Eagles QB McNabb says benching didn't help him regroup

Eagles QB McNabb says benching didn't help him regroup
December 12
Philadelphia Daily News
"DONOVAN McNABB was benched a few weeks back. Maybe you remember a little of what was going on then - seven McNabb turnovers in seven quarters, one offensive touchdown, no running game, passes into the stratosphere on third-and-1.Then, after a miserable half a game huddling under a parka in Baltimore, McNabb emerged, seemingly renewed. In victories over Arizona and the New York Giants, McNabb has completed 46 of 69 passes for 451 yards and five touchdowns. He has neither thrown an interception nor lost a fumble.A much healthier Brian Westbrook has helped balance the playcalling, and that has been a huge factor in McNabb's turnaround, but Westbrook, important as he is, can't account for the whole thing. Suddenly, McNabb seems confident and purposeful again, scrambling for important first downs, sidestepping pass rushers to complete clutch third-down throws, avoiding heaving the ball into crowds.Eagles coach Andy Reid lauded McNabb yesterday for not trying to do too much last Sunday at the Meadowlands, where gusty winds made passing an adventure."The conditions were a little crazy," Reid said. "I joked with him during the week that he probably hadn't seen that since high school [in the Chicago area], a windy situation like that. I didn't see him forcing the football, which you can do in that kind of situation. He just took what was given to him and kept it in front of him. He didn't force anything down the field, if a gust came up, and all the things that a pro quarterback does."Immediately after the Baltimore game and then again the next day, when he went back to McNabb as his starter, Reid talked about a player sometimes needing to step back to move forward - implying that he made the switch to Kevin Kolb not in despair but in hopes of giving McNabb a chance to regroup. McNabb has never embraced that concept, which Reid referenced again yesterday."
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