McNabb earns stay from criticism with stand-up performance
"It got to the point where he was talking trash to guys on the defense ... and this is just practice. I think he just felt like our backs are against the wall. A lot of people might think it was because of what happened last weekend, but I don't.
"I think he understands that if we're going to make a run at the postseason it has to happen now. And, obviously, it can't happen without him. He said it before we left the locker room. 'I'm going to drive, and you guys get on. I'm going to take you there.'"
And he did. The Eagles scored on their first series. They scored on their second. And their fourth. And fifth. I think you get the idea. They played as they haven't in weeks, and McNabb played as he hasn't since the season opener when he and the Eagles shredded St. Louis.
"He came out and was very determined," Reid said. "He did a great job of commanding the offense. He relaxed, and I thought he played well. ... He was under some scrutiny, and he kind of blocked everything out and went about his business. It's a credit to him -- the kind of person he is and the kind of athlete and quarterback he is."
It's a credit to the coaching staff, too, which designed the opening series to make certain McNabb had safe, short passes to build a confidence, a rhythm, something, anything that was missing last week.
So he opened with a 6-yarder to Jason Avant. Then he hit Avant again with a 9-yarder. There was a short 5-yarder to Hank Baskett, a 13-yarder to Kevin Curtis and the series clincher -- a 5-yard shovel pass to Westbrook that started the rout.
And there you have it. A 12-play, 70-yard drive in which McNabb hit all five of his passes. It was the signal that something would be different on this evening, for the team and for its quarterback.
"Do you get the feeling that the best thing to happen to the Philadelphia Eagles was benching Donovan McNabb?" NFL Network analyst Cris Collinsworth asked on TV. "They seem to have gotten his attention. He is playing Donovan McNabb-style football that I haven't seen in a while."
Check. But he was playing it against an NFC West opponent, and, yes, that is significant. McNabb is 4-0 against the division, with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Against the rest of the league he is 2-5-1 with seven TDs and eight interceptions. Draw your own conclusions.
As I said, the poor guy gets no relief. But he responded, as he responded to adversity in the past. Only this time there is the feeling that McNabb ... and the Eagles ... are playing against a stacked deck; that when the season is over they miss the playoffs again and McNabb becomes a hot ticket in the trade market.
Maybe. Maybe not. But for one evening McNabb pulled himself and his team back together with a magnificent performance that had people wondering if it will suffice to erase the bitterness, anger and disappointment Eagles fans experienced the past two weeks.
"I don't know," he said, "you tell me. I just play football and play at a high level."
He did Thursday. But he will need an encore performance against the New York Giants on Dec. 7 if the Eagles are to take their playoff hopes off life support. The Eagles know their road is difficult but seem confident they can beat the odds -- provided, of course, McNabb and Company play as they did against Arizona.
That's an open question, and, sorry, Donovan, but sometimes life just isn't fair.
"The things he's been going through," said wide receiver Jackson, "with everyone wanting to get mad at him ... people don't think about the great things that he has done, the records and everything.
"It doesn't matter. He has to play well. I am not going to say that it's going to erase everything else that has been happening, but if he keeps playing like that, that is what we need."
