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From Donellon's latest article......
McNabb addressed the perception, festering over the 2 days between Sunday's game and his regular Wednesday podium stint, that he was goofing around when he incurred a 5-yard false-start penalty in the late stages of Sunday's excruciating, 30-24 overtime loss to the Giants.
"I felt that the rule was when you're under the center, there's no jerking, there's no head movement to try to draw people offsides," he said. "Now, they were moving around on defense. Obviously, we're trying to run the clock down. I'm watching the play clock and I went down as if I was going under the center."
McNabb then pulled back quickly, not unlike what Peyton Manning does about 30 times a game. But when Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce jumped into the neutral zone, a flag went up.
"Only one person jumped,
and that was the linebacker," McNabb said. "I felt that wasn't a penalty, but the referee thought it was."
The larger issue, though, was McNabb's wide smile after the call. With a 24-14 lead and a little more than 6 minutes remaining - Brian Westbrook's fumble came two plays later - some have suggested that McNabb was not taking the Giants seriously.
It's an argument that can only be made by those who do not watch him regularly.
That smile crops up at all kinds of awkward times. Watch tapes of his horrific first half in a playoff game against Green Bay a few years back.
"It wasn't anything like I was joking or having a good time out there," he said. "I was just trying to see what defense we were going to see in case I had to check into another play."
"Do you think people misinterpret that smile?" he was asked.
"I think so, I think so," he said, repeating it for emphasis. "In that situation we had something to smile about, but I wasn't smiling because of the situation. I was getting guys in the right position to make plays."
It is his way of handling the nerves that by now everyone in the nation is well aware he has.
It is also an attempt to make those around him feel less uptight.
Reid's answer minutes before to a similar question was, "I saw that on Monday when you were asking me questions. Today I am seeing the 49ers. We've moved on. We've discussed all that and we are on to the 49ers and I am not going backwards."
Truth is, he broad-brushed Sunday in his press conference on Monday and was not asked about that particular play then. It would not have mattered. Yesterday, Reid answered all other questions that referred back to Sunday in similar
"moving-forward" gobbledygook.
He sounded defensive, guarded and, frankly, insecure -
attributes some thought might apply to McNabb after his
hellish season of a year ago.
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/15570113.htm
McNabb addressed the perception, festering over the 2 days between Sunday's game and his regular Wednesday podium stint, that he was goofing around when he incurred a 5-yard false-start penalty in the late stages of Sunday's excruciating, 30-24 overtime loss to the Giants.
"I felt that the rule was when you're under the center, there's no jerking, there's no head movement to try to draw people offsides," he said. "Now, they were moving around on defense. Obviously, we're trying to run the clock down. I'm watching the play clock and I went down as if I was going under the center."
McNabb then pulled back quickly, not unlike what Peyton Manning does about 30 times a game. But when Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce jumped into the neutral zone, a flag went up.
"Only one person jumped,
and that was the linebacker," McNabb said. "I felt that wasn't a penalty, but the referee thought it was."
The larger issue, though, was McNabb's wide smile after the call. With a 24-14 lead and a little more than 6 minutes remaining - Brian Westbrook's fumble came two plays later - some have suggested that McNabb was not taking the Giants seriously.
It's an argument that can only be made by those who do not watch him regularly.
That smile crops up at all kinds of awkward times. Watch tapes of his horrific first half in a playoff game against Green Bay a few years back.
"It wasn't anything like I was joking or having a good time out there," he said. "I was just trying to see what defense we were going to see in case I had to check into another play."
"Do you think people misinterpret that smile?" he was asked.
"I think so, I think so," he said, repeating it for emphasis. "In that situation we had something to smile about, but I wasn't smiling because of the situation. I was getting guys in the right position to make plays."
It is his way of handling the nerves that by now everyone in the nation is well aware he has.
It is also an attempt to make those around him feel less uptight.
Reid's answer minutes before to a similar question was, "I saw that on Monday when you were asking me questions. Today I am seeing the 49ers. We've moved on. We've discussed all that and we are on to the 49ers and I am not going backwards."
Truth is, he broad-brushed Sunday in his press conference on Monday and was not asked about that particular play then. It would not have mattered. Yesterday, Reid answered all other questions that referred back to Sunday in similar
"moving-forward" gobbledygook.
He sounded defensive, guarded and, frankly, insecure -
attributes some thought might apply to McNabb after his
hellish season of a year ago.
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/15570113.htm
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