Playcalling change spurred Eagles' surge

BENCHMARK: A change in playcalling might have actually been the impetus for a 5-1 run that earned the Eagles the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs and a  wild-card victory at Minnesota. But the return of QB Donovan McNabb from a Nov. 23 second-half benching against Baltimore makes for a convenient touchstone. The former MVP had 14 TD passes and eight INTs before the benching and has 10 scores and two picks since. “For me, it’s just understanding there are a lot of positive things that can happen, although there were some negatives out of not playing well at that time,” McNabb, above, said. “I don’t think (the benching) played a factor into how I’m playing now. ” Added coach Andy Reid: “Sometimes you just need to take a little bit of a step back and take a big step forward.”

KEEP MOVING ON: Reid-McNabb and Bill Walsh-Joe Montana are the only first-time head coach-rookie QB tandems to join a team at the same time and last 10 seasons together. On Oct. 12, coincidentally  at San Francisco, Reid and McNabb won their 76th game  to surpass the 49er legends as the most successful coach-QB tandem.

NUMBER OF THE DAY
7 Eagles division-round appearances under Reid since 1999, most in the NFL during that span.