about some of the
questions and some of my answers, I'm sure a whole
(42:15):
lot of people will probably come negative about. You know,
I can't stand when these talks or no one cares,
you know, whatever may be watching it. I've always explained
to people, if you mentioned my name, that means you're thinking.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
About that's the fact.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
Thank you. You know, I appreciate.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Who are some of Who are some of your most
underrated quarterbacks in the league right now? I know you
said too you kind of feel like he deserves more love. Okay,
who are some of your most underrated quarterbacks right now
in the league?
Speaker 4 (42:48):
I would say probably Russell Wilson. Oh okay, you know,
I'll throw m you know, Justin Herbert, although people put
Justin in that top five, which I don't think he's
the top five quarterback, but he's underrated because this offense
(43:09):
that Harbaugh has incorporated, it's old school, it's run first play, action,
quick game, explosive plays. So he's gonna now start to explode.
I believe in this offense. I think people like, what's
my man name? He's out in Oakland now from Seattle,
(43:33):
Gino Smith, Gino is since his opportunity, He's he's flourished
in in the moment, he's played well. I think Brock
Purty of what he's been able to do so far,
uh being an Arizona kid too, showing some love and
guys like that. I just look at guys like that
(43:54):
that I think like two guys that I look at
and I'm kind of watching to see what happens in
these next couple years for them is Trevor Lawrence and
Justin Fields. I hope the best for Justin because he's
a good kid, comes with great family and he just
needs an opportunity where he's in a great system, where
they have great players around him to be able to
(44:16):
just play his game.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
Yeah, playing against Belichick. Do you have any predictions for
this upcoming season with North Carolina.
Speaker 4 (44:25):
I think they'll be I think they'll be competitive. I
think they'll be probably a little bit of mid midway
in the pack in the ACC because he doesn't have
his full recruits here. I think he's been recruiting heavily
of the twenty seventh class and a little bit of
the twenty sixth class, and so the twenty five class
(44:45):
he hasn't been able to kind of jump on that
because he came in late. He got a few guys.
And I think the transfer portal for a school like
Carolina would be big. Who doesn't want to wear the
Jordan brand, who doesn't want to wear the baby? But
I always dream to play in North Carolina, And I
think for for Belichick, I think two years from now,
two three years from now, they'll be they'll be up
(45:09):
in the lights with Clemson, uh, Okay State and you
know in that where you start talking a little bit
about North Carolina football.
Speaker 3 (45:19):
Now, before we let you go, Donovan, I got to
bring this up. So your former teammate Freddie Mitchell put
together an album, and is this this this there's a
there's there's remnants. I'm hearing things that there may be
a Donovan McNabb verse. You may have recorded a verse
for an album.
Speaker 2 (45:37):
Is that true? Did you lay some bars.
Speaker 4 (45:39):
Down you telling me on on on Freddy's album? Yeah?
Absolutely not.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
I was gonna try to get you to spend some
bars real quick.
Speaker 4 (45:50):
Absolutely. Uh. If Freddy's doing that, that's gonna be interesting.
It's hilarious. Would I be Would I be on this? No? No,
absolutely not. You know, you know, as the Fellas get together,
we have fun. Yeah, comes out fit some stupid bars
(46:15):
that don't make sense, but we think it's hot. Yeah,
you can't take it nowhere else.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
It just stays in, It stays in. He recorded it though,
So if he did record this and.
Speaker 4 (46:28):
And thing came out like like yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Speak speaking of bars, we put together a list of
rappers that have name dropped you in their verses, and
we want to see if you could guess which rapper
it was. We'll start with the first one. Excuse me,
but cuse me, gott to see you got it? Excuse me?
What happened? I'm flyer than Robin, I'm flyer than an Eagle. Yeah,
(46:56):
Donovan mcnabbn. Do you know rapper that is? These are
Philly rappers just across the board, rappers in general.
Speaker 4 (47:08):
Now, who's that?
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Oh the barbs are gonna kill you. That's Nicki Minaj,
Nicki Minaj?
Speaker 4 (47:13):
Is it? What? What? Song.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
Was that shaking it for daddy? Pause? I'm just answered
your question. Your dog would be a question you asked
me a question I answered Donna then turned the rapper.
He made sure a wife he wasn't walking in the room.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
Wait what Okay, I definitely had to look that up.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
It's Robin thinking NICKI minaj Oh, okay, well smart and
be there.
Speaker 4 (47:39):
Robin was popping back. Okay. I don't know if I'm
gonna type it taking it for daddy.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
Yeah, you don't feel right typing that in.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
Yeah, I don't know what to make pop up.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
It definitely fun with your algorithms. Another one, Uh, when
we met you was a V like Donna.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
Now you're in the field running plays like Donovan mcnad
before you get in the cab.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Oh yay, Kanye talk.
Speaker 4 (48:08):
About our love from the crib.
Speaker 2 (48:11):
You know, absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 4 (48:13):
I don't know what's happening now, but.
Speaker 2 (48:16):
Nod at one point. Yeah, Well you take the next
one just based off the lyrical content.
Speaker 4 (48:22):
Then all right.
Speaker 3 (48:23):
Last one'st some words that I probably just year.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
I got this one.
Speaker 3 (48:29):
I got you, Yeah, I got you, And I rocked
my rag like it's eighty eight and niggas still rocking shaft.
So put the hundreds in the bag or I'm gonna
put the eagle to your helmet and the fiftie a
chest like Donovan mcnad, Was.
Speaker 4 (48:45):
That a meet?
Speaker 2 (48:48):
Was that me? No, that's that's the game.
Speaker 4 (48:52):
Whoa that's from West Coast Honeyballs and Running. Oh okay, yeah, oh,
I'll definitely have to listen to that one. Yeah you can.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
You can type that in that one, you can type.
I mean we have this one like a remix of
n W. It was on the hundred Bars and Running,
which was like original distang unit. I think it was
probably on the n W A B. Yeah, yeah, okay,
I mean this this has his name in it. But
one of my favorite Beanie Seagull songs period. You know,
(49:23):
seagull play with them, eagles may put there, niggas, don't
get tagged, throw bullets out them dirty birds like mcnath
trying go back and forth. We get you a little
back and forth on that last.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
My partner can't say that one. Don You can't say
that one. Yeah, yeah, Donovan, we appreciate you, man. Congratulations
with is twenty years on the cover of Madden Yes, sir,
we appreciate you. A legend and every sense of the word.
Thank you for everything you did for the game. Thank
you for the way you paid for the for black
quarterbacks that are playing today. We appreciate you a legend forever.
(49:59):
Thank you for taking time to cat good with us today.
Speaker 4 (50:00):
Bro, I appreciate you guys having me. Man, we gotta
swag out that couch though, you know we got we got.
We gotta upgrade that couch.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
Yeah, we're gonna were gonna listen, we were a deep
couch to here like this right, it's so right for
what we're doing right now. We ain't at the house.
We'll never had this type of couch of the house,
but it's great for what we're doing right now.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
Not all of us pay the same taxes in Arizona.
We don't get to keep our money like you were
in New York. Bro, they're killing us with these taxes.
This is the type of this the type of money
our taxes could a forward. Right. We appreciate you, Bro,
Thank you, Man.
Speaker 4 (50:36):
Appreciate that no doubt.
Speaker 3 (50:37):
Love
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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