PHILADELPHIA — Benching Donovan McNabb won't solve the Philadelphia Eagles' problems.
Coach Andy Reid is more responsible for the team's decline than the quarterback. Reid has compiled an impressive resume in his 10 seasons as coach, turning a franchise that was a laughingstock when he took over into one of the elite teams in the NFL. He's guided the Eagles to six playoff appearances, five division titles, four trips to the NFC championship game and one Super Bowl.
But the Eagles (5-5-1) are on the verge of their third last-place finish since falling three points short against New England in the 2005 Super Bowl. Reid deserves most of the blame instead of McNabb, who played hurt or was out all together in three of those seasons.
Reid is the one making the important decisions. As executive vice president of football operations, he has final say on personnel matters. The group he's put together simply isn't good enough to compete for a championship.
The Eagles need an overhaul, and getting rid of McNabb is an easy move that says "we're changing direction." But it's not the answer.
Yes, McNabb has been awful recently — and that obviously played into Reid's decision to yank a guy who has been to five Pro Bowls at halftime of Sunday's 36-7 loss at Baltimore.
Putting Kevin Kolb in against a tough Ravens defense, however, wasn't a wise decision — especially when the Eagles desperately needed to win to maintain their slim playoff hopes. The Eagles only trailed 10-7 at the time and McNabb gave them a better chance to win. Kolb had only thrown nine career passes, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he struggled badly. Kolb was 10-for-23 for 73 yards and two interceptions, including one returned an NFL-record 108 yards for a touchdown by Ed Reed.
McNabb will be starting again in Thursday's game against Arizona.
The Eagles were down 22-7 and had a second down inside the 1 with just under 8 minutes left when Kolb threw the costly pick to Reed. It was a terrible decision to make that throw into coverage. But the play itself should've never been called. A QB sneak could've netted the two feet needed for a touchdown. Any running play would've been a safer bet.
That was yet another example of the Eagles' questionable play calling..
It could've been offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg who chose that play, but Reid won't say who makes the calls anymore. No matter, the offense is way too reliant on the pass and that's hurt McNabb and the team's overall production. The Eagles have passed unsuccessfully instead of running on their last four third-and-1 situations.