Eagles, Vick embarrass Redskins, McNabb

LANDOVER, Md. - Money can't buy everything, Donovan McNabb learned last night.

Michael Vick, the quarterback McNabb helped bring back to the NFL in 2009, unfurled one of the greatest regular-season performances in NFL history, leading the Eagles to a 59-28 victory over the Redskins at soggy FedEx Field, which pretty much emptied at halftime.

Vick did something no one had ever done, throwing for four touchdowns, running for two more, racking up 333 passing yards and 80 rushing yards as the Eagles romped to a 59-21 lead after three quarters.

"I could never have envisioned this," Vick said, when asked whether this was what he saw happening when he signed with the Birds in August 2009. "Signing here, I didn't even think I'd be starting as the quarterback this year."

Had Vick ever played better, at any level?

"I've had some great games in my day. I don't think I've had one quite like this one," Vick said on the night the Eagles piled up a franchise-record 592 net yards. They've scored more points only once before, when they got 64 one day in 1934 against the Cincinnati Reds.

"I'm proud of him," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Vick. "He led our football team, our offense, the way you're supposed to lead it . . . He was in charge out there."

This certainly was not what the Redskins had in mind when they announced McNabb's 5-year, $78 million contract yesterday, with $40 million of it reportedly guaranteed. (There were insider-media whispers last night that the "real" guarantee could turn out to be far less.) The Redskins were poised to bask in the fond embrace of "Monday Night Football's" national media spotlight; when a cloud of reporters drifted into the press box an hour or so before the game, you figured maybe an important politician was on hand, but, no, the crowd was gathered around McNabb's agent, Fletcher Smith.

"I was happy for him. That's a lot of cash," Reid said, when asked about McNabb's deal. "He's pretty well set, I'd say."

McNabb got a rousing ovation as fireworks rocketed into the night when he was introduced. The Washington brass was looking ahead to a solid win and an official end to the controversy coach Mike Shanahan uncorked when he benched McNabb near the end of the previous game, a loss to Detroit on Oct. 31.

Alas, then came the kickoff.