IRVING, Texas - If there are any lingering questions about how good of a player Donovan McNabb has really been all these years, consider with what the Eagles' quarterback has had to work.
James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, Hank Baskett - solid pros, all of whom have enjoyed pretty successful NFL careers, but not a real No. 1 receiver in the bunch. Still, whoever McNabb has been throwing to since he came into the league in 1999, the Eagles have usually been successful.
So consider how dangerous McNabb could be Sunday night against the Cowboys, and in the coming years, with some real playmakers to get the ball to in second-year speedster DeSean Jackson, and fellow track-star youngster Jeremy Maclin, who the Eagles chose in the first round of the April draft.
McNabb throws one of the best deep balls in the game, and suddenly the Eagles have given him a couple guys who can go get it.
The Cowboys' secondary is on notice.
"Definitely, it's an eyebrow-raiser," Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins said. "I think the coaches look forward to just giving us the challenge as a secondary, because when we came in the meeting they had a film of D-Jack, Maclin, pretty much all their receivers. Everybody on their team stretches the field."
Here's what they're up against. In five appearances sandwiched around a rib injury, McNabb has thrown for 1,008 yards with nine touchdowns and just one interception. His quarterback rating is currently 103.2, a mark he's only bettered once in his career, in 2004, leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl with a 104.7 rating.
The air assault wasn't weakened too much with McNabb out of the lineup, either. Backup Kevin Kolb threw for 741 yards and four touchdowns in his two appearances.
All the passing success has helped the Eagles to a 5-2 record, same as the Cowboys. The easiest way to measure the Eagles' improvement through the air this season is to look at their yards-per-attempt numbers. McNabb is averaging 7.6 yards each time he throws, third-best of his career in that category.
The maturation of Jackson and addition of Maclin seem to have made a big difference for the Eagles' offense. McNabb said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday that this year's supporting cast is possibly the most talented he's had. But he says his two starting receivers are more than just fast runners.
"Everyone has speed - it's really having the ability to makes plays," McNabb said. "These are two guys who you just want to find ways to put the ball in their hands and have them create something, that goes for all our guys. It's important for myself just to recognize what I see and give them a real opportunity."
When he or Kolb have been able to do it, the Eagles' pass-catchers have come through. Jackson has four touchdown receptions this year, all of them from 50 yards plus, and 501 total yards. It's the follow-up to a 2008 rookie season in which he caught 62 balls for 912 yards and two scores. Maclin has had similar success in his first NFL campaign, with 22 catches for 293 yards and three touchdowns already.
But the Eagles have more weapons than just their receivers. Tight end Brent Celek has 37 catches for 447 yards and three scores, and running back Brian Westbrook is usually heavily involved in Andy Reid's passing game.
Speed on the outside is an element Philadelphia's offense hasn't always had, though.
"It's helped out a lot," McNabb said. "At times you see us getting one-on-one coverage with the tight end, and if they double inside it means you have one-on-one outside. You can't forget about our running backs as well. It puts a lot of pressure on defenses for ways to try and attack us and try to figure out where we're going to go with the ball."
For secondary coach Dave Campo's group, Philadelphia's versatility just increases the importance of the week's preparation. As fast as the Eagles wideouts are, the Cowboys have good athletes in the secondary as well. If they can get a good read on Philadelphia's intentions before a play, it should help in defending it.
"I think the biggest thing is we've got to use good eyes," Campo said. "We've all got feet and hands and all that stuff, but the eyes are important when you get guys that are running double moves and doing a bunch of different things. As long as we pay attention to that and know what they're trying to do by where they are on the field and those kind of things, I think we have a chance."
The blueprint for beating the Eagles may have come three games back, when they lost to Oakland.
The Raiders were able to shut down Philadelphia's running game, to the tune of just 13 yards allowed on eight first-half carries. With the Eagles one-dimensional, Oakland was able to tee off in the pass rush while keeping all the receiving threats in front of them. McNabb was sacked six times, and completed only 22 of his 46 pass attempts. The end result was a high-flying offense limited to just 10 points.
Wade Phillips believes the Cowboys defense can have similar success if everyone does their job.
"It's the safeties, the corners, the rush - everybody's involved in pass defense," Phillips said. "Sometimes it's slowing a guy down at the line of scrimmage, even a tight end or a back, Westbrook, those kind of people. Everybody's got to be involved. We've got to play our techniques and our defense the way we want it played."
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