Cincinnati WR Chad Ocho Cinco (nee Johnson) credits Philly QB Donovan McNabb with helping him change his disgruntled ways.Ocho Cinco was growing uncomfortable with the direction the Bengals seemed to be heading and his role with the team. He was very vocal during the offseason about his desire to be released or traded. But that all changed near the beginning of the season, after McNabb urged him to put the team first.
“Donovan was a big influence. [He] really is one of the reasons why I really turned myself around and looked at my situation as more of a positive outlook and just thinking about all the people that would love to play this game, you know?” Ocho Cinco said. "He took me in that direction, instead of thinking about, 'Oh, I'm tired of losing and I don't want to be here anymore,' but just thinking about, 'Man, a lot of people wish they were in your shoes just to have the ability to play in the NFL.' That kind of turned me around, and that's why I've been as positive as I have been this year, and even though we're losing, man, I've just been plugging away."
Donovan McNabb is one of the league’s classiest – and most talented - players and he deserves some credit. I don’t understand why the media is always scrutinizing what he does and sensationalizing what he says. The fact is he's a solid top-5 quarterback when healthy, and he's handled scrutiny by the media, fans and even other players with nothing but class.
Can you imagine Peyton Manning or Tom Brady putting up with McNabb-level scrutiny? It would never happen. McNabb is a consummate professional. I wish some of his charm and good cheer could rub off on all of the league’s players.
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