McNabb ready to play first game since knee injury

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Once Donovan McNabb eludes a sack and scrambles for a gain, most observers will say that No. 5 is back.

The five-time Pro Bowl quarterback doesn't need to break a long run or endure a hard hit to convince himself he's ready. He already knows. Now he just has to do it before a huge crowd anxiously waiting to see how the franchise player responds to his first action in nine months.

McNabb will play his first game since tearing a knee ligament last November when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Carolina Panthers on Friday night in a preseason game.

"I don't approach it like it's a big step," McNabb said Thursday. "It's not anything that's a test for me. I've tried to prepare myself for the test of coming into training camp knowing what we were going to do. This particular game, I just think it's important as a unit that we capitalize on all the things we were doing in training camp."

Is he eager to see how his surgically repaired right knee holds up after a direct shot?

"I don't need anybody to hit me to wake me up and get me going," McNabb said. "I've been playing for eight years. I didn't need anybody to hit me when I came out with a sports hernia and I definitely don't need anybody to hit me now and let me know I'm playing football again."

McNabb is used to this. He missed the final seven games of the 2005 season with a sports hernia and showed no ill effects upon returning last year. He also missed five games with a broken ankle in 2002, but came back for the playoffs so he didn't have to wait the entire offseason before playing again.

Coach Andy Reid said he plans to keep his starters in for the first half against the Panthers. He'll monitor McNabb and may play him only one quarter. A.J. Feeley would follow and rookie Kevin Kolb will finish up. Veteran Kelly Holcomb is getting the night off.

The defending NFC East champions are looking for a better overall performance on both sides following a 29-3 loss at Baltimore on Monday night. Minus McNabb, the first-team offense generated three first downs and zero points in two possessions against the Ravens.

A revamped defense also struggled, allowing a 93-yard touchdown drive on the first possession.

"We just had some (mental) mistakes early in the game that we didn't make the rest of the game," defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said.

The Panthers are coming off a far better showing in their 24-21 win over the New York Giants last Saturday. The offense played well under new coordinator Jeff Davidson, going 81 yards for a score on the first possession.

DeShaun Foster ran for 62 yards on five carries and Jake Delhomme threw a TD pass to Steve Smith.

For a team that averaged just 16.8 points a game last season, sixth worst in the NFL, it was a solid start.

"We'll have a better test this week," said Delhomme, who is expected to play into the second quarter. "Philly's defense is kind of salty. Certainly, they have a ton of good players. It'll be a really good test for us."

Wideout Dwayne Jarrett, a second-round pick, is expected to make his debut after missing Carolina's first game with a hamstring injury. Jarrett has some catching up to do if he's going to replace Keyshawn Johnson as a starter opposite Smith.

"There's nothing I have to prove to myself," said Jarrett, who grew up in nearby New Brunswick, N.J. "I just have to go out there and do what I've been doing the past 18 years of my life, which is go catch the ball."

The Panthers might be without All-Pro defensive end Julius Peppers, who missed practice Thursday because he was sick. End Mike Rucker (knee) and linebacker Dan Morgan (concussions) also are uncertain. Neither played against the Giants.

The Eagles have a lengthy injury list. The most notable are All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews (ankle), Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins (Achilles' tendinitis) and tight end L.J. Smith (groin). They'll sit out for the second straight game.