Donovan McNabb watched the Philadelphia Eagles play their last playoff game like most fans, sitting in front of a television, cheering and chomping on food.
McNabb was sidelined by a knee injury two years ago when Jeff Garcia stepped in and led the Eagles to an NFC East title and a playoff win over the New York Giants, before their run ended against New Orleans.
It’s been four years since McNabb even took a playoff snap in the Super Bowl. He’s most remembered for vomiting – depending on whose version of the story you believe – in the fourth quarter of that 24-21 loss to New England.
cessor. He got benched, booed and written off only to play his best football down the stretch in crucial games.
Now, McNabb is back in the playoffs, eager to lead the Eagles (9-6-1) against the Minnesota Vikings (10-6) in a wild-card game on Sunday.
“It wouldn’t take three or four years for me to say I missed it,” McNabb said. “You miss it after a year. Even when we made it when Jeff took over, I wanted to be in there. I just continued to rally with the guys and tried to motivate them in any way.
“When the time comes, you just don’t want it to end. You want to take care of each opportunity or take care of each chance that you can while you’re in to stay in. That’s something that, obviously, we’re looking forward to this playoffs.”
McNabb was spoiled by early success. In his first full season as the starter in 2000, he helped the Eagles reach the second round of the playoffs and was runner-up for NFL MVP. Philly went to the NFC championship game the next four years, only winning once.
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They wouldn’t be here without McNabb, who was outstanding after returning from his first career benching. McNabb had nine touchdown passes and only one interception in the last five games after committing seven turnovers in 1 1/2 games.
“I’m just excited about the opportunity of getting back out there and playing,” McNabb said. “The team’s looking forward to this opportunity, playing in a hostile environment like Minneapolis. It’s going to be exciting.”
While McNabb is playoff-tested, though perhaps a little rusty, Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is getting his first postseason experience.
Benched after Minnesota started 0-2, Jackson regained the starting job when veteran Gus Frerotte was injured in Week 14. The 25-year-old Jackson filled in nicely, helping the Vikings win their first division title since 2000.
“I’m going to try and treat it as much as possible like a regular game, even though it’s a lot more important and there’s a lot more pressure,” Jackson said.
In his first career playoff game, McNabb helped the Eagles beat Tampa Bay, 21-3. He completed 24 of 33 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown, one interception and ran for a score. McNabb’s completion percentage (72.7) in that game remains his highest in the playoffs.
“You think about so much in your first playoff game,” McNabb said. “You want to be perfect, you want to lead the team to a victory, and you want to go out and play well. There are a lot of things racing through your mind at that particular time.
“I wouldn’t say that butterflies kick in – maybe for some – but you just think about so much instead of just focusing on going out and being methodical and just running your offense. As the game continues on, you begin to settle down and just play football. He’s going to have a lot racing through his mind. Everybody goes through it, but eventually he’ll settle down and just play football.”
McNabb sent Jackson a text message to offer some encouragement when Vikings coach Brad Childress – an assistant in Philly for McNabb’s first seven seasons – sat him after two games. It was a much appreciated gesture, especially because Jackson has always admired McNabb.
“We are kind of the same type quarterback, a dual-threat,” Jackson said. “We got coached by the same guy, a couple of the same guys in the same offense. So there are similarities. He was one of the guys I looked up to growing up and playing in college and high school. So it’s going to be a fun matchup.”
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