CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb signed autographs at Aloha Stadium yesterday after the NFC's Pro Bowl practice.
McNabb flies again The Philadelphia Eagles could have become the toast of the NFL, this year's Patriots. Instead, coach Andy Reid ended up with that thousand-yard stare of despair -- actually, make it 92 yards, the length of Ronde Barber's victory icing interception TD return -- after Tampa Bay's 27-10 victory in the NFC playoff game 10 days ago.
The Eagles' quarterback returned
Pro Bowl notes and events
from injury and is in Hawaii
for his third Pro BowlBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comEveryone knows the rest of the Buccaneers story, the latest in a series of Cinderella tales produced by League Parity.
For the second year in a row and third overall, Reid got the consolation prize, the working vacation in Hawaii as Pro Bowl coach.
The Eagles were flying high going in against Tampa Bay. They owned the visiting Bucs; they had beaten Tampa Bay four of the past five times they played.
And the centerpiece of the Eagles' offense, quarterback Donovan McNabb, was back from his injury.
But when they needed it most, the Eagles lost the Bucs' number. McNabb tried to explain it yesterday in front of his Pro Bowl locker at Aloha Stadium.
"You tip your hat off to their defense. Not that we really went out there and played well. We all put pressure on ourselves, and we know we could have played better. We could have made the situation better for ourselves, but obviously their defense is pretty good," the fourth-time Pro Bowl player said. "You have to give credit to them. They've got a great group of guys who play well together. What we have to do is learn from the mistakes we made in that game and then maybe we can be in the same position they are."
That McNabb was patiently talking to reporters in Hawaii in a Pro Bowl practice jersey would seem ludicrous just more than a month ago; almost as outlandish as the thought of him playing at all after he fractured a fibula midway through the season. It kept him out of six games.
Although it didn't end the way he wanted it to, McNabb was able to come back from the injury to lead the Eagles to a playoff win over the Falcons.
The way McNabb handled the situation when he got hurt was a big factor in the Eagles getting there at all. He helped the confidence of backup quarterbacks Koy Detmer and A.J. Feely by giving them enough breathing room to perform.
"When you're injured, you feel like you're not even part of the club. But he didn't allow himself to be separated from the club," Eagles tight end Chad Lewis said. "He allowed Koy and A.J. to have their share of the limelight. He didn't spend a lot of time showing them the way he did things. He just kind of said, 'Go do your thing.' That's the ultimate quarterback and that's a great thing."
Reid appreciated it, but he's known McNabb long enough to realize what to expect from his fourth-year pro out of Syracuse.
"It was quite a battle for him to get back in there. And he always knew it wasn't all about Donovan," Reid said.
McNabb's professionalism -- whether he was wearing a helmet or a cast -- was noticed by opponents, too.
"He's a great guy and a true talent. You don't always see that in the same guy," Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington said. "It's unfortunate he got that injury. I think he was on his way to an MVP season. When you get in a situation like that your character shows. I think he showed what kind of character he had by still being a leader, and coming back in the playoffs and leading them on the field. They came up a little short, but you can't say enough about the guy."
McNabb said the next time the Eagles play the Bucs, they must establish a solid ground game early in order to win.
"You have to be able to run the ball on them and then try some other things as the game continues on," he said. "It's kind of tough to go up against a team that is built on rushing the quarterback. You can't drop back the whole game."
Oakland's Rich Gannon and San Francisco's Jeff Garcia know that, too. They and McNabb have already compared notes on how to better tame the Bucs beast.
"I talked to Rich, I talked to Jeff. We agreed you have to understand that when you play a team like that you have to be precise," McNabb said. "There are a lot of things they do that are somewhat basic. But you have to be on your feet for keys and put your guys in position to be successful."
Even in an abbreviated season, the 6-foot-2, 226-pound McNabb ended up with some pretty decent numbers. He passed for 2,289 yards with a 58.4 completion percentage and 17 touchdowns to six interceptions. McNabb was also Philadelphia's second-leading rusher with 460 yards, and he carried the ball into the end zone six times.
"To win in the playoffs you need a little bit of luck. Not everything is a result of what you're doing. You need a little luck here and there. I'm not saying Tampa was lucky, but that's something you have to have in the playoffs," McNabb said. "It's been a wonderful year for us. Somewhat destiny. When guys go down and other guys step up to have big games. It did a lot for us to see that. When everyone came back in we had some chemistry flowing."
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