SCORES TWICE AFTER A PUCK TO THE FACE
Geoffrey Chaucer never played quarterback for the Eagles, though he did fight in The Hundred Years War, which
might be kind of the same thing. Chaucer is attributed with observing that "many a true word is said in jest."
So it seemed Wednesday, when Donovan McNabb endured a long sparring match with a super-sized, playoff media contingent in his weekly news conference, in which the quarterback declined to be baited into once again discussing his feelings about having been benched for that half in Baltimore, or into discussing his feelings about his contract. Then McNabb was asked a final question, about the struggles of the Giants' defense down the stretch.
"Sometimes during the course of the year, you don't play as well as you did early on," McNabb said. "None of them got benched."
He was smiling broadly as he said this, and then he left the stage, to startled laughter.
That quip was the highlight of the morning media session, which also inlcuded the news that Eagles defensive end Victor Abiamiri (foot) has been medically cleared and was scheduled to practice Wednesday, presumably making him likely to return to the rotation Sunday against the Giants. Right guard Shawn Andrews also got medical clearance and also was to practice, though Eagles coach Andy Reid said Andrews will not be active for this week's divisional round playoff game at the Meadowlands.
Fullback Dan Klecko, who suffered a shoulder injury against Minnesota, was not scheduled to practice. It seems likely that Kyle Eckel will start in Klecko's spot.
The Eagles also have signed a cornerback, Dimitri Patterson, formerly of the Chiefs and Redskins. He takes the roster spot of offensive lineman Mike McGlynn, who was placed on IR after tearing a hamstring against the Vikings. Since the Eagles have no real need for another corner right now, and it's unlikely Patterson is going to learn Jim Johnson's defense during the playoffs, it's likely they are looking to 2009, and wanted to get the guy on their roster before someone else signed him.
McNabb had another funny line, when someone asked him about the Birds making the cover of Sports Illustrated, which refers to them as "dangerous." McNabb noted that in the West, the Cardinals are on the cover.
"It's a regional copy. Everybody's dangerous," McNabb said.
Brian Westbrook said even though the Birds are facing the Giants for the third time this season, he expects new wrinkles, with New York coming off a bye.
"Anytime you have two weeks before you play somebody, you're going to bring something new," Westbrook said.
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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