Repent Much, Donovan?

Don't look for Donovan McNabb to repent for his telephone antics during last year's NFC semifinal playoff game. You remember that, right? McNabb, after getting run out of bounds on an eight-yard scramble, picked up a Giants' sideline phone and pretended to call the coaching box, drawing the ire not only of the Giants, but of the officials by way of an unsportanlike conduct call.

Well, he wasn't taking anything back today. And that should add a little fuel to an already intense rivalry. But then, as McNabb said, how does one add any more emotion to Giants-Eagles.

"But in this game, do you really need any psychological motivation?" McNabb said. "I don’t think so. This is a game you dream about playing and you love competing – no matter who you play.

"We’ve played each other for years and I don’t think you need any type of motivation to play this game. If you need any little thing that happened during a game last year or years before, then really you’re not truly focused on week in and week out trying to be the best at what you do."

Asked what, exactly, he said or didn't say, McNabb said he couldn't remember.

""I don’t remember," he said. "It was a while ago. Verizon wasn’t working. There was nothing over there."

Eagles coach Andy Reid said he spoke to McNabb about it. But none of that guarantees the quarterback will keep himself in check this time around, especially if he and DeSean Jackson and company, probably minus Brian Westbrook, put an early end to things. He's drawn unsportsmanlike penalties before.

Then again, the Giants do play pretty well in Philadelphia. Nothing more humbling than the scoreboard, ya know?

EP