McNabb ain't so Terrell-ble without Owens after all
"The man must be psychic," Baskett said of his quarterback.
I don't know about that. But he's damn good. In fact, he's playing at a level seldom seen here before. I say seldom because McNabb is no stranger to heroics. And he's no stranger to heroics without Owens. Remember 2001? How about 2002? Or 2003? Philly reached the NFC Championship Game each of those seasons, and it wasn't with its wide receivers.
It was with McNabb.
So when he stepped out of Ellis' grasp and launched that perfect strike to Baskett it wasn't anything that hasn't happened here before. It's just that it happened on an afternoon when Owens was in the house ... and wasn't a factor.
"(McNabb) performed like a Hall of Famer," Baskett said.
So what's the big deal? As I said, it's déjà vu all over again. But after Owens torched McNabb and set fire to the clubhouse chemistry a year ago, critics started asking if McNabb had lost the club, if he was the leader he was portrayed to be and if he would miss Owens more than Owens missed him.
I think you have your answer.
"Hopefully, I answered some questions (people) may have had," said McNabb. "But I'm not here to answer any questions. I'm here to win ballgames."
And that's the difference between Sunday's two biggest names. McNabb won a lot more games than he lost. Owens hasn't. Oh, he's had his moments, here and in San Francisco, but he's been part of some dreadful clubs, too. Throughout it all, he managed to focus attention on himself and pose as many questions as he has answers.
"Donovan's one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in the NFL," said the Eagles' Smith. "With the T.O. situation a lot of people probably got the wrong idea about Donovan. Some people took T.O.'s side. Some people took Donovan's side. But people in this locker room know what kind of person Donovan is. He's a stand-up guy, and he's our leader."
Nowhere was that more apparent than Sunday. The rap on McNabb and the Eagles this season is that, yeah, it's great what they're doing with the league's No. 1-ranked offense and all that, but whom have they beaten? Houston? San Francisco? Green Bay? There's not a top 20 defense in there, which kept cynics busy.
Until now.
