McNabb on Third and Long

After covering some of Donovan‘s off the field shenanigans last night, I thought it appropriate to steer the conversation back to the field this morning.

I am loving the PFW statistical breakdowns. Diving into the numbers always seems to produce intriguing results. In case you’ve been sleeping the sleep of Rip Van Winkle for the last ten months, McNabb had a wild and woolly 2008 season. As always, he was asked to chuck the rock quite a bit, due in large to health issues at running back, no true fullback and Reid‘s belief that balance is for chumps.

Quarterbacks are judged on everything they do during a game, but success on third and long separates the men from the boys. How did Donny Mac do in ’08? Let’s take a peek:

3 and 6+: 53/98, 891 yards, 54.1%, 4/2 TD-INT, 7 sacks, 90.1 rating

3 and 8-10: 22/43, 339 yards, 51.2%, 3/1 TD-INT, 3 sacks, 91.1 rating

3 and 11+: 15/23, 265 yards, 65.2%, 1/1 TD-INT, 2 sacks, 100.8 rating

The completion percentage is low, but the rating is very consistent. An 8/4 TD-INT ratio is solid. His third and 11+ numbers are extremely impressive. Overall, I’d say Don was more than respectable in these situations.

How did he stack up to some other elite signal callers? First up, Peyton Manning:

3 and 6+: 54/88, 721 yards, 61.4%, 4/4 TD-INT, 2 sacks, 83.6 rating

3 and 8-10: 27/38, 345 yards, 71.1%, 4/0 TD-INT, 2 sacks, 134.2 rating

3 and 11+: 16/28, 194 yards, 57.1%, 0/0 TD-INT, 0 sacks, 78.6 rating

Not surprisingly, Sir Peyton excelled in the accuracy department. His 8/4 TD-INT ratio equaled McNabb’s, but Don blew him away in the third and 11+ department. Manning’s quick delivery and decision making has much to do with the low sack totals. Basically, the dude rarely gets taken down.

What about Mr. 5000 Drew Brees? Here you go:

3 and 6+: 60/85, 934 yards, 70.6%, 5/2 TD-INT, 3 sacks, 116.5 rating

3 and 8-10: 23/35, 301 yards, 65.7%, 2/1 TD-INT, 2 sacks, 99.8 rating

3 and 11+: 17/26, 310 yards, 65.4%, 0/1 TD-INT, 0 sacks, 90.2 rating

Geesh. How good was Brees last year? Amazing. The guy never missed. Better than Don and Peyton. However, McNabb trumped both in the third and 11+ category.

Jason Avant patrolling the slot, Brent Celek a full-time starter, a healthy Curtis and a more experienced DeSean should help to improve the third and long numbers in 2009. That’s a scary thought for opposing defenses.

Don’t miss your daily fix of Eagles news. Subscribe to ITI by clicking here. You will become eligible to win a fancy McNabb bobblehead if you do.