The only thing injured on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb yesterday was his pride, and his benching might eventually cost coach Andy Reid his job.
Quarterbacks and head coaches are often tied together when it comes to job security, and when one goes, the other often shortly follows. Just ask former Ravens coach Brian Billick and Kyle Boller.
Reid benched his star quarterback after a miserable first half in which McNabb completed just 8 of 18 passes for 59 yards and had two interceptions and a quarterback rating of 13.2.
It was a bad move by Reid. The Eagles were down by only 10-7 at the half, and McNabb has rallied his team in similar situations many times throughout his 10-year career. Also, hasn't McNabb been to the Pro Bowl five times?
Maybe McNabb has played poorly in the past couple of games, and Reid was definitely looking for a spark. But he replaced McNabb with second-year player Kevin Kolb.
Kevin Kolb?
He turned this kid loose against one of the best defenses in the NFL, one that was embarrassed a week ago against the Giants.
The kid had no chance.
"It turned our antennas up," Ravens safety Ed Reed said of McNabb's benching.
Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle said: "Kevin Kolb. I'm not trying to be nasty or anything, but I don't even know who he is."
Kolb completed 10 of 23 passes for 73 yards and two interceptions. He finished with a quarterback rating of 15.3 and might have finished off McNabb's and Reid's careers in Philadelphia.
Second to none
The Ravens' secondary turned in its best performance of the season with four interceptions. It also knocked down eight passes, and not one Eagles receiver caught a pass behind the secondary.
Reed returned an interception for a record 108-yard touchdown.
"Considering what we're working with, I think we're just getting used to playing with each other," Rolle said.
It also helps that the Eagles' receivers haven't been any good since Terrell Owens during the 2005 season.
What was he thinking?
I agree with Reed when he said it wasn't a smart decision when he tried to lateral to Rolle at the Philadelphia 12-yard line after picking off a pass by McNabb late in the first half.
It was stupid, goofy, idiotic and selfish, something players would do from the University of Miami.
And did I mention stupid?
Up to speed?
