[Moby Grape]

Nittany... I agree that McNabb is a leader...he is usually cool and can make big plays...ALL teams want players who can pull off big plays when they have to be had, but it is my view that the DEFENSE made them a winning team the last four years...big play makers by themselves cannot assure success...the odds catch up with them. It takes balance to go the the big game.

[NittanyLion]

ALL teams want players who can pull off big plays when they have to be had, but it is my view that the DEFENSE made them a winning team the last four years...big play makers by themselves cannot assure success...the odds catch up with them.

Absolutely. The success of this team is predicated on their defense. The "D" has come up with huge stops many more times than McNabb has engineered game-winning drives. In many respects the Eagles have had success in the playoffs right up to the point they ran into a defense as good as their own (or better, last year). At that point it becomes a battle of which offense can play the field position/ball control game better; they've been found wanting three straight years now.