And while it didn't mean everything, it did mean something. For one thing, Rams fans probably shouldn't be worried about how they're going to get to Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII, after not being able to convert a single third down in 11 tries. Of more pressing local concern, all that pretty preseason talk about Donovan McNabb bouncing back, and of DeSean Jackson being a difference-maker even as a rookie, and of the defense being really fast and fierce, and of the special teams being sharper - all of the talk turned into action yesterday afternoon. You can't prove anything in an opener, but you certainly can set a tone, can start a trend, as anyone knows who recalls last year's 16-13 stumble at Green Bay, and the Eagles' inability to catch punts that sent the Packers off toward the NFC Championship Game, the Birds off to a season of unredeemed opportunities.
McNabb, coming off three successive disappointing, injury-shadowed seasons, needed this kind of start, needed to show he could put up numbers such as 21-for-33 for 361 yards, three touchdowns and a 131.0 passer rating, before putting on the visor in favor of Kevin Kolb, with 8 minutes and 55 seconds to play.
"Last year he was healthy enough to play, but not quite healthy enough to be quite as productive as he normally is,'' offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said, after charting a 522-net-yard afternoon. McNabb, of course, struggled to plant his right leg firmly for much of last season, as he returned from ACL surgery. "Because of his health, he couldn't move too much, still rehabbing during the season. I think there's a possibility that he may very well have become a better quarterback because of that experience . . . so he gets to four and five [now] in the progression,'' rather than looking to ramble.
