Phil Sheridan | For Eagles, 'the time is now'

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - On a day that might have been spent sounding alarm bells about the soreness in his right knee, noted blogger Donovan McNabb wrote a different headline.

"The time is now," he told reporters, for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. They have the team to do it, McNabb said, omitting the obligatory qualifier about his health. But then, McNabb made a similar evaluation last summer - as he reminded everyone in a media session after his first missed practice of camp.

"Even last year, I said that we were a Super Bowl team and everybody kind of laughed at it and didn't understand what I was saying," McNabb said. "We were pretty much a couple of plays away from the NFC championship again. I guess people think that what I say is right now."

He paused, deadpan, before adding, "I doubt it, but we'll see how far it goes this year."

McNabb's exact words last Aug. 14 were, "We are a Super Bowl team." For a team coming off an injury- and Terrell Owens-plagued 5-11 season in 2005, that seemed like a bit of a reach. But McNabb and the Eagles went to the Super Bowl after the 2004 season. He should recognize a championship-caliber team when he sees one.

Where this gets fascinating is in McNabb's recollection of last year's postseason near-miss. He was on injured reserve and not a part of the playoff victory over the Giants or the tough loss in New Orleans. Clearly, he is talking about the strength of this team as a whole, not just its quarterback.

It is because of "the pieces we have [added] to the puzzle at the wide receiver position, the running back position, and the offensive line is experienced and plays well together," McNabb said. "The defense is very experienced, and we brought in some key guys that can help us out in many ways."

Asked whether this veteran-heavy team was feeling a sense of urgency, McNabb nodded.

"I think so," he said. "If you look at the key spots, [you see] guys that have been here pretty much since I got here in 1999, or guys that were here a little earlier like Brian Dawkins, [William] Thomas, Jeremiah Trotter. . . . I think the time is now. Not that we're trying to say the window is closing, but we've been through the Super Bowl, we've been through the NFC championships, we've been in the playoffs, it's time now to seal the deal."

There is a subtle tug-of-war going on here. The Eagles as an organization do what they can to keep their window of opportunity for a championship open. That's why Andy Reid drafted Kevin Kolb, a quarterback, with his top pick in this year's draft. It's why the team has backups waiting behind keystone offensive tackles Thomas and Jon Runyan. It's why so many of the big names from the team's rise to perennial contention are already gone.

But for these players, that long-term strategy is cold comfort. Their window is closing whether the Eagles' window stays open or slams shut. There are only so many years left in the legs and spines of Dawkins, Runyan and, if the injuries keep coming, McNabb himself.

The time is now? For them, it is.

It is telling that - so far, at least - McNabb has maintained the new approach to the media he forged during the off-season. He really does seem more comfortable in his own skin, less concerned with the effect his words and actions (and the words of others about him) create in the wider world.

He took some pains yesterday to clarify his regrettable quote in support of accused dogfighting kingpin Michael Vick. The first go-round, which appeared in the Washington Post last week, left the impression that McNabb was insensitive to the nature of Vick's alleged crimes. This time, McNabb made it clear he was waiting until the outcome of the legal case until forming any judgments and urging others to do the same.

Those of us who made assumptions about Kobe Bryant and the Duke lacrosse team can see the wisdom in waiting until the defense gets a chance to present its case.

And McNabb was open about the nature of his day off from practice. After Reid said he had planned to give the QB a break at some point, McNabb came right out and said that the knee was "a little more sore than normal" Sunday and that it was "smart" to give it a rest.

"Nothing to be nervous about," he said, "but it happens."

Considering the stakes - hopes for that Super Bowl are riding on that scarred knee - a little nervousness is understandable.