The Buck Stops Here

This time the dazzling show came on the first play of a 26-17 Eagles' preseason victory over the Baltimore Ravens, Donovan McNabb hooking up on an 81-yard touchdown bomb to No. 81, Terrell Owens, the fans' dreams and the Ravens' nightmares coming to life right there on the Lincoln Financial Field turf.

Minutes later, though, running back Correll Buckhalter crumpled to that turf with a torn right patella tendon that coach Andy Reid later said is "99 percent sure" to require surgery that will end his season. Assuming an MRI exam today confirms last night's diagnosis, Buckhalter was the second significant Eagle to suffer a season-ending knee injury in 3 days. Defensive end N.D. Kalu tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in a Tuesday workout.

"The way he went down, it just didn't look good," said running back Brian Westbrook, the only remnant of last season's "three-headed monster" of Westbrook, Buckhalter and Duce Staley, who ran and caught the ball so effectively.

"I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do now," said Westbrook, whose injury history doesn't predict that he will be able to carry the entire running load, though he said last night: "I definitely think I can do it. "

Of course, what else was Westbrook going to say? He added that "we're still a good team, we're still a good offense."

It happened on Buckhalter's first carry of the game. The Eagles had just taken over at their 20 following a punt to the end zone. L.J. Smith went in motion and McNabb handed the ball off to Buckhalter, who seemed to have room running to the right side. Buckhalter planted his cleats to cut, then spun to the ground before he was hit, his back to the line.

The cart, that unwelcome harbinger of serious injury, was beside Buckhalter on the field in what seemed like a matter of seconds. The game clock and the regular clocks showed identical numbers - 8:32 left in the first quarter, 8:32 p.m.

Ray Lewis, the focus of all that Owens grudge talk before the game, was the first Raven over to pat Buckhalter's shoulder and offer encouragement. It can't help Buckhalter's mindset that he is playing on a 1-year restricted free agent tender and apparently will enter free agency next winter having missed two of his four NFL seasons.

"It's sad to see," Reid said. "Correll came in in great shape. It was kind of a crazy one, where no one really hit him. "

Buckhalter, who gained 542 yards on 126 carries last season, was still in the locker room when reporters entered, leaning on metal crutches. A team spokesman said Buckhalter didn't want to talk last night.

It was the opposite knee and a different tendon, but otherwise the play looked very much like Buckhalter's previous knee injury. That one, a torn left ACL, came on the first play of an April 2002 minicamp. Just as was the case last night, Buckhalter went down with no contact.

One difference would be that when Buckhalter crumpled 28 months ago, Staley was the first to come to his aid. Staley is in Pittsburgh now - he'll be visiting the Linc on Thursday, by the way - and the Eagles are in a real fix. Their only established NFL running back is oft-injured Westbrook. The only player they drafted at that position this year, seventh-rounder Bruce Perry, was lost for the season to a shoulder injury in last week's preseason opener.

Another draftee, fifth-round fullback Thomas Tapeh, can catch a pass out of the backfield - he caught one last night for 8 yards - and offensive coordinator Brad Childress has talked of using him in one-back sets, something the Birds don't do with starting fullback Jon Ritchie. Former Penn State running back Eric McCoo gained 55 yards on 18 carries last night. Second-year back Reno Mahe gained 52 yards on 10 carries last week, just 2 yards on a lone carry last night.

By the way, on that now-overshadowed first play, McNabb unloaded over a safety blitz, Ed Reed coming too late to affect the throw. It soared down the right side, hitting Owens in stride, corner Gary Baxter flailing in his wake, Owens maybe 25 yards from the end zone. T.O.'s pursuers included Lewis. There was never any question of them catching up.

"[Baxter] tried to 'arm-bar' me, but I just fought through it," Owens said. "I knew Don was going to put it out there. I know what kind of arm he has. I tried to dig and go get it. This is something I was kind of waiting on. I'm really ready for the season . . . I just hope we can survive. We're getting a lot of people hurt. "

McNabb called Buckhalter's injury "a tough loss for us and a tough situation for him."