PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia Eagles Tuesday announced that Donovan McNabb will be a playoff starter at quarterback.
Coach Andy Reid made the declaration on McNabb when the Eagles host Atlanta Saturday night in an NFC Divisional playoff contest.
McNabb missed the last six regular season games after suffering a broken right ankle in a game Nov. 11 against Arizona. He returned to practice last Thursday and pronounced himself ready to play, but Reid waited until Tuesday to make the official announcement.
"I'm comfortable with him (McNabb) right now," Reid said. "He'll continue to practice this week and sharpen everything up, and I'm not worried (about him). He's pain free, and has looked sharp between last week and today."
The Eagles went 5-1 in McNabb's absence, and clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. They won at San Francisco on Nov. 25 with backup quarterback Koy Detmer, who dislocated his elbow in the game. Third-string quarterback A.J. Feeley then took over and won four of five starts.
McNabb, the NFL's highest-paid player with a $115 million contract, led the Eagles to a 7-3 record, completing 58 percent of his passes for 2,289 yards and 17 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also rushed for 460 yards and six scores.
McNabb, 25, broke his ankle on the Eagles' first series of the 38-14 win over Arizona when he was sacked by linebacker LeVar Woods and safety Adrian Wilson. McNabb fumbled on the play and stayed on the turf, clutching his leg.
Despite the injury, he returned to the game with his ankle heavily taped. He played with a noticeable limp, but gave a courageous effort, completing 20-of-25 passes for 255 yards while matching a career high with four touchdown passes.
The two-time Pro Bowler led the Eagles to the NFC championship game last season.
Earlier this year, the Eagles rewarded McNabb by making him the game's highest paid player with a 12-year, $115 million contract. That deal surpassed a previous agreement for $103 million signed by Buffalo counterpart Drew Bledsoe when he was with the New England Patriots before the 2001 season.
As the Eagles' starting signal-caller, which came about near the end of his rookie campaign in 1999, McNabb has guided the Eagles to a 32-18 record, including three playoff wins.
He earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl following the 2001 season after combining for 3,715 yards of total offense and establishing career highs in touchdown passes (25) and quarterback rating (84.3).
In his first full season as a starter, McNabb finished as runnerup in the NFL MVP voting after throwing for 3,365 yards and 21 touchdowns.
