By halftime last week, the Philadelphia Eagles' quest for a Super Bowl trip this season already was over, whether they knew it or not, whether they ordered X-rays of quarterback Donovan McNabb's damaged right ankle or not.
Only after McNabb had thrown for four touchdowns on one leg to beat Arizona handily did the Eagles learn the course their season would follow. Only after taking post-game X-rays did they learn the injury was a nondisplaced fracture of the fibula.
End of regular season for McNabb, end of Super Bowl dream for the team.
But the fact that the Eagles didn't X-ray their franchise quarterback at halftime - he broke the ankle on the third play of the game - says something larger about them and the game.
Every player deserves the best medical attention, not just superstars. That's what makes this case so bizarre. Because even the threat of serious injury to their star player wasn't enough to inspire them to take every precaution.
With McNabb, the Eagles had a very real shot of reaching the Super Bowl. Without him, they have Koy Detmer. And even Detmer could see something was very wrong on Sunday.
"You could definitely tell that he was in pain and there was definitely some form of serious injury," Detmer told reporters from San Francisco, where the Eagles play tomorrow night. "In watching that, I knew that at least I would have to help out and take over some of the practice reps and stuff like that."
The Eagles have declined to detail what actually transpired at halftime, other than that a team physician examined McNabb's ankle and there was dialog with McNabb. Asked if McNabb had refused an X-ray, coach Andy Reid said, "No, it didn't look like it needed an X-ray."
McNabb apparently convinced Reid that it was nothing more than a sprain. The coach wanted to know if McNabb could push off on the ankle, and he could, albeit gingerly. That McNabb played splendidly - as a pocket passer - further masked the problem. So McNabb played until mid-fourth quarter of a 38-14 game.
The process was clearly flawed.
"Where is the common sense?" said Dr. Robert Huizenga, a team doctor with the Los Angeles Raiders from 1983 to 1990. "Pain is fine, if the player is moving well. McNabb wasn't moving well enough to defend himself. He's lucky he didn't suffer a disabling injury. Where were the people who are supposed to have the players' best health interests, the coaches and the doctors? I hope this will be a call to common sense, but I've seen so many cases like this swept under the rug and I see no reason why it won't happen again."
Kosar also didn't sit
McNabb isn't the only quarterback to play through the pain of a broken bone. In the second Monday night game of the 1992 season, the Cleveland Browns' Bernie Kosar suffered a hairline fracture of an ankle against Miami.
Dan Marino pulled out a 27-23 Dolphins victory at the end, but Kosar finished the game and found out later of the break. Although Mike Tomczak became the Browns' starter in Week 3, Kosar returned later in a 7-9 season.
Failure to adjust?
Maybe there is something to San Francisco receiver Terrell Owens' contention that the 49ers don't have a killer instinct. And maybe it's more menacing than that. The 49ers have outscored opponents by 66 points in the first half of games this season, but have been outscored by 26 after halftime.
Inability to make halftime adjustments is one theory. It's a theory working overtime in Seattle, where the Seahawks have outscored the enemy by 43 points in the first half, but are 79 points down in the second half. Denver posted a 28-9 advantage in Seattle's second-half collapse last week.
Penalty too harsh
With the rash of four-game suspensions for use of ephedrine, a substance found in dietary supplements, Gene Upshaw wants to renew discussions on more appropriate penalties. Players are concerned that a player caught using illegal drugs for the first time is confidentially placed in the league's substance abuse program, while a first-time offender of ephedrine, which is legal, is suspended four games.
"The reality is we've got to address it," said Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association. "I would not agree that the penalty should stay as it is now. It's too severe. ... Our intent was never for it to be this punitive, but it's turned out to be the consequence."
Carolina rookie defensive end Julius Peppers is among those facing a suspension for using ephedrine, pending his appeal.
Chasing Marino
Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon is the latest to take aim at Marino's 1984 single-season passing record of 5,084 yards. Gannon has thrown for 3,195 yards in 10 games. He'll need to average 315 yards in the last six games to topple Marino's mark. Since the Raiders have abandoned the run, it's doable.
Scattershooting
Something has to change in tonight's ESPN game. The Denver Broncos are 0-3 and have been outscored 92-55 in night games this season. The Indianapolis Colts are 0-2 and have been outscored 54-31. ... If Miami running back Ricky Williams maintains his current pace (he'd finish with 1,442 rushing yards), the New Orleans Saints will receive a second-round pick on top of the first-rounder they already used. ... Marc Bulger's 1,496 passing yards for the Rams in his first five starts surpassed the previous post-merger high of 1,410 by then-Cincinnati quarterback Jeff Blake in 1994. ... Arizona tackle Anthony Clement, who missed the first nine games after having surgery for a torn triceps tendon, tore the same tendon after only 28 plays last week. He'll need another surgery and is done for the season. ... The Vikings' Michael Bennett, former indoor and outdoor Big Ten track champion, is the first running back in NFL history to have runs of 60 or more yards in three consecutive games. He has had runs covering 62, 78 and 85 yards. ... The Colts' Mike Vanderjagt, the most accurate kicker in NFL history with a success rate of 84.6 percent, has missed five of his past eight field-goal attempts, including a 23-yarder against Dallas. ... New York Giants coach Jim Fassel is 50-39-1 in his first 90 games. Bill Parcells was 49-40-1. ... Seattle receiver Darrell Jackson is expected to play today for the first time since suffering a concussion and locker room seizure in an Oct. 27 win in Dallas.
Compiled from interviews, wire services and reports from other newspapers.
POWER RANKINGS
Team Ken Murray's comment
1. Denver (4) Beuerlein's last start was in 2000.
2. Green Bay (1) The good news is the Super Bowl isn't in a dome.
3. San Diego (10) A Schottenheimer QB threw 50 passes.
4. San Francisco (2) After losing to Brees, 49ers get K. Detmer.
5. Tampa Bay (7) Sapp, Favre renew hostilities.
6. Oakland (11) Gannon is better without a running game.
7. Atlanta (12) Imagine if Vick had a couple of receivers.
8. St. Louis (8) Can Martz mess up a good thing twice?
9. New Orleans (3) Defense has major deficiencies.
10. Philadelphia (9) Eagles' worst nightmare is reality.
11. New England (6) Patriots won't run and can't defense it, either.
12. Miami (15) Aikman can rest easy.
13. Indianapolis (13) Dungy's Colts look a lot like his Bucs.
14. Kansas City (14) Holmes has five 100-yard rushing games.
15. Tennessee (19) George hasn't been under 80 yards in six games.
16. Pittsburgh (5) Steelers' defense is in retreat again.
17. N.Y. Giants (16) Fassel's play-calling hasn't solved red-zone woes.
18. Buffalo (17) Bledsoe has cooled off.
19. N.Y. Jets (20) Haven't allowed a 300-yard passer in 29 games.
20. Cleveland (21) Maybe the Browns have a runner after all.
21. Ravens (18) Passing game needs some serious upgrades.
22. Jacksonville (22) Jaguars doggedly remain competitive.
23. Carolina (23) Peete's not a long-term answer.
24. Chicago (25) Bears' locker room looks like a hospital ward.
25. Washington (24) Spurrier has less patience than Martz.
26. Minnesota (31) Bennett has four straight 100-yard rushing games.
27. Seattle (26) Seahawks 0-4 vs. winning teams.
28. Arizona (27) Defense allowed 428-yard average past three games.
29. Detroit (29) Harrington completing 49.5 percent of passes.
30. Cincinnati (30) What part doesn't Brown understand?
31. Dallas (28) It's doomsday in Texas, all right.
32. Houston (32) Capers won seven his first year in Carolina.
(Last week's ranking in parentheses)
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Packers WR Donald Driver: Driver (right) has back-to-back 100-yard receiving games, and he'll be facing a Pro Bowl cornerback, Ronde Barber, with a cast on his hand.
Patriots QB Tom Brady: All the Patriots do is pass. This week they get an easy target; the Vikings are 31st in pass defense.
49ers WR Terrell Owens: If the Eagles blitz like they normally do, they'll leave Owens in man-to-man coverage a lot. That's called stealing.
THE HONORS
Game of the week: Packers at Bucs. The Packers have lost their past four games in Tampa. The Bucs, 1-2 vs. winning teams, finally get a gut check.
Dog of the week: Lions at Bears. The Bears' secondary can't cover anybody, but the Lions' Joey Harrington hasn't hit anybody lately, either.
Upset of the week: Packers over Bucs. The Packers had their bad game last week, and they don't want it to turn into a trend. - Ken Murray