Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, Pa. ó Donovan McNabb zipped passes to rookies and undrafted no-names, clearly not bothered by a shoulder injury that forced him to miss a few offseason practices.
The five-time Pro Bowl quarterback joined rookies and selected veterans Tuesday as the Philadelphia Eagles kicked off training camp at Lehigh University. Though McNabb was expected to participate all along, many watched closely to see if the shoulder affected him.
After limiting McNabb’s throws in minicamp, the Eagles shut him down during a passing camp in June because of an injury they termed “tendinitis.” McNabb called it “tightness.” No matter, he rested his shoulder, rehabbed and resumed throwing during workouts with teammates at his home in Arizona.
“I haven’t had any reoccurrence,” he said. “It’s fine, and I don’t expect to have any reoccurrence. It took rest and stretching. In this position I play, it’s just repetition and continuing to throw the routes and getting that velocity back that you would throw in game speed.”
Eagles coach Andy Reid plans to hold McNabb to a pitch count in camp. That doesn’t mean McNabb will get yanked from games in the fourth quarter if he reaches a certain number of passes the way a starting pitcher is pulled after making 100-plus pitches in a baseball game.
But McNabb probably will get more rest in practice, giving way to backups Kevin Kolb and A.J. Feeley.
“We keep a count of it each day and it feels fine now,” McNabb said.
McNabb fired several passes to second-round pick DeSean Jackson and rookie free agent Shaheer McBride in the morning practice. He drew cheers from the crowd after tossing a pretty 35-yard pass to Frantz Hardy, another undrafted rookie.
The team’s first practice in full pads is set for Saturday, so McNabb will have to wait a few more days before he can work with more familiar targets. The team didn’t get him a big-time playmaker like Chad Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald or Roy Williams, but McNabb is saying all the right things publicly.
“I love my guys,” he said.
Jackson, a second-round pick, was the only addition to a much-maligned receiving corps that includes starters Kevin Curtis (77 catches, 1,110 yards, six touchdowns) and Reggie Brown (61-780-4).
“It’s important for us to get in a rhythm early and continue to stay consistent throughout,” McNabb said.
McNabb is coming off an up-and-down season. He started slow after returning quickly following surgery to repair a torn knee ligament that forced him to miss the final six games in 2006. But he finished strong after ankle and thumb injuries cost him two games late in the season.
McNabb’s completion percentage (61.5) was the second-highest in his career, and he threw for 3,324 yards, 19 TDs and seven interceptions. He led the Eagles to three straight wins at the end, but they finished 8-8 to miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons after reaching the Super Bowl in 2004.
“I expected to come out a lot better than I did,” McNabb said. “That was the frustrating part about it, because you just don’t have all of your faculties, if it was the mobility, or if it was just the sudden movement to be able to react a little bit quicker.”