NFC Championship Game Preview

When it comes to football’s glamour position, the best match up of championship Sunday comes in the desert.

Donovan McNabb, 32 years old, 10-year veteran, appearing in his fifth NFC Championship Game. Kurt Warner, 37 years old, 11-year veteran, appearing in his third conference title game.

McNabb leads his Philadelphia Eagles into the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale against Warner and his Arizona Cardinals.

Kickoff Sunday afternoon is 2 o’clock CST with the broadcast on FOX.

When McNabb took the Eagles to the Super Bowl in February of 2005, he was leading a very veteran club. When Warner took the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl in January of 2000 and February of 2002, he was at the start of his NFL career. The first time, came as an unknown replacement for the injured Trent Green in the ’99 season with Dick Vermeil.

Right now, they are the grizzled veterans of their teams, passing on not only their play, but their experience.

“I have had a number of guys come, especially some leaders on our team, and ask me ‘What are we missing? What do we need to do?’” said Warner. “It was kind of exciting for me because I have never had that before. When we were wavering a little bit and not playing so well, guys were concerned. Guys were looking for answers. That was exciting to me. Some young guys, some leaders, who even though they may be young and haven’t been here before, they are still leaders on our football team. Trying to get them whatever knowledge I could to help them to go to their group and share that with their group and bring us closer together.”

Warner was quick to provide his younger teammates with what he’s learned over his time with the Rams, Giants and now the Cardinals.

“When you play against good football teams, playoff football teams, they are all well-coached, they don’t make many mistakes and they capitalize on the mistakes that you make,” said Warner. “I think that is what we saw down the stretch. We played some football teams. I know some people wanted to say, ‘Well, the Cardinals aren’t very good.’ I think we realized what it was like to play against playoff football teams. We got to see four playoff teams there down the stretch.

“I think we were shocked a little bit. OK, this is what playoff football is all about. This is what it is going to be like. We are going to have this every single week. You make little mistakes; you get blown off the field. That is what happened to us and that is what shocked us a little bit being that we have never been here before. We haven’t been in those circumstances. People talking about us as a playoff team, but then we got to really see what playoff teams are. I think it kick-started us a little bit. It made us step back and say, ‘this is going to be short post-season if we come out and play the way we played against these good football teams’.”

The experiences he can share, along with the skills he still displays, leaves his younger teammates very happy to have him around.

“We’ve all seen Kurt holding that Vince Lombardi trophy over his head on that podium and thanking the fans,” said WR Larry Fitzgerald. “He’s been there – he’s been to where we’re all trying to go right now. So when he talks in the locker room, when he talks to me, you definitely pay attention to what he’s saying because he knows what it takes to get to that position. He’s the leader of this team.”

McNabb says he hasn’t shared quite as much of his experiences with his young teammates because they’ve handled everything so well in this run through the playoffs.

“I think the most important things for us, as veterans on this team, are to show them first,” said McNabb. “Show them how to prepare, show them how to attack and approach practice, and show them that it’s not affecting us, by any means, the pressure of playing in a NFC Championship. I think this team has really seen that from myself and a couple other guys who have just come out loose and just being able to execute and reading our keys and having a great time in the process.”

Warner has his Super Bowl championship, something that McNabb still seeks. Is the outcome of this game against Arizona important for his legacy?

On whether the outcome of the game at Arizona is important for his legacy, McNabb said:

“Legacies are something that you look back on when you’re done. People fight over ‘What was his legacy?’ and ‘What he did great’ and ‘What didn’t he do great?’ When you’re playing, you don’t worry about your legacy, you just go out and enjoy what you’re doing; trying to do the right things. Whatever happens after that is great, I think, for all of us; not even worrying about the legacy. In this position, it’s an opportunity for us and we have to take full advantage of it and put ourselves in another position to achieve a goal.

“It’s not a burden because I’m still playing. I think when you’re done and you know that you’ve been close and you don’t have it, that’s when it may weigh on you a little bit. But, at this particular point, we have an opportunity to get close and we’re playing a tough Cardinals team and we have to do our job. When it’s all over, hopefully, we’ll be the one on top moving on.”

There was a time just two years ago that Warner’s career appeared to be over. He had been dropped by the Giants and in Arizona they had drafted QB Matt Leinart to become the starter.

“There were doubts not in what I could do or my abilities to play this game, but there were definitely doubts whether I would get an opportunity again,” said Warner. “To go to New York, play nine games, and not be starting anymore. To come here, start; have that job taken away from me again. You know, and then, obviously I am old. Everybody knows I’m old. You get to that point and you just say, ‘Is any organization going to be willing to commit their team to this old quarterback who hasn’t done it in awhile?’

“So yeah, there were definitely concerns that I would ever get that opportunity again. That is why I feel so fortunate to be here. I am very fortunate at this age in this position to be given that opportunity to be playing where we are playing right now. I don’t take that for granted.”

INJURY REPORT

Philadelphia – G Shawn Andrews is out with his bad back. Everyone else including starters S Brian Dawkins (back), OT Jon Runyan (knee) and RB Brian Westbrook (ankle and knee) was listed as probable and expected to play.

Arizona – WR Anquan Boldin was listed as questionable because of the hamstring injury that kept him out of last week’s game. He’s expected to play. Also, P Ben Graham (groin, DE Travis LaBoy (ankle) and TE Ben Patrick (knee) were listed as questionable.