In his letter ("Limbaugh's comments morally, factually wrong," Oct. 14) criticizing Andrew Criado's column ("Crticism of Limbaugh reveals media's double standards" Oct. 9), Chris Alleman writes that Donovan McNabb's statistics were as good as other elite quarterbacks. I don't doubt that one bit. However, statistics don't always tell the whole story.

Alleman completely missed the deeper, underlying issue Rush Limbaugh was addressing. During McNabb's absence last season, the backup quarterbacks put up impressive numbers as well. And the team continued to win, despite his absence. What carried the team last year was its defensive unit.

Limbaugh was drawing attention to the NFL's efforts to focus media attention on the successes of black quarterbacks and coaches. This attention, based on race, was partly why McNabb was given some undue credit for last season's success. It's also the reason why he's getting some undue blame for this season's lack of success. The underlying issue Limbaugh was pointing out was the similarity between the stigma that McNabb is facing and the stigma faced by all who benefit from affirmative action. The NFL is to blame for this situation. Have you noticed that quarterback and coach are the only positions where race is even mentioned in professional football? Limbaugh was pointing out that when people are defined by race, the effects cut both ways.