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COPYRIGHT 2001 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Donovan McNabb was a one-man show last year. For the Eagles to rise to the next level, he'll need support from a revamped group of receivers and a running back who's coming back from a rare of foot injury.
The dreary skies and raw weather suggested November, not mid-May. But the Eagles didn't seem to mind. They zipped from drill to drill in a passing-game minicamp with spirit and purpose. And no player was more precise than quarterback Donovan McNabb. All eyes may have been on running back Duce Staley, who was practicing for the first time since he suffered a season-ending foot injury last October, but it was hard to ignore McNabb and his command of his position.
Then came a hiccup. During a seven-on-seven drill, McNabb threw a pass a bit behind receiver Todd Pinkston, who made the catch but couldn't flow smoothly downfield. McNabb, a third-year quarterback, was disgusted--with himself.
"He doesn't want (just) a completion but to put it in a perfect spot where that guy can run with it," Eagles coach Andy Reid says.
This is very much McNabb's offense. He may be a season or so away from Reid's optimal level, but then again maybe he's not Hard work and smarts have helped him advance more quickly than the average quarterback. "I'm trying to get better, just like everyone else," says McNabb, whose quest for perfection on every pass shows that.
As McNabb improves, there are questions about whether the rest of the offense will advance with him. When the Eagles open...
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