Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb thinks he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he says his case is solid.
“My numbers are better than Troy Aikman," McNabb told TMZ Sports.
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Plenty of former NFL players believe they should be in the Hall of Fame, and whatever you think of McNabb's case, his willingness to compare his statistics to the former Cowboys star sparked debate on Twitter. While it's true that McNabb had better career numbers in terms of passing yards, touchdowns, QB rating and some other metrics, they played in different eras; Aikman retired in 2000, McNabb in 2011.
Yet Aikman, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006, played for three Super Bowl champions. The Eagles lost to the Patriots in McNabb's only appearance in the game in 2005.
McNabb, who has never been a finalist for the Hall, is convinced he's worthy.
"I'm not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer," McNabb told TMZ. "My numbers speak for themselves."
McNabb finished with 37,276 passing yards, 234 passing touchdowns and 117 career interceptions, while Aikman had 32,942 yards, 165 TDs and 141 INTs. McNabb had an 85.6 QB rating, versus 81.6 for Aikman.
But much of the debate on Twitter about McNabb's comments noted that it was misleading to compare McNabb's and Aikman's statistics:
-- "You do realize that McNabb averaged almost 100 more throws per season than Aikman. McNabb was excellent. Aikman was great."
-- "Aikman gave up numbers to win rings and hand the ball to @EmmittSmith22"
-- "He had T.O. a yr & the half let’s not act like he was throwing to great WR’s most of his career he was throwing to trash cans at WR."
-- "It appears NFL writers don’t understand how the salary cap’s influence on roster building works. If you think McNabb wouldn’t have been as successful on that roster full of HOFers, you’re just not being intellectually honest."
-- "McNabb was a good leader; good field general. But how delusional is he to think he is better than a guy who commanded his O to championships? Plus, you can't be frail and be great. Sorry, you couldn't help it...but no."