I saw a quarterback who did not get protection basically in either game, that was running for his life and if it wasn’t for him they’d probably have sack records down in Dallas. They were around his feet, hitting him, doing everything the whole time. I saw a lot of problems with the Eagles football team and quarterback was way down that list. There were a lot of problems above him. To bring that debate straight to the quarterback is wrong. There were many other factors that caused the Eagles to lose that wasn’t Donovan McNabb.”

Those of us who aren’t McNabb haters would likely concur with Simms. Placing all the blame on 5 is just nuts. Since he gets paid to be critical, Simms offered some criticism as well:

“Do I believe accuracy is a weakness of Donovan McNabb? Absolutely. I think it’s what it comes down to when people criticize him. He does miss open receivers that you’d expect a Peyton Manning and those types of throwers to hit at an extremely high rate. But McNabb brings other qualities. He’s big, strong, works around and he has a powerful arm. He makes a few throws in every single game that only a handful of guys can make in the NFL.”

It is true that Don has one of the strongest arms in the NFL and because of that can make some uncanny throws that most guys couldn’t dream of completing. However, the problem is and always has been those pesky easy passes. Three or four per game can add up to a lot of missed opportunities during a season, and in a sport that’s all about converting on the limited chances you are bestowed, it can be the difference between 11-5 and 14-2.

The pessimist in me says that Don is never going to improve his accuracy. He’s been in the league for 11 years. You don’t just suddenly become a 65% completion guy overnight. In other words, we can expect more of the same in 2010, meaning a couple terrible games and a few others in which he is great one half, inconsistent the next.

The optimist in me believes that Reid and Co. will start to alleviate the pressure on their aging quarterback by running the ball more and better. Maybe if Don isn’t asked to hurl it 40 times a game, he might be a little more relaxed when he does have to drop back. Of course this is wishful thinking because the Birds are a pass-first offense. Problem is Donovan isn’t really a pass-first quarterback.

What do Peyton, Eli, Brees, Brady, Favre, Roethlisberger, Schaub, Rodgers, Rivers, Warner, Romo, Cutler and Palmer all have in common? Each has eclipsed 4000 yards in a season at least once. They also happen to have ten Super Bowl wins an 15 appearances between them.

McNabb falls into a category with the likes of Hasselbeck and Delhomme. Guys who have been to the Big Game once without having surpassed the 4000 yard mark. None of them has made a return trip either. You can certainly factor in missed games due to injury, but Brees, Manning and Favre usually only need 13 or 14 games to hit 4000.

What’s my point? If your quarterback isn’t an elite passer he will need a better than average running attack to offset his limitations. In 2003, Delhomme guided the Panthers to the final game aided by Stephen Davis who rushed for over 1400 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2005, Hasselbeck piggybacked Shaun Alexander’s 1880 yards and 27 scores to reach the title tilt.

Reid has been masquerading Don as being something he isn’t. If you ever saw McNabb play at Syracuse what you witnessed was a playmaking quarterback capable of throwing and running. He was asked to carry the ‘Cuse for four years and he did so, but he wasn’t good enough to make them a national title contender. For that, he would have needed some help, which he never really got.

His career path as an Eagle has been eerily similar. Until Brian Westbrook emerged as a dynamic dual-threat in 2004, Don had very little to work with. One season with Terrell Owens and the last two with DeSean Jackson has provided glimpses of brilliance, but not enough to translate to a championship.

Take Super Bowl XXXIX for example. The Eagles lost partly because McNabb was asked to chuck it 51 times, while the pathetic ground game netted 45 yards on 16 attempts. Sure, Don tossed a couple awful interceptions, but zero help from the backfield made his job that much tougher. It’s not as if the Birds were down by 20 points and had to mount an aerial bombardment to get back in it. The game was tied 14-14 after three quarters.

So, when placing blame it might be wise to look at the philosophy, not just the player. Reid has been asking Donovan to run an unbalanced offense for over a decade. An offense that he’s never really been equipped to run. Maybe Kevin Kolb is a better fit for Reid’s style of play-calling. At this point, it’s too early to tell. Maybe Kolb will get his shot down the road. Or maybe he’ll be with another team in 2011. Nobody knows.

Is Don inaccurate at times? Yes. Does he hold the ball too damn long? Yup. Is he susceptible to long periods of funk? You bet he is. But when you play for the pass happiest coach in the history of the game and you don’t possess the same talent as Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, it could be that you aren’t the problem.

It could be that the guy in charge is to blame. Unfortunately, he ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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Overall, I’d call it a decent game. There weren’t a ton of big plays on offense, but both defenses came up stout at different times. Not surprisingly it came down to smooth quarterback play and smart, aggressive coaching, especially the called onside kick to open the second half, that paid off huge.

Hmm. It seems the very things that led to victory are the same things lacking on the Eagles. I would imagine the brain trust knows what needs to be fixed in order to improve their chances of reaching Super Bowl XLV. Of course knowing what to do and actually executing them to perfection are completely different things.

The real offseason begins now. Fasten your seatbelts.

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If I recall, I think they had another CFL player in camp last summer: cornerback Byron Parker, if I’m not mistaken. At least the front office is leaving no stone unturned. Maybe one of these guys will stick. If so, we can all have fun making awful McKenzie Brothers jokes. Nice.

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Now, this is a move I can get firmly behind. Savage knows his stuff. However, I do find it a bit odd that a week after elevating young Howie Roseman to GM, the Birds then run out and find one of the top draft gurus in the biz. I give Howie props for admitting he might need a little extra assistance, but I thought he was supposed to be ready to roll.

In any case, this could end up being one of those under the radar moves that pays off big. We shall see.

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Andy Reid knows Dicky boy from their time together in Green Bay. He may very well be a fine position coach, but the guy seems to carry the specter of losing wherever he goes. Yeah, I know, he once went 13-3 with Jim Miller under center, but his track record has been deplorable since then.

Not that Brian Stewart was any great shakes either. He offered zero help in losing to the Cowboys three times. Well, they gotta give the job to somebody. I would rather it be someone who doesn’t sleep in a coffin, but who knows, maybe the old bastard will help young McDermott see the error of his ways. Either that or he’ll drink his blood and transform him into a fellow creature of the night, which I have to admit would be pretty damn cool.

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Imagine how much more bitter the Birds-Skins rivalry will be should Brooks make the team. What a coup it will be when Brooks nails a corner kick to seal a victory in Washington next season. I can’t wait.

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Ingram spoke openly about his rehab and what he still needs to do before returning to the field. Evidently he’s been running full speed for about a month and says his knee feels much stronger than it did after his first surgery. It could all be player speak, but he sounded genuine to me.

He also revealed that he is using yoga to help improve his flexibility, strength and mental focus. Lots of pro athletes include yoga as part of their workout regimen, but a 6′4″ 245 lb man cut from granite doing a “bound lotus” pose must be quite a sight to behold. Hey, whatever helps the big man get healthy is okay with me.

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DeSean Jackson – MVP worthy: 6 catches for 101 and two scores, one of which went for 58 yards from Donovan. If any guy belongs in the Pro Bowl on a regular basis, it’s DeSean. His incredible talents once again impressed.

Donovan McNabb – Played like a rookie. Was horribly inaccurate; threw one pick to Brian Dawkins and another that was nullified by a penalty.  He also led the NFC in rushing with 26 yards, which was odd. His best play was the aforementioned bubble screen to DJax. Overall, not very sharp, even for a fake game.

Leonard Weaver – He was out there, but I didn’t notice him do much. Not his fault. Fullbacks are rarely featured in All-Star exhibitions.

Jason Peters – Played the whole game and didn’t allow a sack (I think). However, it’s not as if the defensive ends really went all out to get to the quarterbacks.

Asante Samuel – Got beat on a double-move for six by Andre Johnson. Also notched a second half interception. Typical good and bad performance.

David Akers – Made his two FG attempts from 47 and 40 yards.

Trent Cole – Like Weaver, a quiet game.

Quintin Mikell – See Cole.

Jon Dorenbos – Saw him cheering wildly after Dan Carpenter missed a FG at the end of the first half. That was about it. Hey, he’s the long snapper.

Mercifully, the Pro Bowl is over. On to the Big Game. Oh, here are DeSean’s two touchdowns, in case you missed them.

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Eagles stud wide receiver DeSean Jackson will face one of his biggest challenges to date next Tuesday. If he thought shaking Mike Jenkins was hard, he ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. Thanks to the fine folks at Gatorade, DJax will go toe-to-toe with one of my fellow sports bloggers (Will Brinson) in a grueling workout session in Miami.

As hilarious as that sounds, the best part is we will all get the opportunity to watch these two unique talents live on the interwebs. Starting at 2:30pm on Tuesday, ustream will air the whole shebang, which will include a weigh-in and some cycling.

Godspeed Will Brinson. Hopefully, I won’t need to write an obituary when it’s all over.

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