Morning Report: Time to ponder McNabb's future

A look back at the recently concluded Eagles' season - or, whatever became of Donovan McNabb?

First of all, get your hangdog faces out of your cereal bowls and look on the bright side - Andy Reid has a chance to become the winningest coach in the history of the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl staffs are the two losers from the conference championships, so Reid and his assistants will be renewing acquaintances with John Harbaugh.

The Baltimore coach probably will be honored, having gotten to the AFC final in his first season as a head man.

For Reid, with four such trips in the last eight years, it might be getting a little old.

The keys to the 32-25 loss in Arizona yesterday were, in my mind, two things on the defensive side of the ball.

First, and most obvious, was the Birds' inability to cover the uncoverable. It is no sin to get beaten by Larry Fitzgerald. He's the best in the game right now and the Cardinals wide receiver may give his team a shot at the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

All of that said, though, the defense wasn't there for vast stretches of the game. The Birds had surrendered a total of 25 points in the playoff wins over Minnesota and New York - and gave up 24 in the first half yesterday.

They had forced five turnovers in the two wins but got none yesterday. They had twice stuffed New York on critical fourth-down plays last weekend but let Arizona convert that situation on its way to the winning touchdown yesterday.

Which brings us to the second major factor in the loss: With the game on the line, and the Birds clinging to a 25-24 lead, Jim Johnson's fabled defenders let Arizona waltz right down the field and score the winner.

Then, for good measure, tack on two more points.

That final Arizona scoring drive should stand out in the minds of fans in both cities, but it probably will be a lasting memory only in Phoenix.

In Philadelphia, the bitter final memory will be of McNabb - fresh off whipping his team to three consecutive touchdowns in the second half - coming up short in his final drive.

So the question now - and you knew this was coming - is this: What will happen with McNabb?

In terms of individual statistics, he's the best QB the franchise has ever had. Nobody - not Ron Jaworski, nor Randall Cunningham, not Dutch Van Brocklin or Sonny Jurgensen - has thrown for as many yards or as many touchdowns as has McNabb.

And it's not even close.

But in terms of ultimate championships - of winning the last game - he's behind Tommy Thompson's two titles and Van Brocklin's one. He's tied with Jaws with one win in an NFC championship game followed by a loss in the Super Bowl.

But what will determine McNabb's final legacy in Philadelphia will be the four NFC title games he has lost.

Worse, in the loss to St. Louis in January 2002, the Super Bowl loss to New England in January 2005, and again yesterday in Arizona, McNabb has had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game on his final drive.

In the NFC championship failures in 2003 and 2004, the Eagles were pretty much flattened by Tampa Bay and Carolina.

Yesterday, however, they had a chance to duplicate Kurt Warner and the Cardinals by driving the length of the field to take the lead.

The final series collapsed with four consecutive incompletions.

That's usually as much the responsibility of the receiver as it is the quarterback. But Hank Baskett, DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis (the intended receivers on the four incomplete passes) haven't been to five of these dances.

In fact, until yesterday, the three of them together had never been to one.

McNabb is the guy posterity will remember.

So what happens now?

At first, probably nothing. Everyone will say the right things.

Then, a month or so from now, rumors will seep out of the NovaCare Complex that the Eagles and McNabb are having difficulty arriving at the contract extension the quarterback wants.

Then we'll hear it's an impasse. Then all sorts of rumors will fly.

And the Eagles will face a decision on draft day.