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After the Eagles 31-28 loss to the New England Patriots Sunday night, head coach Andy Reid answered with a simple "yes" when asked if Donovan McNabb was still the Eagles' starting quarterback.

Monday, Reid said that while A.J Feeley's strong play has increased his confidence in Philadelphia's depth under center, it is not cause to cast McNabb aside.

"I don't want to take anything away from what A.J. has done," Reid said. "But I don't want to slight Donovan's accomplishments either. He's a heck of a quarterback."

alt
QB Donovan McNabb (left) spent the weekend at home resting his injuries
McNabb sprained his ankle in the second quarter of Philadelphia's Week 11 victory over Miami, and in his first six meaningful quarters of football since 2004, Feeley acquitted himself well.

Feeley went 13 of 19 for 116 yards against the Dolphins, and bounced back from an interception on his first series to lead the Eagles to a 17-7 win.

Against New England, he finished 27 of 42 for 345 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, arguably the best performance any quarterback has turned in against the Patriots defense this season.

"I thought A.J. played well, he was very confident and decisive with his decisions. Even though I'm sure he'd like a couple of those back, for the most part he got the ball out on time and did a nice job." Reid said. "I thought he had good command of the huddle and he didn't let the crowd or anything affect his play."

After the game, Feeley blamed himself for costing the Eagles the game with two fourth quarter interceptions, and said that he understands that his role is to backup McNabb when the five-time Pro Bowl selection is healthy.

On Monday, Reid praised both of his quarterbacks, and while he was never directly asked for the second day in a row whether or not McNabb remains his starter, he made it clear that if he is 100 percent next Sunday, McNabb will get the start against Seattle.

"Donovan has had so many great games for us," Reid said. "You're talking about one of the greatest quarterbacks in this team's history and (he) will go down as one of the greats in the NFL."

McNabb's status was up in the air in the week leading up to the game until he was declared out on Saturday. He was battling both the sprained ankle and an injury to the thumb on his throwing hand, and did not participate in any practices last week.

Reid said after the game that he expected McNabb to be ready to go in time to face Seattle, and reiterated that point on Monday. He also said that both the ankle injury and the injury to the thumb were factors in McNabb being held out of the game against New England, and said that neither would have been 100 percent had McNabb tried to play.

McNabb worked out early Monday morning, and Reid said that he would not play McNabb if he thought he was anything less than 100 percent. What exactly constitutes 100 percent?

"That's a good question because you're dealing with a couple different things here," said Reid. "I thought that before he was hurt with the ankle and the thumb, I thought he was making progress to get back to 100 percent of what he was before the knee injury. So, that aside, that's my 100%, where he was before he got hurt. All of a sudden, now you tack on two more things, as a coach you'd be foolish to stick somebody out there that has a bad thumb and a bad knee. That was one of the decisions we made this week and that will be one of the decisions as we go forth this week that I'll have to make. The mark is where he was, right now that I'm looking at, before he had this most recent couple injuries there."

Is McNabb making progress?

"He is making progress, we'll just see how he does here, the next few days," Reid said. "I try to get him back to 100 percent before we stick him in the game there, and be smart with that part of it."

So Reid said if McNabb is healthy he wills start.

In ym opinion, i want A.J Feeley should start.  He just destroyed the only undeafted team in the league and almost won it foer them and got Greg Lewis invlolved who had like 1 catch the whole season before that game.

A.J gets my vote to start

http://fannation.com/groups/show/15945

November 27, 2007  03:55 PM ET

I would go w/ AJ. I have no clue what's going on w/ DMac, but there is something awry in that locker room. AJ gives them the best chance to win.

November 27, 2007  03:55 PM ET

As a Cowboys fan, I hope McNabb starts.

I don't think either one is any good, but I dislike McNabb even more, so I'd LOVE to see him go through the disgrace of losing, making an even bigger fool of himself, pulling his team further out of playoff contention, and eventually being benched with like 2 weeks less.


That being said, Feeley gives them a better chance to win.

November 27, 2007  03:56 PM ET

I think Feeley deserves the start. If as a team, the Eagles could keep the Patriots pressured like they did with Feeley at the helm, then this weekend the Eagles should be 6-6 and not 5-7.

November 27, 2007  04:01 PM ET

I hope McNabb is in Chicago next year. That would be good for him.

November 27, 2007  04:04 PM ET

Start Feeley the rest of the season. trade mcnabb this offseason, then start bringing kolb up to the startinig job at middle to end of next year

November 27, 2007  04:07 PM ET

Feeley. Neither QB is going to the playoffs so let the younger and hotter guy roll cuz mcnagging injury isnt even going to be around in green next season.

November 27, 2007  04:10 PM ET

I would stick with Feeley. I think the McNabb era is over in Philadelphia, so it's best to end it now then to wait until the end of the season.

November 27, 2007  04:11 PM ET

McNabb is DONE. When the Eagles left the Super Bowl stadium three years ago, McNabb's career was over.

November 27, 2007  04:12 PM ET

McNabb is gonna keep playing because people have this ridiculous notion that he was some amazing quarterback.

But the rest of his career is gonna be marked by inaccuracy, poor scrambling, losing, and injury.

November 27, 2007  05:34 PM ET

McNabb or Feeley? Hmmm....... NO CARROTS ITS MCNABELOUS!!!!

November 27, 2007  05:59 PM ET

LOL No Carrots? ****?

McNabb has it in him to lead a team to the SB again. This is a bad year for him. No ifs, ands, or buttz.

I get the sense from the last 2-3 seasons that maybe McNabb has lost the confidence of his team, whether it is consciously or unconsciously.

Follow me on this one:

2005: The Fallout with TO rips the locker room apart and there are 2 camps. 1) The TO camp who believes the Eagles are too cheap with their players. 2) McNabb and anyone else who's looking on the good side of being locked up with a fat contract for many years.

2006: The Eagles have a long losing slide where they lose close games. McNabb goes out with the injury and suddenly the team rallies around Garcia.

2007: McNabb and the entire team struggles mightily with the exception of the Lions game. McNabb goes out with the ankle/thumb injury and somehow the team rallies around Feeley to play a lights out game vs. the Pats.

It's oversimplification. But there has to be something to it.

November 27, 2007  06:43 PM ET

McNabb

Feeley os next season's starter when McNabb gets a much needed change of scenery......

November 27, 2007  07:07 PM ET

why didn't they start kevin kolb? there's so much buzz about him being the QB of the future, and what a better defense to learn against than new england?

November 27, 2007  08:39 PM ET

They didn't start Kolb for the same reason they didn't start McNabb the first year he was drafted: experience.

McNabb wasn't half the QB he was in 1999 as he was when the Birds went to the SB. There has to be progression.

Kolb could be a great QB with enough time to learn the system and watch it from the sideline. Also, if they activated Kolb then they'd have to deactivate McNabb or Feeley.

 
December 2, 2007  03:57 AM ET

Wow, the Feeley backers are out in force. You know, it's been said that the Backup's best game is the first one. The Patriots game plan was to stop BWest and force Feeley to beat them, he was the afterthought. He almost did, but there is a reason he'd been cut twice already. .

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