Time is Running out for McNabb

Clifton Brown - SportingNews.com

McNabb already was ahead of the game when the Philadelphia Eagles opened camp Monday for selected veterans and rookies. Last week, he was working out with a group of NFL players he invited to join him in Arizona.

The yearly ritual is known as "Camp McNabb." Make no mistake. It is not Club Med.

"It's preparing yourself mentally for what we will be faced with here," said McNabb, who was excused from practice Monday for personal reasons but is expected to be back on the field Tuesday. "Getting up at 7:30 in the morning. Battling the 115-degree heat. Guys who were out there thought they benefitted from it."

Now, the Eagles hope to reap the benefits. Starting his 11th season, McNabb's quest to win a Super Bowl remains the final piece to his career puzzle. He has everything else -- Pro Bowls, another new contract and talented new offensive teammates like linemen Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews, rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin and rookie running back LeSean McCoy.

In Philly, fans are talking Super Bowl. But in Bethlehem, McNabb is talking like a realist.

"We have a lot of new faces, and for me to sit here and say, 'Hey, we're a Super Bowl team and we're going to win the Super Bowl,' I don't believe in all that," McNabb said. "We have a great team. We have some great athletes here. But we have to put the pieces of the puzzle together."

Maclin is one of those pieces, and he did not report Monday because he remains unsigned. But Maclin did attend Camp McNabb last week, which made McNabb less concerned about Maclin's holdout.

"It's part of the business," McNabb said. "We had an opportunity to work out in Arizona. When he comes in here, we can just feed on that."

McNabb, who turns 33 in November, will be relied upon for leadership more than ever before in '09. Familiar long-time Eagles like safety Brian Dawkins, offensive tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas and running back Correll Buckhalter departed during the offseason. Meanwhile, despite a playoff run that got the Eagles to the NFC championship game, they were inconsistent during much of the regular season and almost missed the playoffs.

"We have some areas that are of obvious concern," coach Andy Reid said. "When we talk about the red zone and goal line and short yardage, those are areas that we have to focus on and get better."

The Eagles will spend much of the '09 training camp trying to mesh their new offensive pieces. Maclin was drafted higher, but McCoy is in camp and has the more important role to fill. The Eagles must lessen the workload on running back Brian Westbrook, who turns 30 on Sept. 2 and is recovering from offseason ankle surgery that will prevent him from practicing until mid-August.

If McCoy can pick up the slack as a runner and receiver, then Westbrook should stay fresher and more effective. Training camp and preseason games will be huge for McCoy, who will see the majority of reps in the backfield.

"I've been looking forward to this camp for awhile," McCoy said Monday. "Westbrook is Westbrook: He's one of the top backs in the league. Even if he were here, he wouldn't take many reps, risk injury. I'm taking it one day at a time—and learning."

McCoy remembers coming to Eagles training camp as a teenager, asking for McNabb's autograph.

"Hope that wasn't more than just a couple of years ago," McNabb said. "I'm not that old. That makes me sound real old."

McNabb also was in a joking mood Monday when asked if he had seen Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens' new reality TV show. After all, Owens and McNabb feuded when Owens was with the Eagles.

"I'll be making an appearance on the show," McNabb joked. "The T.O. show was alright. The first episode had some interesting people on there."

Asked how the show could be improved, McNabb said, "By not having it."

The McNabb Show is back for another season in Philadelphia, and he hopes this year's episode concludes with a victory in the Super Bowl. On paper, the Eagles had a huge offseason.

"There are a lot of questions, even for myself," McNabb said. "You want to come back and play at a high level and do it consistently. I challenge myself to come out and do better.

"I think we have a great team. We have some great athletes here, but we have to put the pieces of the puzzle together. If we can do that, hopefully we can ride on and finish this thing off in Miami."

The ring-less winners

Since 1970, these NFL quarterbacks have won the most regular season games without winning a Super Bowl, listed by number of wins.

Dan Marino 147
Warren Moon 102
Jim Kelly 101
Drew Bledsoe 98
Dave Krieg 98
Ken Anderson 91
Steve McNair 91
Vinny Testaverde 90
Dan Fouts 86
Randall Cunningham 82
Donovan McNabb 82

Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.

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