It's possible that no athlete — ever, in any sport — has had every utterance to the media scrutinized as much as Donovan McNabb.
Donovan McNabb clowns around with head coach Andy Reid at the Eagles' recent minicamp.
The day after the NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Daily News' banner, back-page headline wasn't about the Eagles' picks. It was about how McNabb felt about the picks.
"It's crazy," McNabb admitted Tuesday. "If I'm chewing bubble gum, they want to know why I don't have a candy bar."
Maybe that's why McNabb seemed so relaxed, friendly and talkative as he sat in a conference room at the Harrisburg Hilton. He wasn't in Philly, and nobody wanted to know, or speculate about, how he felt about anything.
McNabb was here for a day of interviews and meetings as a spokesman against the country's blood-pressure crisis. He and his parents are paid endorsees of Novartis, a pharmaceutical and medical-research company that makes blood-pressure medication.
There's a related Web site,
bpsuccesszone.com, with information on the disease and strategies for dealing with it, including getting a free blood-pressure monitor.
McNabb's parents, Sam and Wilma McNabb, were diagnosed with high-blood pressure or hypertension about a decade ago. They are controlling the disease with diet, exercise and medication.
That means there's a decent chance Donovan will eventually get the same diagnosis. More than 73 million Americans are so afflicted.
"There's a danger there, obviously," McNabb said. "It's all about good habits."
It's a danger that can be discovered through the blood-pressure checks that are a standard part of any medical exam, and can be dealt with the same way the McNabbs are doing it.
"I just recently lost 40 pounds," Wilma, of Chunky Soup commercial fame, said. "It really makes a difference."
McNabb seemed in a comfort zone Tuesday. Both his parents were there, in a conference room at the Harrisburg Hilton, Sam quietly poring over the USA Today Sudoku puzzle. Rich Burg, the former Eagles' media-relations guy who left the team to work for McNabb, was there, along with other PR types.
McNabb wanted to talk about Pennsylvania high-school football, about Ricky Watters and Carlisle's Owens brothers and Chad Henne and Jon Ritchie and Jeff Smoker and the Big 33 game.
"It's pretty intense, isn't it?" he asked.
McNabb came from Chicago to Syracuse University, where he threw passes to, and roomed with, Conestoga Valley grad Darryl Daniel.
Daniel wasn't even the No. 1 receiver on his high-school team. And yes, McNabb even remembered who was No. 1, Corey Jones, who played at Penn State.
Eventually, McNabb even talked a little about his full-time job. Early this offseason, he expressed the hope that the Eagles would add some playmakers before next year. It was assumed that meant big-play receivers.
So far, it's meant cornerback Asante Samuel, late of the New England Patriots.
Two weeks ago at the Eagles minicamp, McNabb clarified that, "I said playmakers, not receivers."
This is all a very big deal in Philly. Every syllable.
"I try to think in terms of our team's weaknesses," he said. "We had the only special teams in the league that never got us the ball past the 50 [-yard line].
"Our defense was last in the league in creating turnovers and defensive touchdowns. And, the third thing was red-zone offense."
In the draft the Eagles got DeSean Jackson, a receiver/kick returner from the University of California. That speaks to weakness No. 1, although McNabb cautioned that, "he's fast and talented, but it doesn't matter if he's running into a wall."
Samuels addresses weakness No. 2.
The hope that tight end L.J. Smith will be healthier and closer to his apparent potential is about all that's been done about weakness No. 3.
There is McCaskey grad Kris Wilson, signed as a free agent after four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I've had the opportunity to work with him a little outside practice," McNabb said. "He's a talented guy, and he catches the ball well.
"Obviously he wasn't going to do much at tight end with Kansas City, with [perennial All-Pro] Tony Gonzalez there. He ought to be able to help us."
Mike Gross is a Sunday News sports writer. E-mail him at mgross@lnpnews.com.
