McNabb Out Plays Couch

Donovan McNabb did more than win the quarterback duel against Tim Couch. He helped the seemingly hopeless Philadelphia Eagles avoid their first winless preseason in 23 years.

Next goal: Becoming the starter.

McNabb outplayed the only quarterback picked ahead of him in the draft, then directed two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter as the Eagles beat the Cleveland Browns 30-17 Thursday night.

Even McNabb has been in Philadelphia long enough to know that a quarterback controversy comes next and that nobody does controversy like Philly.

McNabb was 14-for-24 for 93 yards and three touchdowns, coolly leading the Eagles' third-team offense to 20 points in the fourth. Couch was 5-for-9 for 41 yards and an interception, playing the second quarter and two drives in the third.

"It was decent, but I didn't make a lot of plays," Couch said. "We had a tough night all around offensively."

McNabb also outperformed Pederson, who was 9-for-16 for 45 yards. The Eagles had turnovers on their first two possessions actually, two in their first three plays and the first-team offense prompted a scathing indictment from coach Andy Reid.

"When I say it wasn't pretty, I mean that wasn't even close to being pretty," Reid said. "... It's ridiculous to have the first two series like we did."

McNabb had much more time than Couch to show what he can do, entering the game early in the second quarter and playing the rest. With a crowd of 64,978 on hand, McNabb kept thEagles (1-3) from having their first winless preseason since they were 0-6 in 1976. The Browns dropped to 2-3.

"We won," Reid said with a huge sigh and a smile. "We didn't do it in a pretty fashion."

Sparked by a relentless defense that produced four of Cleveland's seven turnovers in the fourth, the Eagles chased the normally resonant boos out of Veterans Stadium.

Of course, the damage was done with mostly third-stringers on the field after the Eagles' first-team offense looked awful. McNabb, on the other hand, is starting to look like a starting quarterback and a good one.

Pederson's longest completion was his last, for 13 yards, and he had five completions for less than five yards. Nonetheless, Reid continued to stand by his decision to open the season with Pederson as the starter.

"I'm not going to change on that," Reid said flatly.

After Phil Dawson's 27-yard field goal gave Cleveland a 17-10 lead late in the third, the Eagles recovered fumbles on successive possessions and turned them into points with the calm McNabb at the helm.

Ike Reese recovered Madre Hill's fumble at the Cleveland 43. Third-string running back James Bostic promptly ripped off the Eagles' longest play of the year, a 50-yard run to the Cleveland 7. McNabb hit fullback Cecil Martin with a 5-yard TD pass, and Norm Johnson's kick tied it at 17.

On the Browns' next possession, Jamie Martin was sacked by Dana Howard and fumbled. Antonio London recovered, setting up McNabb's 10-yard TD pass to Bostic for a 24-17 lead.

Johnson, whose 34-yard field goal cut Cleveland's lead to 14-3 in the first quarter, added two more for a 30-17 lead. The first was set up by Mike Mamula's interception of Martin's pass in Cleveland territory.

Pederson's first pass attempt on the first play of the game was batted into the air by Jamir Miller, intercepted by Marquez Pope and run back 35 yards for a touchdown.

Before the boos had died down, Duce Staley fumbled on the second play of the very next drive. The ball was stripped by John Jurkovic and reovered by Pope.

"Those things cannot happen," Reid said. "It puts the team at a disadvantage when your down 14 points before you can blink."

Browns starter Ty Detmer, who was 2-for-5 for 28 yards, capped a six-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Johnson. Chris Boniol, recently cut by the Eagles, was booed as he kicked the extra point to make it 14-0.

"I feel pretty capable with where we're at offensively right now," Detmer said.

Cleveland's Rahim Abdullah had two sacks, and Pederson was rushed on nearly all his throws. McNabb broke off a 46-yard run late in the third quarter, but it was called back when newly acquired tackle John Michels was called for holding.

The Eagles' first-team offense has no touchdowns and three field goals in 22 possessions with no gain longer than 23 yards. Philadelphia also lost defensive end Al Wallace with a gruesome dislocated left ankle.

Cleveland safety Marquis Smith hurt his right knee, but it was not known how serious. He'll have X-rays Friday.

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