Eagles’ McNabb enjoys team’s no-huddle offense

Donovan McNabb stands at the line of scrimmage, barking out calls, signaling his receivers and pointing at defenders.

Peyton Manning isn’t the only quarterback who audibles. While Manning is a master at making last-second changes, McNabb is doing his best to impersonate the two-time NFL MVP.

Since the Philadelphia Eagles began using the no-huddle offense, McNabb has been given the freedom to check off plays and call his own.

“I enjoy it,” McNabb said. “I think a lot of the things that we’ve been able to do, we’ve had a lot of success with in the no-huddle.

“If we’re faced with a blitz, I can get us into a different play. If a play is called and I see that we can run it, we’ll be able to execute. If I see a blitz that will get us into something else where I can get the ball to the guys outside, then they’ll be able to make plays for us. So, I’m excited, the guys are excited about what we’ve been able to do in the previous weeks and we’re going to continue to grow with it.”

Hoping to keep defenses off balance and take advantage of coverage mismatches, the Eagles incorporated the no-huddle approach into their offense in the preseason.

They’ve had decent success going without the huddle at times, mainly because McNabb is orchestrating it well. In a 27-3 victory over Washington last Sunday, the Eagles opened the game in a no-huddle offense and stayed in it most of the day.

“He’s very good,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said of McNabb’s ability to run the no-huddle. “One of his many strengths is some of the things he can do at the line of scrimmage. I think he handles that well.”

The Eagles haven’t used a no-huddle offense in every game this season because it only works well against certain opponents. Mornhinweg, who took over playcalling duties from Coach Andy Reid against the Redskins, said a decision is made early in the week on how much the offense will use it.

“It is not that big of a deal when defenses see it and they are prepared for it,” he said.

There are several differences between a no-huddle offense and running a two-minute drill, which teams do out of necessity at the end of the half and the fourth quarter. The game clock is most important in a two-minute situation and downs matter less, so that’s why quarterbacks often spike the ball to save time.

In a no-huddle, the game clock isn’t relevant and some quarterbacks use most of the 40-second play clock to read defenses and adjust the calls. The goal is to make sure defenses don’t make substitutions and guys can get caught out of position.

The center also plays a major role in the no-huddle offense because he has to relay the calls and the cadence to the linemen. McNabb works with Jamaal Jackson throughout the week to ensure they’re on the same page.

“You want to get into a rhythm early,” McNabb said. “It’s important that we get into a rhythm and continue to stay in that rhythm throughout the whole drive. If we can come out with points in the first or second drive, we feed off that throughout the whole game.”