Ellis Hobbs

Ellis Hobbs: PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles cornerback Ellis Hobbs suffered a neck injury returning the opening kickoff of the second half Sunday night against the Giants but had full use of his extremities, the Eagles announced in the third quarter of the game.

The Eagles later said X-rays were negative and that Hobbs walked out of the X-ray room wearing a neck brace.

The Giants' Dave Tollefson delivered what looked to be a helmet-to-helmet hit on Hobbs as he fielded the kick and began to take it upfield. Hobbs fumbled the ball (the Eagles recovered) and fell to the ground, where he lay for several minutes as team medical personnel attended to him and awaited a stretcher.

There was no flag thrown for Tollefson's hit. There was a penalty called against the Eagles on the play for an illegal wedge block.

read more

Donovan McNabb

Washington quarterback Donovan McNabb, benched two weeks ago when his team needed a late scoring drive to win, signed a five-year deal worth a reported $US78 million ($A79.4 million) on Monday to stay with the Redskins.

Hours before the Redskins faced McNabb's former Philadelphia teammates in a National Football League game, McNabb struck a deal with $US40 million ($A40.72 million) guaranteed and more in possible performance bonuses.

Ten days shy of his 34th birthday, McNabb assured himself five more seasons with a team that obtained him in an off-season trade with NFC East division rival Eagles but benched him for the final crucial minutes two weeks ago.
Advertisement: Story continues below

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan elected to bench McNabb on October 31 at Detroit with Shanahan expressing concern about McNabb in a time-compressed situation in going with backup Rex Grossman on the final two Washington possessions against the Lions when trailing by only six points.

"I thought that was the best scenario for us to win," Shanahan said.

Grossman fumbled away the ball to surrender a touchdown on his first play and the Redskins lost 37-25.

McNabb, a six-time All-Pro quarterback, did not express anger after the benching.

"You have to be a professional. There's a long season ahead of us," McNabb said. "You just have to learn from it and move on."

The Redskins, with four wins and four losses, had a bye week last week and talks between McNabb and the club took place during the extended rest break.

"Once the regular season started, we really were aiming toward the bye week, and it came together," Redskins general manager Bruce Allen said.

"I think coach and myself said that Donovan is going to be here from the beginning and Donovan has been real clear in his intent of being a Redskin. So I think it just puts an exclamation point on it."

McNabb is having his roughest season since his first NFL campaign statistically, having completed 57.4 percent of passes for seven touchdownsand eight interceptions over the first half of the season while being sacked 22 times.

read more