Some of it was understandable enough, like his shyness about running past the line of scrimmage. We all have to be able to understand why McNabb would not yet want to unfurl some of those long, full strides and begin the gallop downfield.
It is not 2001 anymore, and hasn't been for a while. He has had three major lower-body injuries since 2003 - the broken leg, the sports hernia, and the major knee repair from which he currently is returning. That and the certain knowledge that running never has equaled winning in the NFL all have combined to keep McNabb on his side of the line of scrimmage.
"I felt that I could get it downfield," he said the other day, when asked about his seeming hesitancy about running. "You want to stay a passer first, and if nothing's there, then you pick up yards. When I would have to move in the pocket, you still keep your eyes downfield. If nothing's there, then you pick up yards. I tried to do that a couple of times. If that means for me now to take off quicker, that eventually will happen. Again, you want to continue to stay a passer, keep your eyes downfield, and give the guys an opportunity to break free, and you'll be able to complete a pass."
But here is the problem: The Eagles got nothing done after McNabb left the pocket. Really, nothing. His game has always been as he just described, buying time and buying more time and then making something happen. But the Green Bay game fell spectacularly short of that vision.
His in-the-pocket numbers were weak enough: 14-for-30 for 175 yards and a touchdown. His out-of-the-pocket numbers were oddly limited and just bad: 1-for-3 for 9 yards and an interception, the only completion being a little dumpoff to Brian Westbrook in the fourth quarter.
