Phil Sheridan: No going back for Eagles

BALTIMORE - There is no going back from here. Not for Donovan McNabb, not for Andy Reid and not for the Eagles.

There is no going back after Reid sent quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur in to do what he couldn't - look the franchise quarterback in the eye and tell him he was being yanked from a three-point game.

There is no going back after Reid took the even more damning step of letting McNabb and Kevin Kolb dangle for a day, wondering who will start Thanksgiving night against the Arizona Cardinals.

There is no going back after Reid made McNabb the scapegoat for the systemic rot he, Reid, has allowed to weaken this football team.

There is no going back now that the Eagles have hit the bottom of the Reid-and-McNabb Era barrel with a 36-7 humiliation at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.

Let's not mince words here. McNabb was dreadful in the first half yesterday, worse even than he played in last week's 13-13 tie in Cincinnati. Who knew how quickly that game would look like the good old days?

McNabb has been in funks in the past. Always, the head coach stood by the quarterback. Always, Reid endured public criticism in order to send the message that McNabb was his guy, the QB who gave the Eagles the best chance to win week in and week out.

Always ended in Baltimore, of all places. For the first time, Reid benched McNabb - not because of injury, but because of his performance. That is no small thing. It is, in fact, a line that can't be uncrossed.

That doesn't mean Kolb will definitely start Thursday. As brutal as it would be to run McNabb out in front of a home crowd just waiting to carve him like the holiday turkey, it would be just another miscalculation. Having thrown Kolb into the maws of the Ravens defense, Reid may not force him to start after a short week.

Even if Reid waits for the longer week to go to Kolb, this thing with McNabb is broken. McNabb said his reaction when told by Shurmur - a good man tasked with a dirty job - was, "Wow." That's it: just "wow." McNabb would not talk about his too-late postgame conversation with Reid.

"It's not all about one guy," Reid said after making it about one guy.

"We're not all going to sit here and point at Donovan," Reid said after pointing at Donovan.

"It's not all about Donovan," Reid said after making it all about Donovan.

Reid's words have never been particularly satisfying to the media or to Eagles fans. It has always been his actions that counted. I used to say that to defend him. It doesn't change now.

Anyone could see McNabb played poorly in this game. What is debatable is how this very talented, very successful quarterback got to this point. The short answer from here: He has been ground down by a coach who refuses to run the ball, who seldom keeps extra blockers in to protect him the way other elite quarterbacks are protected and who, with one notable exception, has insisted upon stocking his team with the most mediocre receivers available.

The offensive line is in marked decline. Brian Westbrook is at half speed due to injury. The play calling is hilariously bad. The tight-end situation is incomprehensible. The defense is outstanding against rookie and backup quarterbacks. McNabb played poorly.

Reid benched McNabb.

"Sometimes with a player, you can step back an inch and maybe you can go forward a mile," Reid said.

That applies to coaches, too. It might be a lot more productive if Reid took that step back and gave someone else a shot at getting this team to respond. It won't happen because Reid knows he could never command the team's respect as a head coach again if he did that.

Well, guess what? The same is true of the franchise quarterback. Reid has pulled the rug on Donovan McNabb. It was his last available option before blame for this team's three-year decline finally lands at his office door.

Reid is now relying on Kolb to reverse that decline. Don't judge Kolb on what happened here. He really was thrown into an impossible situation by a coach looking desperately for a spark. Trouble is, Reid is looking for the same thing from Kolb in the bigger picture. That's a lot of pressure, especially with all the other problems that have been allowed to fester.

Kolb will have a much better chance with a balanced offensive attack, with reliable pass protection, with a healthy Westbrook, with a go-to tight end and with at least one stud wide receiver.

Give the young quarterback those things and who knows? Reid just might be able to look him in the eye.