Eagles' McNabb steadfast in criticism

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- This is the new Donovan McNabb.

On Sunday, the usually guarded Philadelphia Eagles quarterback stood by his comments of Friday regarding the team's offseason moves.

"Leadership comes from within," he said. "It's about showing by example as well as expressing it in some ways. Sometimes you have to do that. I think the way I went about it wasn't a bad deal. For you guys, it may have been a little odd to hear me say it, but I'm human just like you guys."

After last season's run to the NFC championship, the Eagles remained content to stick to their long-term salary-cap plans and not overpay their veteran free agents. Consequently, they lost several key members of the team.

Defensive end Hugh Douglas (Jacksonville Jaguars), outside linebacker Shawn Barber (Kansas City Chiefs), and punter Sean Landeta (St. Louis Rams) signed elsewhere, while kick returner Brian Mitchell joined the division-rival New York Giants after being offered no more than the veteran salary-cap minimum to stay in Philadelphia.

In 2001, the team lost middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to a more lucrative offer from the Washington Redskins.

The annual loss of team leaders for salary-cap reasons -- a common occurrence in the NFL -- finally prompted McNabb to address the situation publicly.

"When you lose 12 guys, its tough," he said. "In the past couple years, we've never lost this many guys. I could've said it [my] first year, second year, third year. It doesn't matter. Anybody who feels in any type of way, obviously you want to think about what you say before you say it, but if you feel that way, don't be afraid to express it."

McNabb said he has had no discussions with head coach Andy Reid or any members of the front office regarding the matter, but would not deny that he received positive feedback from his teammates.

"Guys understood where I was coming from," McNabb said. "It's not a situation where I'm sitting here and I'm just talking underneath my breath or I'm not just expressing something that maybe the guys around the corner feel about. It's something that we all felt. It's something that I felt. You asked me the question, so I just explained it in a way I felt it needed to be expressed."

Reid said he understood McNabb's concerns and did not seem surprised by his quarterback's reaction.

"I'm very comfortable with our guys and they are so close," Reid said. "So when you separate guys out of this pod right here, this team, heck, its a shocker when you come in here. They've read about it, but until you have the reality of being here and seeing it and living it, all of a sudden there are some faces missing. I would expect some disappointment just from the camaraderie and love those guys have for one another and the things they've been through."

McNabb has been cautious when speaking about personnel moves since being drafted by the Eagles in 1999, but seemed particularly displeased after this offseason.

"I don't read the papers," he said Sunday. "I just expressed my feelings. There's nothing wrong with that. ... I pretty much don't care about the attention it received. It's over and we'll continue to move on."

Notes: Reid said he was pleased with the team's progress during their first minicamp. "It's good to get the guys back in here and get readjusted," he said. "I thought they were productive and there was a limited amount of errors, good intensity and so on." The Eagles rookies will reconvene May 28-30 at the teams practice facility for their second minicamp. McNabb's offseason workouts will continue this week in Arizona. Chad Lewis and Todd Pinkston and James Thrash will join him at some point. McNabb said he hopes to convince rookies Billy McMullen and L.J. Smith to work out as well.

 

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