"Sitting back and seeing the defense as they showed their blitz, and seeing the different schemes that our team was faced with," said McNabb, "and in some cases knowing where to get the ball out, if you had to, if you're unprotected. It comes from a different perspective, if you're sitting on the sideline or in a booth. Now, you're thinking to yourself, 'I have to get the ball out here or I have to hit the quick. I don't have that much time.'"

	McNabb has not played since a victory over Arizona in Week 11.

Going 4-1 as the Eagles starting quarterback in relief, Feeley was often praised for his ability to make quick decisions, to get rid of the ball quickly. That manifested itself in the fact that tight end Chad Lewis and slot receiver Antonio Freeman -- often the second and third reads in the quarterback's progression in Andy Reid's offense - -saw their production go up dramatically after McNabb was injured on Nov. 17.

McNabb, whose credentials as a scrambler and field general are impeccable, was often criticized for holding onto the ball too long. He was sacked once every 12 pass attempts. The much less mobile Feeley was sacked once every 22 attempts.

So, now that he is poised to assume the controls when the Eagles (12-4) hit the field for the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend, McNabb is humble enough to acknowledge that -- while he was hobbling around on the sidelines -- he saw ways he can improve his game. That can't be good news for the rest of the NFC teams who have to come through Veterans Stadium to get to the Super Bowl.

The fact that McNabb could learn from Feeley is a touchy subject in the Eagles locker room, especially now that McNabb is going through the final stages of rehabbing his broken right leg and trying to get on the field in time for his team's first postseason action.

"I think what you're seeing in Donovan is a maturation process," said one veteran member of the team. "He's never been injured before in his football career -- not high school, college, pro. And that's just the kind of guy he is. It's humbled him. He's seen what Feeley has done. We've had success without Donovan and it's humbled him a bit."

Said Reid: "He's always been a team guy. It helped more now than it ever has. He's always trying to better himself, which is one of the unique things about him."

But the Eagles know in their heart of hearts that while Feeley did a nice job in relief, McNabb brings an element of the spectacular to the field that few players in the NFL can match. The 40-yard touchdown sprint to beat the Giants on Monday night. The howitzer arm, which can reach any part of the field from any angle, off any foot. And his mere presence, forcing teams to account for his ability to turn a busted play into a big play.

In 10 games, McNabb averaged 46 yards rushing per game with 6 rushing touchdowns. Feeley had just just 6 yards rushing on 12 carries in five and a half games.

	“	This is Don's team. That's his offense. Guys have filled in admirably, but this is his team to run. When he's ready, he's healthy, he's the man. ”
		— S Brian Dawkins, on QB Donovan McNabb

And in the final game of the season, it was clear that the New York Giants had found the formula for derailing the Eagles offense sans McNabb: stack the line of scrimmage with safeties and linebackers to stop the run and force Feeley to beat you. It worked. Against New York, the Eagles could not run the ball, averaging just 2.8 yards a carry as a team. Duce Staley averaged just 1.6 yards a carry. As a result, after the opening drive, which resulted in a James Thrash reverse for a 7-0 lead, the Eagles had eight of nine possessions result in a punt. The other possession ended on taking a knee to finish the first half.

Having McNabb back will re-open the Eagles offense -- respect McNabb, respect the entire Philadelphia arsenal, which finished fourth in the league in scoring this year.

"This is Don's team," said safety Brian Dawkins. "That's his offense. Guys have filled in admirably, but this is his team to run. When he's ready, he's healthy, he's the man."

But will he be ready, will he be 100 percent in time for next weekend's playoff game at the Vet?

	Balled Eagles
		McNabb	Detmer/Feeley
	W/L	7-3	5-1
	Pass YPG	228.9	206.3
	TD/INT	17/6	8/5
	Rush YPG	46.0	1.2

After taking all 30 reps with the first team offense on Thursday, McNabb said there was "no doubt" he would be ready for the start of the playoffs. But Reid remains cautious. The head coach wants to see the whole package from No. 5, not a reasonable facsimile.

"If it's up to him, he's in there and going," said Reid. "He wants to play, but that's him. You just have to make sure that he can do that efficiently and it's not messing up his own mechanics, and he's not putting himself in a bind out there where he can't get out of trouble."

Reid said No. 2 quarterback Koy Detmer appears to be fully healed from a dislocated left elbow and is ready to go. But Detmer will take none of the reps with the first team this week. McNabb will take all the snaps, even though he still has a noticeable limp.

"Every day that's one of the things that gets a little better," Reid said on Thursday. "It was slight today, better than yesterday when he went out and threw. He just had a few more reps today than he's had. Obviously, it's a little bit faster than a regular practice."

This week, Reid has closed practice. He didn't want to turn McNabb's return to the huddle into a media circus. McNabb will get the weekend off with the rest of the team. He will get more treatment on his right leg.

"You have to have confidence that your foot is healing well," said McNabb, who threw 17 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions, but completed just 58 percent of his passes in 10 games. "When I say that, that the bone is coming together and you're able to come back and do the things that you could do before you got hurt. Obviously, you know how your bones feel and you know how your ankle feels after working hard and waking up in the morning and feeling sore? It feels good right now."

But, Reid said, by Monday the team will have a much more accurate idea of how the leg has responded to the rigors of practice and whether McNabb is ready to go full bore on Tuesday and Wednesday, the days for game-planning for the first playoff opponent.

"He did have a slight limp," Freeman said. "But he threw the ball effectively. He had that zip on the ball."

But can McNabb do the things that make McNabb special? No one will know the answer to that question until kickoff next weekend at the Vet.

"It's going to be exciting," said McNabb, "and I'm going to have a lot of fun with it." Sal Paolantonio covers the NFL for ESPN.