McNabb to start Thursday despite benching

Donovan McNabb will start at quarterback Thursday for the struggling Philadelphia Eagles despite being benched in the second half of a 36-7 loss Sunday to Baltimore.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said Monday that McNabb, who completed only 8-of-18 passes for 59 yards with two interceptions in the first half, would call the signals when Arizona visits Philadelphia for a US Thanksgiving Day game.

"He's my quarterback. He's the starting quarterback. If I thought different I'd start the other guy," Reid said. "I need to coach better. Donovan needs to play better and the guys around Donovan need to play better."

The "other guy", second-year player Kevin Kolb, was 10-for-23 for 73 yards and two pickoffs in his longest NFL stint as the Eagles fell to 5-5 with a draw.

"Donovan is going out to play. That's what he's doing," Reid said. "Sometimes it's good to look at things from a different angle. I expect him to go out and play his heart out."

McNabb is confident he can solve the troubles faced by the Eagles, who likely must win their remaining games to have any playoff hopes.

"It all starts with me," McNabb said. "I can eliminate a lot of the problems."

Reid wants to eliminate turnovers. The Eagles gave the ball away nine times in two games, a 13-13 draw with doormat Cincinnati and the loss to the Ravens.

"We have to change our turnovers. Nine turnovers in two games is ridiculous," Reid said. "It's my responsibility to get that right. I will do whatever it takes to get that right."

McNabb, Reid emphasized, is not the only problem with the Eagles' attack.

"It's not all about Donovan. It was something I thought needed to be done at the time," Reid said. "This has nothing to do with Kevin's performance or Donovan's performance. It was the right decision. I would not change anything.

"Six turnovers - that's not Donovan McNabb. That's not his game. That's no part of his game. So you back up and inch and evaluate it. You should be able to step forward a mile after this. He'll work through this. I have confidence."