Post by prossman on Dec 25, 2008 16:40:01 GMT -7
Slippery McNabb Stands In Way Of Playoff Berth
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Josh Ellis - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
December 24, 2008 3:39 PM Change Font Size A A A A
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Donovan McNabb has thrown 21 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
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OTHER RECENT NEWS
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• Notes: Williams Seeks Strong Philly Showing 12/24
• Sham: Good Year? Depends On Your Own Perspective 12/24
• Cowboys Have Been In Must-Win Mode For Weeks 12/23
• Eatman: Sunday's Game More Than Just Do-or-Die 12/23
• Notes: Not Much Optimism Around Barber's Return 12/23
• Q & A With Cowboys QB Tony Romo 12/23
• Here Are The Philadelphia Eagles 12/23
• Mick's Mail: Tuesday, December 23, 2008
• Cowboys Excited To Control Their Destiny Yet 12/22
IRVING, Texas - There was never a louder sigh of relief than the one at Texas Stadium the night of Sept. 15.
It was the Monday night game's crucial play, third-and-13 with 1:23 to play, Eagles' ball on their own 46. Donovan McNabb took a shotgun snap, and scanned the Cowboys zone coverage for the open man. One second passed. Two seconds. Three. Four. Five.
Sensing pressure, the veteran quarterback scrambled right, just as DeMarcus Ware came off his block. Like a lion chasing a gazelle, Ware made up ground on McNabb, who tried to circle backwards near the sideline, but was devoured from behind. Just then, the 63,472 in attendance erupted, sensing the game had swung in the Cowboys favor.
For 59 minutes that night, and really the better part of the previous nine years, the Cowboys nipped at McNabb's heels and seemingly never got to him, and if they did, couldn't wrestle him to the ground. The uproar was one of frustrations released.
The play reminded many of McNabb's 14-second Houdini act from 2004, when he outran Greg Ellis from one side of the field to the other, and threw a deep touchdown. This time, the Cowboys got the best of McNabb. In what may be remembered as a Hall of Fame career, the Monday-nighter this season, McNabb and the Eagles' last trip to Texas Stadium, may go down as one of the quarterback's finest games. He traded punches with the Cowboys powerful offense all night, only to come up short, as the Cowboys won 41-37.
See, all night the Cowboys were able to get to McNabb, racking up four sacks. But they were on the verge of sacking him twice as many times, only to have him squirt out of danger and fire a laser downfield to a wide-open receiver.
Now, facing a do-or-die scenario in McNabb's backyard, the Cowboys will need to make the most of every chance they get to rattle McNabb.
"Philadelphia's tough to get to - not only tough to get to, (McNabb) is tough to bring down," said coach Wade Phillips, who is instructing his players to hang onto the quarterback if they get to him and wait for the cavalry. "They're aware of it. D-Ware is aware. He got away from him a couple times in the last game, and he said when he came to the sideline, 'He's hard to bring down.' He's very strong, he's got a strong waist and can really jump out of tackles."
McNabb is hard to tackle on any given play, but his career with the Eagles can only be described as unsinkable. On draft day in 1999, Eagles fans booed McNabb while he posed for pictures with his new jersey, just as they booed him through four consecutive conference title games and a Super Bowl appearance. Whenever things went downward slightly for McNabb, his naysayers were there. But just when things looked bleakest, here came McNabb, back again from the dead.
"I question, 'Why are ya'll constantly trying to get rid of him? What has he done so bad that you feel like you don't want him on your team anymore?'" said Ellis, one of McNabb's biggest admirers after nearly an entire career spent chasing him. "But it's one of those things, if they do get rid of him, you don't miss your water until your well runs dry."
Take this season, for example. A week after his embarrassing admission that he didn't realize Philadelphia's game against Cincinnati could end in a tie, McNabb was benched during the second half of a loss to Baltimore. It was one of the worst outings of his career, tossing two interceptions and compiling a quarterback rating of just 13.2. Many figured the Kevin Kolb era was set to begin in Philadelphia. The Eagles were 5-5-1, and seemingly out of the NFC playoff race.
But the next day, coach Andy Reid named McNabb the starter again, and like a light switch, things were back to normal. McNabb posted a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7-1 in consecutive wins over the Cardinals, Giants and Browns.
"He played great for three games there," Phillips said. "I have great respect for him. He's a fighter, he's going to come out and play his best, or try to play his best every ballgame . . . He hasn't worn down this season, he hasn't worn down from the first game, and we had a lot of trouble with him in the first game."
McNabb threw for 281 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia's Week Two loss at Texas Stadium. He was 25-of-37 and had a quarterback rating of 99.0. While McNabb wasn't able to make the play that counted at the end of the game, another such outing Sunday would greatly endanger the Cowboys' chances of making the playoffs, especially considering the sluggish state of the Dallas offense of late.
But the Cowboys' defense is playing better than it was in Week Two as well, and they seem to have overcome the early season habit of getting to quarterbacks but letting them slip away. They now lead the NFL in sacks with 58.0, and Ware has 20.0 of those, best in the league. Phillips says not only did the Cowboys not do a good job of getting him to the ground, but their defensive backs didn't stick with Philadelphia's receivers when McNabb was eluding pressure, which allowed him to make some plays.
"Especially when you're in a zone you've got to find a receiver and get on him," Phillips said. "We didn't do it as well as we'd like, and we've done better since that ballgame. But, it's something you really have to do with him because he'll be looking on one side of the field and scrambling to one side and then he'll go back to the other side and throw it to your guy if you kind of leave him.
"Now we're playing a little bit more 'man' than we did the first game, which helps us because you'd be on your man a little bit more."
But moving around to make plays isn't the only strength to McNabb's game. Most people will say the key to stopping Philadelphia is limiting running back Brian Westbrook's impact not only taking handoffs, but also catching balls out of the backfield. Still, someone has to get Westbrook the ball.
"He's obviously a triple threat at quarterback. He can run it and he can pass it," Ellis said. "But he's real creative in getting his running backs the ball a lot of times, so that's why I call him a triple threat. It's the full gamut when you play a guy like that."
Facing a quarterback with an array of skills like McNabb, it would take a banner day for Ware to get the 3.0 sacks he needs to break Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record. But if the Cowboys are going to get over their Eagles hump completely (Philadelphia has won 12 of the last 17 games between the two teams) it may take a record-setting day by Ware.
"I hope so," Ware said. "Well, I need three so there won't be any question, right? He's not going to lay down. He's a good quarterback and I'll try my best to get to him."
But the game could be history-making even if Ware doesn't get the sacks record. As is seemingly always the speculation in Philadelphia, there's a chance this could be McNabb's last game as an Eagle.
The Cowboys are all for it. Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josh Ellis - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
December 24, 2008 3:39 PM Change Font Size A A A A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Donovan McNabb has thrown 21 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER RECENT NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Notes: Williams Seeks Strong Philly Showing 12/24
• Sham: Good Year? Depends On Your Own Perspective 12/24
• Cowboys Have Been In Must-Win Mode For Weeks 12/23
• Eatman: Sunday's Game More Than Just Do-or-Die 12/23
• Notes: Not Much Optimism Around Barber's Return 12/23
• Q & A With Cowboys QB Tony Romo 12/23
• Here Are The Philadelphia Eagles 12/23
• Mick's Mail: Tuesday, December 23, 2008
• Cowboys Excited To Control Their Destiny Yet 12/22
IRVING, Texas - There was never a louder sigh of relief than the one at Texas Stadium the night of Sept. 15.
It was the Monday night game's crucial play, third-and-13 with 1:23 to play, Eagles' ball on their own 46. Donovan McNabb took a shotgun snap, and scanned the Cowboys zone coverage for the open man. One second passed. Two seconds. Three. Four. Five.
Sensing pressure, the veteran quarterback scrambled right, just as DeMarcus Ware came off his block. Like a lion chasing a gazelle, Ware made up ground on McNabb, who tried to circle backwards near the sideline, but was devoured from behind. Just then, the 63,472 in attendance erupted, sensing the game had swung in the Cowboys favor.
For 59 minutes that night, and really the better part of the previous nine years, the Cowboys nipped at McNabb's heels and seemingly never got to him, and if they did, couldn't wrestle him to the ground. The uproar was one of frustrations released.
The play reminded many of McNabb's 14-second Houdini act from 2004, when he outran Greg Ellis from one side of the field to the other, and threw a deep touchdown. This time, the Cowboys got the best of McNabb. In what may be remembered as a Hall of Fame career, the Monday-nighter this season, McNabb and the Eagles' last trip to Texas Stadium, may go down as one of the quarterback's finest games. He traded punches with the Cowboys powerful offense all night, only to come up short, as the Cowboys won 41-37.
See, all night the Cowboys were able to get to McNabb, racking up four sacks. But they were on the verge of sacking him twice as many times, only to have him squirt out of danger and fire a laser downfield to a wide-open receiver.
Now, facing a do-or-die scenario in McNabb's backyard, the Cowboys will need to make the most of every chance they get to rattle McNabb.
"Philadelphia's tough to get to - not only tough to get to, (McNabb) is tough to bring down," said coach Wade Phillips, who is instructing his players to hang onto the quarterback if they get to him and wait for the cavalry. "They're aware of it. D-Ware is aware. He got away from him a couple times in the last game, and he said when he came to the sideline, 'He's hard to bring down.' He's very strong, he's got a strong waist and can really jump out of tackles."
McNabb is hard to tackle on any given play, but his career with the Eagles can only be described as unsinkable. On draft day in 1999, Eagles fans booed McNabb while he posed for pictures with his new jersey, just as they booed him through four consecutive conference title games and a Super Bowl appearance. Whenever things went downward slightly for McNabb, his naysayers were there. But just when things looked bleakest, here came McNabb, back again from the dead.
"I question, 'Why are ya'll constantly trying to get rid of him? What has he done so bad that you feel like you don't want him on your team anymore?'" said Ellis, one of McNabb's biggest admirers after nearly an entire career spent chasing him. "But it's one of those things, if they do get rid of him, you don't miss your water until your well runs dry."
Take this season, for example. A week after his embarrassing admission that he didn't realize Philadelphia's game against Cincinnati could end in a tie, McNabb was benched during the second half of a loss to Baltimore. It was one of the worst outings of his career, tossing two interceptions and compiling a quarterback rating of just 13.2. Many figured the Kevin Kolb era was set to begin in Philadelphia. The Eagles were 5-5-1, and seemingly out of the NFC playoff race.
But the next day, coach Andy Reid named McNabb the starter again, and like a light switch, things were back to normal. McNabb posted a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7-1 in consecutive wins over the Cardinals, Giants and Browns.
"He played great for three games there," Phillips said. "I have great respect for him. He's a fighter, he's going to come out and play his best, or try to play his best every ballgame . . . He hasn't worn down this season, he hasn't worn down from the first game, and we had a lot of trouble with him in the first game."
McNabb threw for 281 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia's Week Two loss at Texas Stadium. He was 25-of-37 and had a quarterback rating of 99.0. While McNabb wasn't able to make the play that counted at the end of the game, another such outing Sunday would greatly endanger the Cowboys' chances of making the playoffs, especially considering the sluggish state of the Dallas offense of late.
But the Cowboys' defense is playing better than it was in Week Two as well, and they seem to have overcome the early season habit of getting to quarterbacks but letting them slip away. They now lead the NFL in sacks with 58.0, and Ware has 20.0 of those, best in the league. Phillips says not only did the Cowboys not do a good job of getting him to the ground, but their defensive backs didn't stick with Philadelphia's receivers when McNabb was eluding pressure, which allowed him to make some plays.
"Especially when you're in a zone you've got to find a receiver and get on him," Phillips said. "We didn't do it as well as we'd like, and we've done better since that ballgame. But, it's something you really have to do with him because he'll be looking on one side of the field and scrambling to one side and then he'll go back to the other side and throw it to your guy if you kind of leave him.
"Now we're playing a little bit more 'man' than we did the first game, which helps us because you'd be on your man a little bit more."
But moving around to make plays isn't the only strength to McNabb's game. Most people will say the key to stopping Philadelphia is limiting running back Brian Westbrook's impact not only taking handoffs, but also catching balls out of the backfield. Still, someone has to get Westbrook the ball.
"He's obviously a triple threat at quarterback. He can run it and he can pass it," Ellis said. "But he's real creative in getting his running backs the ball a lot of times, so that's why I call him a triple threat. It's the full gamut when you play a guy like that."
Facing a quarterback with an array of skills like McNabb, it would take a banner day for Ware to get the 3.0 sacks he needs to break Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record. But if the Cowboys are going to get over their Eagles hump completely (Philadelphia has won 12 of the last 17 games between the two teams) it may take a record-setting day by Ware.
"I hope so," Ware said. "Well, I need three so there won't be any question, right? He's not going to lay down. He's a good quarterback and I'll try my best to get to him."
But the game could be history-making even if Ware doesn't get the sacks record. As is seemingly always the speculation in Philadelphia, there's a chance this could be McNabb's last game as an Eagle.
The Cowboys are all for it. Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Report item as: (required) X Obscenity/vulgarity Hate speech Personal attack Advertising/Spam Copyright/Plagiarism Other Comment: (optional)