Open Letter to Donovan McNabb...

Dear 5, I'm gonna try to do this without coming off as corny as possible. But I'm actually writing an open letter on a website to a premier athlete, so I realize the irony. But regardless, as a DIE-HARD Eagles fan who just witnessed another division foe add another Lombardi to their trophy case, I feel the need to express the thoughts and feelings of my fellow disheartened brethren everywhere. Well, that and I can't sleep. There isn't even a debate that you are the greatest QB this city has ever seen. Some people may not believe that the fans of this team agree with that sentiment. But the fact remains that we are the ones who actually made that proclamation this year when we voted you in for the 75th anniversary team. There's always gonna be haters, no matter where you go. But they will never outnumber the true fans of this team. Before your arrival, we were perennial basement dwellers. Our annual motto contained something along the lines of "Wildcard or bust"....and we'd even fail to achieve that. Now, missing the playoffs is a shock. It's damn near impossible to disagree that your arrival and tenure is what raised this city's expectations and gave birth to its yearly legitimate championship hopes. With all that being said, I'm just a regular-ass dude. I don't have a clue as to what's on your brain when it comes to this organization and to this city's fanbase. I don't have any inside info nor do I have the opportunity to ask you personal questions "off the record" like Pam Oliver can. All I can do is give you the true perspective of a typical Eagles fan. Being born into "the family" 24 years ago, and still waiting on that first championship, I feel I've earned the right to speak for Philly fans alike, or at least the majority of them. I speak to Philly fans everyday. I interact with Philly fans on the internet everyday. And I'm completely confident that any fan who reads this article will agree whole-heartedly. You're our guy. And you will be until the day that you no longer represent this team. We'll never question your commitment and loyalty to this team or to us, no matter what any sideline reporters have to say. We understand you're human and take a lot of heat from the local and national media. We understand the overwhelming number of times you've been counted out and written off. Because we've been here defending you. Needless to say, the New York Giants just won their 3rd Superbowl. We're still waiting on our first. Anxiety and impatience can definitely get the best of us at times, but it certainly isn't our identity. Our identity is our unquestionable fidelity and desire to see our team succeed. And when you go from the 3-13 and the 5-11 seasons to the 12-4 and 13-3 seasons, you don't tend to forget who got you there. We know you're our guy, and we know you can take us where we want to go. Whether you read this or not, I felt the need to reinforce the FACT that the vast majority of this city and this fanbase is behind you through it all. Every night, in every city in America, there is an Eagles fan somewhere defending your name and defending this team with all they've got. And it's not gonna change anytime soon. So 5, please understand right now, that we got your back and we look forward to you barking out the signals and marching us down the field again in 2008. Andy Reid hit it perfectly with this quote: "He has been doing it for 9 years and just keeps playing. You're never going to make everyone happy. I think 90 percent of the people love him to death and 10 percent of them don't". Whether you believe it or not, this is the truth. We say this year after year, but if we didn't say it again, we'd be lying to our hearts. McNabb and the Eagles in '08! See you in Tampa! E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!