From: jmd@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (joseph.m.dakes)
Subject: Re: Eagles Victory...
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 19:07:08 GMT

In article <3267@devnull.mpd.tandem.com>, dwelch@mpd.tandem.com (Dan Welch) writes:
> In article <1993Jan7.152113.8242@cbnewsm.cb.att.com> jmd@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (joseph.m.dakes) writes:
> >In article <3253@devnull.mpd.tandem.com>, dwelch@mpd.tandem.com (Dan Welch) writes:
> >> Randall has never taken the Eagles to the playoffs, either; the defense
> >> has.
> >
> >The Eagles defense was ranked #1 across the board last year.  Randall
> >was out the entire year with a knee injury.  Philadelphia failed to
> >make the playoffs for the first time in four years.  You were saying?
> 
> And they were playing great, until MacMahon went out.  You were saying?
> If you stick a rookie, a *bad* rookie, in at quarterback, of course you
> aren't going to win.  But the defense had them in the playoff hunt until
> the very end.  If MacMahon had stayed in, they would have done a lot
> better.  The fact remains that Cunningham is *not* the strength of the
> team, the defense is.

I never claimed Randall was the strength of the team.  I just pointed
out that you were wrong with your comment about Randall never taking
the Eagles to the playoffs.  He has.  Four times.

Are you saying that Aikman never led the Cowboys to the playoffs?  The
Cowboys defense is ranked #1.  The defense took them.  Or is it the
league's leading rusher, Emmitt Smith, that took them?

> Or look at it this way -- take away the great defense, give them an
> average one, and the Eagles are out of the playoffs.  Take away Cunningham,
> put in any average quarterback, and they are in exactly the same place
> they are now.  That says to me that he is just another one of those
> average quarterbacks.

You mean average like Troy Aikman?  After all, he was replaced by
Steve Beurleine last season and the Cowboys finished exactly the
same place as they would have with Aikman.  That says to me that he
is just another one of those average second string quarterbacks.

> >If you don't think the Eagles can make in with Randall then your hatred
> >of the Eagles is much more blind than I ever thought it could be.
> 
> No just history -- Randall always tries to do everything himself, and
> ends up screwing everything up.  When he plays like a team player, the
> Eagles are much better.  But Randall's history suggests that this is
> not always the case.

Eagles playoffs history shows the FOG BOWL in Chicago and dropped
TD passes.  It also shows only rookie widereceivers and no running
game.  So, Randall had to do everything himself.  This year, with
both Barnett and Williams in their 3rd-year, and Herschel and Heath
Sherman running the ball well, Randall doesn't try to do everything
himself.  Look no further than last week's New Orleans game for proof.

And one more thing being that you're such a history buff.  The past
means nothing this year.  If it did, why do you expect a Dallas win?
They couldn't beat a team that dedicated it's season to a fallen
teammate in the NFC conference semi-finals last year.  So they
shouldn't this year either.

> I don't hate the Eagles, I'm just sick of hearing about how great
> Cunningham is, when he isn't even the best quarterback on the team.
> I'd take MacMahon over him any day.  Cunningham may be the greatest
> athelete in the world, but that doesn't make him a great quarterback.
> The key to quarterbacking is leadership, and I don't think he has
> ever shown that.  Look at the great quarterbacks through history --
> Staubach, Tarkenton, Montana; not the biggest, strongest, fastest
> guys, but the guys who can lead a team like no one else.  Cunningham
> can't.  Maybe we should invent a syndrome; we could call it "the Danny
> White Syndrome".  A better athelete who isn't a better quarterback.

Liar.  You hate the Eagles as much as anybody.  And if you'd take
McMahon over Cunningham any day, you'd better have a damn good
second string QB on your bench... you're going to need him.  Your
list of great quarterbacks with leadership qualities reads like a
list of "QBs with playoff success."  Is that what you think makes a
QB a leader?


E-A-G-L-E-S

Joe Dakes
AT&T Microelectronics
555 Union Boulevard
Allentown, PA  18103
jmd@aluxpo.att.com

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro