By Vaughn McClureDuring a conference call with the Chicago media today, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb addressed Jay Cutler's struggles, talk of McNabb ending his career in Chicago and the health of teammate Brian Westbrook.
One national writer recently suggested Lovie Smith bench Cutler if he has another performance like last Thursday's five-interception night against the 49ers. McNabb, who was pulled at one point last season, was asked for his thoughts about a quarterback being benched.
"Nobody wants to be benched,'' McNabb said. "I'm sure you guys don't want to be pulled from writing your great articles that you guys write ... a suspension for a week or two. Then you'll probably be outside kicking old papers, sitting on the bench drinking coffee and feeling like nobody loves you.''
McNabb offered his thoughts on Cutler, who leads the league with 17 interceptions.
"He's an aggressive guy,'' McNabb said. "He always has the confidence that he can get the ball into tight situations and give his guys the opportunity to make plays. Sometimes, that's costly for you. Sometimes, it's great for you.
"A lot of it can be decision-making. Some could be just poor judgment. And the list goes on. But I think, overall, you want your quarterback to be aggressive and play aggressive and have the confidence that they can make every throw.''
McNabb was asked about his mentality in the red zone.
"You have to be a little bit cautious but still stay aggressive,'' he said. "You want to try and put it on your guy's body, so you may try to give him a 'heater' so to speak, throw it a little bit harder than usual.
"I think also, what you have to do as a quarterback is recognize what you're seeing, try to get it to the open guy. And also, give credit to the defense. Sometimes the defense locks down your guys and you just have to do what's best with the ball - either run yourself or throw it out of bounds for the next play.''
As for talk of him ending up in Chicago, McNabb said that hasn't stopped despite the Bears' trade for Cutler.
"That will never stop,'' McNabb said with a laugh. "But Jay's going to be all right. It's still a long season ahead of us. I look for good things to happen over here in Philadelphia, and I'm sure he's looking for the same thing in Chicago.''
McNabb addressed Westbrook's concussion issues, saying the running back should get a third opinion.
"He's had two concussions,'' McNabb said. "I know Trent Edwards has three. I know Michael Lewis, a friend of mine, has had I believe three this year. And it hasn't been a recurring thing for Brian, so it makes his decision a lot tougher.''
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