Triple Threat

Sporting News, The, Dec 18, 2000 by Paul Attner

DONOVAN McNABB's stunning ability to RUN, PASS AND SCORE has lifted the Eagles into the playoffs and given him MVP credentials

In a league wondering where its next stars will emerge, Donovan McNabb is a refreshing revelation, a charismatic charmer. In a league wondering how to generate a bit more sizzle and snap, he is all shake and hip, a bundle of moves and quick feet, a weekly road map to excitement. And for sure, in this, his second season, he also is the NFL's most valuable player.

Without him, the Eagles would be fortunate to win three games. With him, they are in the playoffs for the first time in four years. He is their only elite offensive player, period. Their receivers are average, their running backs barely adequate. With him, they have one scoring threat, one passing threat, one rushing threat. And you thought the triple threat didn't exist in football anymore?

How valuable is Donovan McNabb? Two weeks ago, before their game against the Eagles, the Titans' coaching staff compiled its weekly list of offensive players the team absolutely had to control. Usually, the list has four or five names. For Philadelphia, one appeared. McNabb. The coaches were so impressed with him that they changed their pass-rushing philosophy, the first time in coach Jeff Fisher's six-year tenure that he made that kind of major defensive concession for a player.

"We've altered things on a situational basis for someone before, but not our whole approach," says Fisher. "You can't afford to rush him traditionally. You have to squeeze the envelope to keep him in the pocket. You can't try to defeat the tackles with a speed rush upfield. You have to stay in your lanes, both with your ends and your tackles, and push from the outside in. You can't get engaged in your blocks or he will take off. We also thought having one player serve as a spy wasn't enough. He might not be able to tackle Donovan one-on-one."

Despite this extra attention, McNabb still almost beat the Titans. He took his team the length of the field late in the fourth quarter, ending with a 2-yard sprint around right end to put the Eagles in front, 13-12. But the Philadelphia defense didn't hold up and yielded a 50-yard field goal by Al Del Greco as time expired. McNabb enjoyed what then was his second-best passing game of the season, throwing for 239 yards against one of the league's premier defenses. And he ran for another 39.

"I had a lot of respect for him before our game and more after it," says Fisher. "He is doing more than anyone with a lot less around him. And the thing that impressed me more about him was his ability to buy time in the pocket and find an open receiver and complete the pass. He was not looking to run. It was a sign of maturity."

McNabb is the most surprising player on one of the most surprising teams in the league. The Eagles have carved out a remarkable season under the guidance of second-year coach Andy Reid, who has gone from a no-name hire last year to a viable candidate for top coaching honors in 2000. This was a franchise that, from 1997 to '99, tied the Bengals for the dubious distinction of winning the fewest games in the league (14). The Eagles showed some improvement in '99 with five wins, but to be this good after losing star running back Duce Staley to a foot injury in Week 5--they are 10-5 and still have an outside chance of winning the NFC East for the first time since 1988--is almost inexplicable. That's why McNabb's value can't be exaggerated.

Over the past six weeks, when the Eagles easily could have tumbled into the middle of the NFC, McNabb's performances have been stunning in their splendor and impact. During the team's four-game winning streak, starting November 5 against the Cowboys, he produced fourth-quarter comebacks that led to three wins, including back-to-back overtime triumphs over Dallas and Pittsburgh. In those three comebacks, he accounted for 406 of the Eagles' 484 total yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. Against the Redskins, he scored on a 12-yard run using moves that safety Mark Carrier likened to Barry Sanders and then ran 56 yards to set up the game-winner. Against both the Steelers and Cowboys, he overcame 10-point deficits, doing it in the final 3:42 of the Pittsburgh game.

Then, last Sunday in Cleveland, he disdained the run almost completely and threw for 390 yards and bur touchdowns, both career highs, in a 35-24 victory over the stumbling Browns. With 3,167 passing yards, he is the first Eagles quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards since Randall Cunningham in 1994. And his touchdown/interception ratio (20/12) is superb. The Eagles entered their off-week having to beat only the inept Bengals at home on Christmas Eve to finish with 11 victories for the first time since 1992.

McNabb is among the conference's top 20 rushers and top 10 passers, and he supplies an incredible 75 percent of the Eagles' offense. Entering last weekend, only the Panthers' Steve Beuerlein, with 76 percent, topped him in the league. He also was seventh in fourth-quarter passing and sixth in third-down passing. None of his wide receivers are among the top 40 in receptions, and Staley, who hasn't played since October 1, remains the team's second-leading rusher.