Eagles Play Calling Duties

In the 2006 season, the Philadelphia Eagles saw their franchise quarterback go down with an ACL injury and an aging backup quarterback in Jeff Garcia step in and spark the offense. Many fans will ask, what is the myth behind Garcia's great play. Why didnt Donovan McNabb succeed like he did. Well, its simple. In the ten games Donovan McNabb played in, the birds went 5-5. McNabb for himself threw 18 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions. The team however, was playing mediocore. For his whole career, McNabb had Andy Reid calling the shots on offense and, nothing was about to change. The Eagles offense after the 10 games, relied soley on the pass. Donovan threw the ball an average of 35.6 times per game this season and Brian Westbrook was averaging only 15 carries a game. Westbrook, the now known spark plug to this Eagles offense wasnt touching the ball as much times as he would like. Any Reid was devoted to the pass. However, after Donovan went down with a tear in his ACL, in came 37 year old Jeff Garcia. Jeff had shaped out a nice career in San Fransisco but had shown age his past to stints in Cleveland and Detroit. He knew the west coast offense as well as anyone, and was good friends with Marty Morninweg from the time they spent in San Fransisco. After the Tennesee loss, Andy Reid handed the playcalling duties over to Morninweg. His playcalling not only was alot more balanced but it was to accomodate Jeff Garcia. As old as Jeff had gotten, he couldnt handle the 35 passes a game. This played a significant role in Brian Westbrook's success late in the year. Marty trimmed down the Eagles passing load from 35 a game to 28 throws a game. This meant wonders for Westbrook. Instead of carrying the ball a measly 15 a game, Brian would now carry the ball 21 times a game. Since Brian was seeing more touches come his way, Marty was balancing the offense and the Eagles were winning games. The question that lies ahead from Eagles fans was, could a healthy Donovan McNabb be having this same success. The answer, yes. We all know Donovan is an All-Pro, possible Hall of Fame quarterback, who loves to spread the ball. When Morninweg calls plays, its opens up the Eagles arsenal on offense. Marty's style of play was more Garcia friendly. He didnt need to win the games, just keep the birds in them. Brian Westbrook was the icon on offense. Since Marty Morninweg tooken over playcalling, Westbrook averaged 5.3 yards per carry, including the two Eagles playoff games. The birds were running the ball more and using their offensive line more, exploiting other linebacking corps. This change in style, lead to wins for the Eagles and recognization for Jeff Garcia, who the Eagles decided not to re-sign. With Marty Morninweg calling plays now, it allows the Eagles to open up more. Westbrook can run the ball and catch the ball. He now has the greatest possibility to catch and run for 1000 yards each. The offensive line now, is able to run block more and has a whole year of training together. Alluding to that, Donovan McNabb will be healthy and ready to lead the Eagles offense. The birds team is built to run the ball, and that is just what they will do.