McDonald, the All-Pro safety, played for Rhodes this season in San Francisco and together they climbed the mountain known as Super Bowl XXIX. Yesterday, the Eagles hired Rhodes, who was the 49ers' defensive coordinator, as their head coach.
"It's something we pretty much expected," McDonald said, speaking from his hotel room in Honolulu. "If the Eagles didn't hire Ray, another team would have. He has what it takes to be a great head coach.
"This is a big loss for us . . . wow. We loved the guy. We had the utmost respect for him."
Talking to players who served under Rhodes, both in Green Bay and San Francisco, as well as coaches who worked with him, the same words kept popping up: aggressive, great motivator, excellent communicator, tough but fair.
Players gave him high marks for his ability to relate to the athletes and, as McDonald put it, "speak the players' language." Coaches praised him for his game plans and instincts. He takes chances on defense, but not foolish chances.
Several players echoed McDonald's view that the 44-year-old Rhodes, who has excellent rapport with today's players, will be a powerful asset for the Eagles in luring free agents to Philadelphia. That is no small consideration in the current NFL market.
Reggie White said one of the reasons he signed with Green Bay when he left the Eagles two seasons ago was the respect he had for Rhodes, who joined the Packers' staff in 1992. Would White consider a return to Philadelphia when he fulfills his contractual obligation in Green Bay in 1996? It is an intriguing thought.
But coming off their first losing season in seven years, the Eagles cannot afford to wait around. They must start filling holes now.
"How many 49ers are free agents?" asked LeRoy Butler, who matured into a Pro Bowl safety playing under Rhodes in Green Bay. "Deion (Sanders) is a free agent, right? I know those guys will want to talk to the Eagles now that Ray is there.
