Donovan McNabb has got to forget the Terrell Owens years and accept the fact that the Eagles offense is a "dink and dunk" attack. He got to drop and take what the defense gives him and not be looking for the big play.
There will be days that he can throw for 300 yards and 3 TD's, but they're going to be the exception and not the rule. He must go back to his pre-Owens days and focus on simply running the offense and not expecting a bunch of explosive plays. The Eagles didn't score a lot before Owens got here and they're not going to consistently get into the thirties, now that he's left. But they can be more consistent if McNabb is thinking simply of taking the short dink and dunk throws.
By the way, the Eagles are never going to win a Super Bowl with the dink and dunk because they don't have the personnel to put up a lot of points. You need to have receivers and running backs who can take a short throw and turn it into a big play. They have one guy who does that consistently and that's Brian Westbrook. They have another guy who does it when he gets some room and that's Kevin Curtis. Nobody else on the ball club is above average after they catch the football.
With Owens in the line-up, McNabb was able to hold the football and be confident that T.O. was going to get open and come down with the football. He was thinking big play every time he got behind center. Even the much maligned Todd Pinkston was able to Now he's got to take the short throw, which most defenses will give him. The 2004 year set the bar very high, but Donovan has to realize that 2004 isn't the current reality.
Last year in the offense, McNabb started the season out connecting on big plays down the field. A number of outstanding defenses, like Tennessee and Jacksonville, put an end to those big plays but McNabb has continued looking down field for big plays. Jeff Garcia on the other hand is a dink and dunk specialist. He averaged throwing for about 200 yards a game. He's doing the same thing now down in Tampa. I know Donovan wouldn't be happy with those types figures but that's the cards he's been dealt. He can't be holding the ball waiting for T.O. to get open because Owens isn't here any more.
At the same time, not only must McNabb accept the fact that he's no longer playing with receivers who can get deep week after week, the coaches and the media can't say McNabb played bad if he goes out and does like Garcia did and completes 15 passes for 180 yards. It's not the offense which McNabb should be running but it's the one he's stuck with.
