McNabb ready for clash of the quarterbacks
“I’ll be ready,” McNabb said of his showdown with electrifying Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. “It’s going to be exciting, and I’m going to have a lot of fun with it.”
“The big talk this week is probably going to be our No. 5 against their No. 7,” Eagles’ Pro Bowl cornerback Troy Vincent said. “These guys are mirror images of each other in what they bring to the table.”
McNabb missed the last six games of the season after breaking his ankle in November in a game against Arizona. But the Eagles won five games without him to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
McNabb resumed practicing with the first-team offense last week Like Vick, McNabb is a major threat with his feet, but it remains to be seen if he will be reduced to a pocket passer due to his injury.
Falcons’ outspoken cornerback Ray Buchanan made it known that he's ready for McNabb.
“We'd probably rather see McNabb, because he's not as mobile right now,” Buchanan said. “I think if we go against McNabb, we have a better chance.”
Falcons’ coach Dan Reeves was quick to distance himself from Buchanan’s remarks. And McNabb himself said he hoped to capitalise on just that attitude.
“According to everyone else, I’m not mobile,” McNabb said. “I’ll just let people continue to think that, and when the time comes, I'll make sure I showcase that a little bit.”
While the Falcons will have to account for McNabb, the Eagles will have to worry about the NFL’s fastest signal-caller in Vick, who already has made an impact in his first postseason.
In the wild card round, Vick - the NFL’s youngest quarterback at 22 - made history by leading the Falcons to a surprising 27-7 rout at Green Bay. The Falcons became the first team in history to hand the Packers a home playoff loss.
In the weekend’s second NFC battle, the San Francisco 49ers try to follow up the second-biggest comeback in playoff history with another victory when they visit Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers are the league’s No. 1 defence, allowing just 12.3 points this season and are hoping to reach the NFC championship game for the second time in four years. The Niners last reached the NFC title game in Steve Mariucci’s first year as coach in 1997.
Following Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco’s rich quarterback legacy, Jeff Garcia last week put his stamp on the playoffs, completin 27-of-44 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 60 yards and another score. Like San Francisco, Pittsburgh will have to re-focus after a rallying for a first-round victory over Cleveland last week.
The Steelers travel to Tennessee today, and the winner of Pittsburgh-Tennessee will face either the New York Jets or Oakland in the AFC Championship game.
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