Thu, Aug 11, 2005 page20

• McNabb tries to rally Eagles amid contract disputes

  • AP
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  NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb has handled everything from boos to a heavy rush in the same graceful manner.

  His public spat with Terrell Owens has been tougher to overcome.

  Despite his issues with his best receiver, McNabb is focused on leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a championship after falling three points short in the Super Bowl against New England six months ago.

  The five-time Pro Bowl quarterback realizes Owens makes the offense more potent, and doesn't mind taking the disgruntled All-Pro receiver along for the ride.

  "Last year, I don't think that we touched the surface," McNabb said. "The sky is the limit of how far we really can go."

  With Owens in the lineup, Philadelphia was 13-1 in the regular season, and won nine of the first dozen games by double-digit margins, including five wins by at least 21 points.

  Owens is back, though he isn't happy about his contract situation. Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook also returns, but he has contract problems, too.

  Correll Buckhalter, who has missed two of the last three years with injuries, and rookie Ryan Moats could make the backfield more formidable if everyone is healthy.

  Receiver Todd Pinkston will miss the season after getting hurt in practice last week, but Greg Lewis takes his place and rookie Reggie Brown has been impressive in camp, giving McNabb two more legitimate targets.

  "When you have a powerful running back, a guy with agility and great moves and playmaking ability like Westbrook. You have a receiver [Owens] that teams have to double, it opens a lot of doors for everyone else," McNabb said. "When you have those weapons, it puts you in a class like the Colts."

  By reaching a Super Bowl, the trio of McNabb, Westbrook and Owens so far have accomplished more than Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison and the rest of the Indianapolis Colts. McNabb would like to achieve the level of success attained by Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin with Dallas in the 1990s, when they helped to lead the Cowboys to three championships.

  "You look at some of those particular teams that had success for years with the guys they called the three-headed monster. Good things can happen," McNabb said.

  McNabb is coming off the best season of his six-year career. He set a team record with 3,875 yards passing, became the first NFL player to throw for more than 30 touchdowns (31) and less than 10 interceptions (eight), and his passer rating of 104.7 was second in the National Football Conference.

  Often criticized for being inaccurate, he drastically improved his completion percentage -- his 64.0 percent was almost six points higher than his career average -- and broke an NFL record by completing 24 consecutive passes over two games.

  "He's gotten better every year since he's been here. He's continued to take the next step. I think he'll continue to ascend," Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress said.

  McNabb quickly emerged as the leader of the Eagles after he was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 draft. He earned respect with his performance on the field and his affable personality endeared him to coaches and teammates.

  McNabb has endured criticism throughout his career, but he never squabbled with a teammate before this year.
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