Article + Some Answers

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New PE.com column is up. As usual, some material you've read but I added a couple of new nuggets just to keep you awake.

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READER QUESTIONS / COMMENTS

RE: LBs for this week

I've asked around to see if anyone has an idea what we'll do. No one is sure right now. Tuesday is a day off in the NFL. No practice. We won't see how the LBs are set up until tomorrow.

I'll be really surprised if Sean McDermott leaves the guys where they played on Sunday. Gocong was lost at MLB. Spoon had a quiet day. Here's what we should do:

SAM - Gocong
MLB - Spoon
WLB - Fokou or Tracy White

I think Fokou has played some WLB for us going back to mini-camps and even early TC. They moved him to SAM while at Lehigh if my memory serves correct. If Moise doesn't know the WLB spot then sit him and put White on the field. He can start for a week or two. I want Gocong, Spoon, and Fokou on the field, but I'd rather have a rookie out of place than two veterans.

Originally I had Fokou pegged as a WLB. He's got that kind of size and skill set. The coaches like him at SAM. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but they really think he's the future for us at that spot.


RE: McNabb

Understanding and talking about Donovan is difficult. He's had a really unusual career. Early in his career Donovan was forced to put the team on his back. He did a great job of making plays, limiting mistakes, and doing whatever the team needed. He started to change in 2002. I've always attributed that to his natural progression (year 4) as well as the arrival of Antonio Freeman. Donovan suddenly had a gifted receiver who could make difficult catches. We also opened up the playbook because we had 3 solid receivers. Thrash looked good back then and Pinky was a player on the rise. There was hope for our receiving corps. I digress.

Donovan was great in the final 10 games of 2003. The offense featured our Triple Headed Monster at RB. The WRs were adequate. We had a pair of good TEs. Donovan was efficient and led us up and down the field every game. Then Westy got hurt in the finale and we sputtered in the playoffs.

The conference title games of the 2003 season featured brutal press coverage by NE and CAR. That drove the NFL to enforce contact rules more stringently, thus opening up the passing game around the league. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Daunte Culpepper, McNabb, and Drew Brees all had career years. That wasn't by accident. The change in rules had a profound effect.

Two other things changed Donovan. One was the arrival of Terrell Owens. All of a sudden Donovan had an outright weapon to throw to. The two of them formed a deadly duo. That year the offense went from efficient to explosive. We'd never seen anything like that. It was great at the time, but has somewhat haunted us ever since. The other event was a famous play against Dallas on MNF. Donovan scrambled for 14 seconds before firing a pass to FredEx for a 49-yard gain. That play really instilled in Donovan the belief that if he could wait long enough someone would get open and a big play would be there for the taking. The next 2 weeks we played the Skins and G-men. Donovan was sacked in each game while running around and trying to keep the play alive. He also fumbled on those sacks and we lost the ball.

Donovan seemed to be at the top of his game coming off the great '04 season. However, circumstances changed. Todd Pinkston got hurt in TC and missed the year. That took away a starter and guy who could stretch the field. Correll Buckhalter got hurt. We had a talented rookie named Ryan Moats, but he was struggling to learn the playbook. Suddenly Westy was our only real RB. We added Lamar Gordon, but the coaches weren't fully comfortable with him. Things got bad when TO went all TO on us.

You had Donovan without Pinky and with a belligerent TO. Rookie Reggie Brown was learning on the fly. Chad Lewis was gone. L.J. was solid, but still inconsistent. Westy was the only RB we trusted. He was somewhat fragile so that meant we wanted to be careful about overworking him. The pressure was on Donovan and the passing game to carry the team, but there weren't the weapons to make it work the same way.

Donovan quit running in 2004. He only had 41 runs in 15 games. In a full season with him healthy that number had been in the mid-80s. Donovan thought of himself as a pocket passer in 2004 and moving forward.

Complicating matters in 2005, McNabb took a huge shot to his chest in the season opener. He also was dealing with a sports hernia injury. He's not at 100%. He doesn't have a full array of weapons. He has little in the way of a running game. Donovan is convinced he's a pocket passer because of the success of 2004. Unfortunately the NFL relaxed on enforcing the pass defense rules. Receivers were back to fighting DBs to get off the ball.

Donovan hasn't been the same guy since the beginning of 2005. He's not the athletic QB we remember from the old days. He's not the elite pocket passer that he thinks he is from 2004. He had a chance to maybe develop into a top flight pocket passer, but the brutal circumstances of 2005 basically killed that idea. Also, physically gifted players like Donovan usually lack top fundamentals because they've been able to get the job done on sheer athleticism. His love of big plays from 2004 hurt him. He has the ability to be an efficient QB, but lacks the consistency to do it week to week, sometimes half to half or even drive to drive. Those old instincts kick in and he wants to go downfield.

Donovan used to be a great QB late in games. He would run if needed. He would make things happen. He came alive when the pressure was on. That stopped after 2004.

2005

* beat OAK late, but game was tied at 20 when he led us on a FG drive
* beat KC in a comeback, but game was tied entering the 4th Qtr and we got the lead
* lost at ATL 14-10
* lost at WAS 17-10
* beat SD 20-17, but it was on the return of a blocked FG by Matt Ware
* lost to Dallas 21-20...we had the lead when McNabb threw pick-six to Roy Williams

2006

* lost to NYG 30-24 in OT ... we had 24-7 lead ... no points in 4th Qtr
* beat DAL 38-24 ... McNabb hit Reggie on flea flicker for 40-yd TD to give us lead
* lost at NO 27-24 ... had 4th Qtr lead
* lost at TB 23-21 ... Westy had long TD off screen pass to give us late lead
* lost to JAX 13-6
* team proceeded to win several close games down the stretch with Garcia at QB


I won't go into all the struggles in close games of 2007 and 2008. We know them pretty well.

The point in all of this is that Donovan seems to have lost his mojo. He is still athletic enough to run, but won't do it. He has enough talent to be a solid game manager type QB, but prefers the long ball. Notice that in a couple of the '06 games he did connect for long plays to give us the lead. He just can't seem to lead us on a long drive to do that.

The long ball is great when it works. The problem is that you're going to have off days. That's when you must be able to move the chains and play down-to-down football. McNabb has trouble doing that.

He's not helped by the offense as run by Andy and Marty. As I've noted before, that trio seems to bring out the worst in each other.

I think one of the keys to judging McNabb is what your standard is. He used to be compared to Brady and Manning (rightfully so). Those guys continue to play at an elite level. Manning is better now than ever. Donovan is a descending player. If you compare him to Romo, Eli, and Campbell...McNabb is still a good player. He was an elite QB. He was an elite player. That is no longer the case. I don't have full confidence that he can win a Super Bowl, unless we get lucky enough to build a huge lead because of big plays and oddball TDs. Donovan just doesn't seem to have the ability to go toe-to-toe with a good QB. Rivers made clutch throw after clutch throw for SD on Sunday. Romo did that in the 4th the week before. Donovan hasn't shown that ability since the playoffs last year, but even then we always had the lead. Can he handle the pressure of playing from behind?


RE: Reid

Andy Reid is a terrific head coach, but he's still a flawed guy. No doubt about that. I won't even get into the running game discussion. We just talk in circles because the normal world sees things one way and Andy sees it another.

I do think AR can win the SB, but I have serious doubts as to whether he and McNabb can get that done together. I think a more efficient QB would make a huge difference. I'd love to have seen the 2006 offense (Garcia at the helm) with the 2008 defense. That might have won the SB going away.

Andy is also guilty of relying on Donovan's ability too much. He lets that get him in the mindset that going for big plays is okay. We then face DAL or NYG and he plays small ball. The offense clicks a little better. The next week we're back to chucking it around the yard and playing inconsistently. I'm not sure why Andy can't see that correlation.

He is changing a bit each year. Andy used to coddle McNabb. That no longer happens. He really went after Donovan following the TB loss in '06 when Mcnabb threw the ball to LJ prior to the half and he was tackled. The clock ran out and we missed an easy chance to attempt a FG. Andy benched Donnie last year. That was unheard of a few years back.

Andy is now more vocal on the sidelines. He doesn't call plays anymore and you see him interacting with all our players. He is supportive, but also will get in a player's face. Coaches too. He was really on Ted Daisher a few weeks back for a mistake.

Andy changes a bit each year, save for the running game. That gives me hope that he could lead us to a title.

Donovan has been more of the same each of the last few years. I'd love for him to prove me wrong and start winning some close games. I would gladly eat crow. I'm just Doubting Thomas at this point.

Quick final note...I do love McNabb for what he's done for us Eagles fans. Don't ever think I'm anti-Donovan or anything like that. He has been a godsend for our franchise. I'm just trying to give you an honest opinion about what the situation is with him and the future. Guys don't tend to get back their mojo after they lose it.
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