Donovan Mcnabb

RE BERNARD Hopkins' comments on Donovan McNabb: Did I miss the book on what it takes to be an official black person? White folks, as well as others, are often blamed for the racist attitudes and stereotyping that prevails in America, But why is it that it's OK for another black person (or African-American, if you will) to decide what or who is "One of us"? Isn't that a form of stereotyping, or conformity? This is part of a problem within the African-American community that is never really, if ever, addressed.

CHRISTINE Flowers' recent op-ed was better than any column I've ever read about Donovan McNabb. She absolutely nailed it. McNabb is probably the most intelligent athlete to pass through Philly in the last 50 years. But he was never meant to be a West Coast offense quarterback, an offense designed for Joe Montana. McNabb was a totally different brand of QB - a runner and a gunner. As Donovan got away from what he was meant to be, he started a gradual decline from being in tip-top shape.

Donovan McNabb or Akili Smith. The Eagles' months of preparation apparently have boiled down to a choice between the talented quarterbacks from Syracuse and Oregon. The Eagles have done all their homework with one eye on Cleveland, where the Browns could disclose their plan for the No. 1 pick today or tomorrow. Both teams have contacted the agents for the players they are most interested in drafting. Fletcher Smith, who represents McNabb, said he talked to the Eagles on Tuesday.

It's getting late, and not just for first-round draft pick Donovan McNabb. The Eagles' rookies and certain veterans are scheduled to be in a meeting room at Lehigh University by 7 p.m. Sunday. Seven of those rookies do not have contracts and cannot report until they do. With one business day and the weekend left, Eagles executive vice president Joe Banner has an awful lot of negotiating and paperwork to do. The Eagles did sign one of their draft picks yesterday. Seventh-rounder Pernell Davis, a defensive tackle from Alabama-Birmingham, agreed to a three-year contract worth about $780,000.

Four Eagles were named to the Pro Bowl yesterday, four very different Eagles, whose excellence this season illuminates how this 10-5 team has meshed. Tight end Chad Lewis, defensive end Hugh Douglas, and cornerback Troy Vincent were named as starters, and middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter as a reserve. Four more Eagles were named first alternates, meaning they would be the first called if a player at their position could not or chose not to participate in the Feb. 4 all-star game in Honolulu.

The "R" next to their names is gone. Officially, Donovan McNabb and Na Brown aren't rookies anymore. That doesn't make them feel like veterans, though. "I'm still a rookie," Brown, the second-year wide receiver, said yesterday on the last day of the Eagles' minicamp. "I still have a lot to learn. " "I'm still a rookie," McNabb said. "I've been here for a year, but I'm probably younger than some of the rookies who are coming in this year. " It is the presence of those rookies that gives McNabb and Brown a sense of perspective.

It was Week 13, a day after quarterback Donovan McNabb had ripped the Washington Redskins for 125 rushing yards, one of the best examples of one player dominating a game in the NFL this season. The question was for Washington cornerback Deion Sanders. How impressive was McNabb? "My God, he would be really scary if he had a great supporting cast," Sanders said. So here are wide receivers Charles Johnson and Torrance Small, leading actors in a less-than-great supporting cast.

It turns out Doug Pederson's contract included a "Get out of Jail Free" card. The Eagles released the quarterback/human lightning rod yesterday, ending a singularly unpleasant 18-month term in Philadelphia. Pederson was released on his own recognizance with time off for good behavior. The move came after several days of trying to trade the 32-year-old quarterback coach Andy Reid brought with him from Green Bay. The Eagles were never offered a draft pick in various discussions, only players they didn't think would really help the team.

The guys love his Jim Johnson impersonation; Donovan McNabb does it so well. He has the limp of the 59-year-old defensive coordinator down perfect. And his diction. He also does a mean Andy-Reid-addressing-his-troops routine. "He could have this whole locker room rolling," strong safety Damon Moore said, giggling at the mere mention of McNabb's playfulness. "And it's just him being him. " Just by being him is how the young quarterback has captured the attention and respect of all his Eagles teammates.

It's time for Plan B. In Andy Reid's original plan, Doug Pederson would be able to step right in and apply his knowledge of the West Coast offense in live-game action. Donovan McNabb would watch and learn early, then gradually take over as the Eagles' starting quarterback. Pederson will start next week in Buffalo, Reid said yesterday, but the coach made it clear he benched his handpicked starter because of mistakes Pederson made in reading and reacting to Tampa Bay's defense Sunday.