McNabb: No Hall, no worry; I'll have my own party every year

Former quarterback Donovan McNabb, a 2017 candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, isn't worried about Canton. In fact, he says if he doesn't get in he might host his own party every year and bring his own gold jacket.

PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 1: Quarterback Donovan McNabb #5 of the Philadelphia Eagles pump fakes during the game against the New York Giants on November 1, 2009 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles won 40-17. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Donovan McNabb

(Photos courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles)

Talk of Fame Network

Donovan McNabb is up for the Hall of Fame in 2017, and if you think that makes him nervous ... think again. It doesn't.

“It’s like any other selection,” the former quarterback said on this week’s Talk of Fame Network broadcast. “MVP voting … it’s just like everything … Heisman … everything else. You just kind of wait your turn.”

McNabb is part of a class that includes LaDainian Tomlinson, Hines Ward, Jason Taylor and former teammate Brian Dawkins, and he's considered a longshot … not just for 2017 but for the Hall, period.

But he’s also considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in Philadelphia Eagles’ history and led the club to five conference championship games – including four straight – and one Super Bowl. So what? So the Eagles haven't won a playoff game since he left.

What's more, when the Talk of Fame Network hosted Hall-of-Fame quarterback Warren Moon, he named McNabb as the first guy he’d put in the Hall tomorrow, and McNabb himself is on record as saying he believes he’s Hall-of-Fame worthy. But, as he also said on the latest TOF broadcast, he won’t worry about it.

“I love the fact that my name would be mentioned with some of the great players who will get in and some who may not … but who will get in eventually,” he said. “I think if you look overall at the numbers of all the players that will be up for the Hall of Fame, it shows the success that we’ve had over our careers … the teams that we’ve played with.

“(But) one thing we forget to take into account when it comes to the Hall of Fame -- because it’s individual -- (is that) it says a lot about the coaches we played for (and) the systems that we were a part of. So many times kids come out of college, and they’re Heisman-trophy candidates, Player-of-the-Year candidates … and then they get to the wrong system. And then all of a sudden they fade away. You really don’t hear about them.”

That, of course, wasn’t true of McNabb. Under the direction of Reid, he put the Eagles on the map -- with the club reaching the playoffs in his second season and eight of his 11 years with them -- and was so accomplished he was named to the franchise’s 75th anniversary team.

And it was putting that team on top … not reaching the Hall of Fame … that McNabb said drove him.

“I was fortunate enough to be with Andy Reid,” he said, “and a great system with the West Coast offense, where he was able to be patient and allow me to develop into the quarterback that he expected me to be and that I wanted to be myself. So to hear my name mentioned with some of the great players in 2017 Hall-of-Fame voting is outstanding.

“I’ve always told people that, 'Hey, if I don’t get in, we’ll have a party ever year.' I’ll have my own gold jacket because to me I didn’t play for the Hall of Fame. I didn’t play for the individual accolades. I played for team success.

“Everybody wants to hold up that trophy at the end of it all and to go and shake the hand of the President (of the United States). That was my dream, being that Barack Obama was from Chicago. That was my dream to somehow get to the White House, knowing that I’m a Super Bowl champion and be able to shake the hand of a Chicagoland mate.”