Yet, his coach believes that relegating the quarterback to watching half a game from the sideline was.

Saying McNabb needed to take a step back before going forward, Eagles coach Andy Reid yesterday announced that the struggling veteran will start Thanksgiving night against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field.

"Sometimes you have to step back to step forward in a positive way, and Donovan will do that," Reid said. "Donovan is going out to play, man; that's what he's doing. Sometimes it's good to step back and look at things from a little different angle. I expect him to go out and play his heart out."

Reid's decision to return the keys to the Eagles' stumbling offense to McNabb brings into question what exactly was accomplished when Kevin Kolb played the second half of Sunday's humiliating 36-7 loss to Baltimore.

In the first half, McNabb threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, running his total to seven turnovers in the last two games. In those games, the offense scored one touchdown. The tie against sad-sack Cincinnati and the loss to Baltimore dropped the Eagles to 5-5-1, leaving them likely to miss the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.

Despite McNabb's terrible performance, the halftime switch to Kolb was surprising because Reid had never pulled the quarterback from a game when he was healthy, and because the Eagles trailed by only 10-7.

Reid frequently says it's his job to put his players in position to succeed, yet he turned to a second-year quarterback, who had never played a meaningful minute, to face one of the NFL's stingiest defenses in a must-win game. Kolb was just as ineffective as McNabb, throwing two interceptions, one of which was returned a league-record 108 yards by Ravens safety Ed Reed.

Still, Reid stood by his decision.

"I think it was the right thing to do," he said. "I will not change my decision on what I did."

Asked what the change of quarterbacks accomplished, Reid said: "We'll see. We'll see. I just think there was a point where you step back and look at it. I think that was the right thing to do at that particular time. I always try to win the game. I'll always do what's best for the team."

Reid also said he meant no disrespect by not personally telling McNabb that he was sitting in the second half, a move that has caused the coach some grief from reporters. Instead, quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur delivered the bad news to McNabb, who met with Reid after the game.

"I really don't care what anyone else thinks about that. That's how we do it," Reid said, his tone tinged with defiance. "The coach who coaches that player tells him, and then I address it afterward. That's how that goes."

Reid went on to explain that he was too busy planning for the second half to tell McNabb about the change.

"I talked to him afterward, and that's the way I went about doing it," he said. "At that particular time, you're in a tight time situation. You're trying to put together a plan for the second half. It's not a matter of disrespecting Donovan or any other player, for that matter. That's why they have coaches, to do those things."

Through the highs and lows of a career that includes five Pro Bowl seasons, McNabb, who will turn 32 today, never had a stretch of futility as prolonged as this.

The last two games, McNabb, who has one of the best touchdown-to-interception ratios in NFL history, has thrown five interceptions and lost two fumbles. In the last three games, he has been intercepted six times and completed only 46.9 percent of his throws (53 for 113). McNabb ranks No. 20 out of 32 quarterbacks with a passer rating of 80.1. Excluding his rookie season, when he started six games, he has had only two seasons in which his passer rating was below 80. McNabb's 10 interceptions are fourth-most in his career, and there are still five games left.

"I think I know Donovan McNabb better than anybody in this room, and I know [all those] turnovers - that's not Donovan McNabb," Reid said. "That's no part of his game, so back up an inch and evaluate it and we should be able to step forward after that. . . . I have confidence he'll work through this."

Reid denied he was sticking with McNabb to please veterans on the team who might view a move to Kolb as a signal that he was giving up on the season.

"No, that's not how I feel at all," Reid said. "I will make every decision for what I think is best for this Football team, and that's the seat I sit in, and that's the way I'll approach it, always."

See video of Andy Reid's press conference at http://go.philly.com/sports.

Cardinals at Eagles At Lincoln Financial Field

Thursday at 8 p.m. (6ABC)

Line: Eagles by 3

Inside Correll Buckhalter will miss Thursday's game because of a knee injury. D5.

Wrapping up Sunday's debacle with a look at three key Eagles. D5.

Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at 215-854-2743 or rparrillo@phillynews.com.