Could an extension be coming soon for Andy Reid? (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

Eagles president Joe Banner said in a TV interview that he's confident Andy Reid's contract will be extended before the end of next season, when it expires.

"I'm sure it will be," Banner told Larry Kane on the Voice of Reason, which will air Sunday night. "I think we have a phenomenal relationship with Andy. We view him as one of the top couple of coaches in the league."

Reid's place in Eagles history is well-documented. He has the most wins (both regular and postseason) and the best winning percentage in franchise history. But he hasn't been able to bring the city its first Super Bowl.

Banner was asked how much Reid's performance in 2009 will figure in to the team's plans to extend him. He offered an answer which we've heard many times about evaluating players and coaches with a wide lens, not focusing on week-to-week performances.

"You know, one of the things that you're very aware of when you're the inside of any one of these teams is fluctuations and evaluations of players or coaches from kind of week to week, when they really are what they are," Banner said. "So Andy could have a bad week, he could have a bad year, it wouldn't change the fact that he's in the upper echelon of coaches in this league, and we feel lucky to have him. So at whatever point, I'm sure that that issue will be resolved."

Unless I'm missing something, this is the most information we've received about a potential Reid extension. Jeffrey Lurie was asked about it during training camp, and while he certainly backed Reid, he wouldn't offer any details or assurances.

"The history of dealing with coaches and Andy, in particular, I've never ever spoken about it," Lurie said back in August. "Even when we've had slow starts, which we often do, everybody wants to talk about is Andy still going to be the coach and blah, blah, blah. I never go there. Everything will happen very privately and that's the way it has always been. I think that's the reason why it has always worked so well."

Given Banner's comments, it seems very likely that an extension would come before the start of the 2010 season But could one be coming soon? Before this season is over?

And finally, for you conspiracy theorists out there, are we sure that Reid wants an extension? By all accounts, he's happy here. There's stability. And he has plenty of control. But there's no question his phone would be ringing off the hook if he were to hit the open market.

Time for our weekly visit from sportsbook.com's Dave Staley:

Q: What do you make of this week’s Eagles-Bucs line and over/under?

A: We opened the line for the Eagles game Wednesday morning. Right now the Birds are giving a whopping 15 points to the winless Buccaneers. The first thing I always look for when the lines come out every week are which teams will be getting double digit points. So, this game along with the Giants giving up 15 are the lines that jump off the page. However, after looking into this one a bit more, it is obvious why the Bucs are getting so many points. They have really only been competitive in one game so far, last week against a bad Redskins team. In their other three, they suffered double digit losses, with a point differential of 16.7 points per game. They have thrown for a total of 158 yards in their last two games and could be in for another long day in the air as the Eagles have the second stingiest pass defense in the league, allowing just 156 yards per game. Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook are back so the Eagles' offense should be back at full strength even though it was quite impressive without them two weeks ago. McNabb, Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek, etc. That’s a lot of weapons on the field against a Tampa team giving up 26.7 points per game. I think Michael Vick will actually make an impact this week. Finally, you can’t ignore how important bye weeks are for teams. Look no further then the fact that the Eagles are 16-6 against the spread in their last 22 games following a bye week -- very impressive indeed. The early bettors obviously agree because after checking our trends page, 76 percent of the early action is on the Birds.

Currently, the over/under sits at 43 with 73 percent of the early bettors on the over. This is a pretty standard total as far as points are concerned. Obviously, as mentioned above, the Eagles shouldn’t have a problem putting points on the board, but will the Bucs do their part? They are only averaging 13.5 points per game so far this season, including just 13 in the past two weeks combined. I really don’t know how they are going to move the ball against the Eagles' defense, which yields only 262 yards per game. A couple of trends support the under in this one. In their last six games against the NFC East, the Bucs covered the under five times. In their last 22 games following a bye week, the Eagles covered the ‘under’ 18 times.

Q: What is the most intriguing line of the weekend?

A: A game which we are expecting a lot of action on is the Falcons (+2.5) vs. the 49ers. I’m a little surprised that this one isn’t San Fran (-3). The difference is only half-a-point, but any time a spread is 3 1/2 or 2 1/2, that extra 1/2 point is a big deal considering so many games fall on three. The Falcons are also coming off their bye, but their bye numbers aren’t anything like the Eagles'. In their last 21 games after a bye, they covered 10 times. I’m also surprised the Vikings are just giving 9.5 points to the lowly Rams. I fully expected this one to be in double digits, and I still think it will move in that direction. If you like the Vikings, get on this one before it moves to 10 or higher, especially considering 10 is a very key number in wagering. If you like the Rams, you might as well wait to see if you can get an extra half point or more. So far, 99 percent of the early action is on the Vikings. I have a feeling this game will have the most lopsided action of the weekend, especially if it doesn’t go to double digits.

Q: What were some of the major gambling story lines from Week 4?

A: Well, since we were on our own ‘bye’ week last week, I have to mention that in Week 3, the NFL bettors made out like bandits. They were on the winning side of just about every NFL game. To add insult to injury, someone won the $100,000 Perfect Parlay. The guy went 16 for 16 en route to a six-figure payday. The look on my boss’ face was priceless when we informed him. I knew this thing was way overdue to hit. I had the opportunity to speak with him; he planned on paying off his college loans, taking out his mother for her birthday and buying a new putter. Congrats againto Andrew M. from California.

As far as this past weekend, Sunday we pretty much broke even with the gamblers, but Monday night the public won big again as they sided with the Vikings and the over by a pretty big margin. Of course, the MLB Playoffs are under way. The betting public had a huge win as the Phils took down the Rockies in Game 1.

If you're in full Phillies mode, here's a video recap of Game 1. I think I should have smiled more.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that the Jets have acquired wide receiver Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns.

Edwards' name was on the market in the offseason, and at one point, the Giants appeared poised to trade for the fifth-year receiver. But a deal was never done.

Now he'll join the other team in New York.

Bizarre career so far for Edwards. He was drafted third overall in 2005, but has really only had one great year -- catching 80 balls for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2007.

Last weekend, reports surfaced that Edwards assaulted a friend of LeBron James outside of a nightclub in Cleveland. Apparently that was the last straw.

He'll go from a winless Browns team to the 3-1 Jets, who have been one of the NFL's success stories through the first four weeks.

We saw last year with the Cowboys and Roy Williams that joining a team midseason is not easy for receivers. But then again, Williams isn't really doing anything this season, so maybe that's a moot point.

Exact terms of the deal for Edwards have not been disclosed, but FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer is reporting that Cleveland gets WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnik and two draft picks. Schefter says those are believed to be a third and a fifth rounder.

Edwards has 10 catches for 139 yards on the season.

For those of you who are in full Phillies mode, we'll be live chatting today's game on philly.com at 2:30.

The Eagles' offensive line has done a tremendous job of protecting Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb through the first three games. (Ron Cortes / Staff Photographer)

Four weeks into the season, the Eagles have several unanswered questions.

What will Jeremiah Trotter's role be? How will they utilize Michael Vick going forward? Will Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook get healthy?

But the one area that appeared to be a huge concern entering the season -- the offensive line -- has been one of the most encouraging story lines through the first three games.

The Eagles have allowed three sacks, and their ground game is averaging a respectable 4.4 yard per carry.

Here's a look position-by-position at what we've seen from each offensive line position so far, and what we might expect going forward:

Right tackle: For the previous nine seasons, this position belonged to Jon Runyan. After the Eagles signed Stacy Andrews in the offseason, it appeared he was poised to take over. Then we found out during minicamp that Shawn Andrews would get a shot. And now? Winston Justice looks like he'll be the guy the rest of the season, and perhaps beyond. He's penalty-free through three games and has allowed only one sack (in Week 1 on a play where Kevin Kolb probably held on to the ball too long). Justice was given quite a bit of help against the Panthers, but the coaches had him on his own more in Weeks 2 and 3. He might have been most impressive in the loss to the Saints. Justice has been stronger in pass protection but has also shown flashes in the run game.

Right guard: Stacy Andrews and Max Jean-Gilles have shared this position. It was Andrews in Week 1 and Jean-Gilles in Week 2. MJG saw the majority of snaps in Week 3, although Andrews was rotated in there. Jean-Gilles has had some very impressive moments in the run game. In pass protection, he was part of the great effort against the Chiefs but had a couple lapses in the second half against New Orleans. He has not been called for a penalty. Andrews did not look as good as his fellow linemen in Week 1 and was replaced after explaining that he was still working on his technique with offensive line coach Juan Castillo. He's been whistled for two penalties. It's hard to imagine that the Eagles would continue to bench Andrews after signing him to a $40 million contract in the offseason. But then again, if anything, they've shown that they're going to go with the players that give them the best chance to win this season. Jean-Gilles has certainly played well enough to start.

Center: The one position on the line that's been drama-free since mini-camp. Jamaal Jackson was great in the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Panthers. A couple things to watch going forward. One, his job is to be the communicator. With a lot of moving parts, this is especially important. The Birds have had a few lapses in the interior on pass plays. Part of Jackson's job will be to keep everyone on the same page. The other area I'll be keeping an eye on is how Jackson blocks when he gets to the next level, particularly on screens, but also in the Wildcat. Jackson has not been called for a penalty this season.

Left guard: This was initially supposed to be Todd Herremans' job, but Nick Cole has filled in nicely. The Inquirer's Bob Brookover updated Herremans' health in today's paper. He said he's targeting the Oct. 26 game against the Redskins for a return. That would mean two more games with Cole at left guard. Cole has not been as consistent as some of the other linemen, but he's had some real bright spots in the run game. He's been whistled for two penalties on the season.

Left tackle: Since being whistled for two false starts early against the Panthers, it's been smooth sailing for Jason Peters. He was close to perfect last week against the Chiefs and was also good against the Saints, except for a late lapse that resulted in a sack. It will be interesting to see how much the Eagles run the Wildcat to the left side to take advantage of Peters' athleticism, which was on display in Week 1 against the Panthers.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning will have an MRI today after suffering a bruised heal in Sunday's win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Manning said there is "nothing to be worried about."

We'll know later today if he's right or not.

I'm fully comfortable admitting that I've been impressed with Eli through four games. Only Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have thrown for more touchdowns. Eli has thrown for more yards than Brees and has a QB rating of 104.1.

Some other quick hits from Week 4:

** Anyone else notice Danny Amendola in the Rams-49ers highlights? The scrappy wide receiver, who spent training camp with the Eagles, was part of a botched handoff on an end around, which resulted in a 49ers touchdown. On a bright note (kind of), he returned the opening kickoff 92 yards, but it was called back due to a penalty.

** We already talked about the role of ex-Eagles in the Broncos' win over the Cowboys yesterday. But time to expand a little bit. Correll Buckhalter, who has been part of Denver's committee at running back, left the game but said it's just a "sprained ankle." Let's hope that's true. Buck doesn't need any more bad luck with injuries at this point in his career, and he's playing well. He had 92 rushing/receiving yards before leaving the game and 108 yards on the ground the week before.

** From the This is why we miss Brian Dawkins category...

Dawkins chased down Dallas' Sam Hurd in the final minutes of Sunday's game. If he didn't get to him, Hurd may have found the end zone and tied the game at 17. Here's what Dawkins told the Denver Post after the game:

"There's a lot of blessings still built up in this body, and I'll do what I need to do for this team. If that means pushing the button to run a 4.3 or whatever, I'll do it."

Added Dawkins' teammate Champ Bailey:

"Oh, my God, I couldn't even kick it into third gear, and I see this 30-something-year-old guy, older than me, just screaming across the field. Might have saved the game."

** What happened in that Steelers-Chargers game? I switched to watch my DVR'd Seinfeld reunion on Curb with Pittsburgh up 28. Next thing I know, Philip Rivers is screaming on the sidelines.

** I can't believe I thought the Redskins had a chance to compete for the NFC East crown before the season. How is this team even 2-2?

** If Donovan McNabb turned in a second half like Tony Romo had yesterday...

** Is it possible that the Colts are flying under the radar despite the fact that they're undefeated and on national TV pretty much every week? Don't hear their name mentioned much in terms of Super Bowl contenders.

** I'll take the Vikings (-5) tonight over Green Bay.

Brian Dawkins and the Denver Broncos are 4-0.

Dawkins faced a familiar foe this afternoon in Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. The result? An impressive defensive performance and a 17-10 victory.

Denver trailed 10-0 in the first quarter when Fox's Pam Oliver observed that Dawkins had given the defense a pep talk on the sidelines. We've seen a few of those around these parts in the past.

On the very next Cowboys' possession, the Broncos forced a Romo fumble. Dallas didn't score another point all day.

The Broncos had five sacks, forced two turnovers and allowed just three of 14 third-down conversions.

To be fair, it wasn't all Denver's defense. Romo looked uncomfortable throughout, missing open receiver after open receiver. The Cowboys still had a chance to win with time winding down as he found Sam Hurd for a 53-yard gain, but they got no closer than the 2-yard line after a pair of Romo incompletions.

Wide receiver Roy Williams was the recipient of a big hit on one of Romo's off-target throws in the fourth quarter. He was not on the field during the Cowboys' final drive.

Dallas, 2-2, travels to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs next week before its bye in Week 6.

Giants 27, Chiefs 16

Meanwhile, quarterback Eli Manning suffered a bruised heal in the Giants' 27-16 victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City this afternoon.

According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, the team is optimistic he'll be back next week.

“I don’t know exactly what it is,” Manning told Vacchiano. “We’ll find out more tomorrow. I can walk around. I can move around. There is some discomfort.”

Manning went to the ground after completing a pass to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks that went for a 54-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It didn't appear that he was touched on the play. On TV, it looked like the injury was sustained when he was planting his feet.

Manning did not return to the game. He went 20-for-34 on the day, with three touchdowns and an interception.

The Giants had an easy time with Kansas City, which looked just as bad as it did last week against the Eagles at the Linc.

Manning has been impressive during the Giants' 4-0 start, with eight TDs and two INTs.

The Giants are one of five undefeated teams, having won three in a row on the road. They return to the Meadowlands next week to face the Raiders before a big Week 6 matchup at the Saints.

The Giants and Eagles don't face one another until Nov. 1 when New York travels to the Linc.

The Eagles worked out a pair of defensive ends this week, according to Scout.com's Adam Caplan.

As Eagletarian confirmed earlier this week, one of those players was Marcus Howard.

Per Caplan, the other DE was Terrance Carter.

Carter spent two seasons at Colorado State in 2004 and 2005. He is 26 years old.

Howard was a fifth-round pick of the Colts in 2008 and appeared in nine games as a DE and special teams player last season, finishing with 1.5 sacks.

The Birds currently have six defensive ends on their roster: Trent Cole, Juqua Parker, Chris Clemons, Victor Abiamiri, Darren Howard and Jason Babin. Abiamiri and Howard are generally used inside in the nickel package. Babin was active for the first time in Week 3 after signing with the Birds during training camp. The Eagles have no defensive ends on their practice squad.

Here's a quick roundup of where the Eagles are in national power rankings:

SI.com's Peter King has the Eagles 13th.

SI.com's Don Banks has the Eagles at No. 9.

ESPN.com also has the Eagles ninth.

FoxSports.com puts the Eagles at No. 4.

CBSSports.com has the Eagles at No. 9.

And finally, your Week 4 viewing guide. Remember, check out this link if you want to know what games will be on in your area.

In Philadelphia, at 1 on Fox, we'll get Giants-Chiefs, called by Kenny Albert, Moose Johnston and Tony Siragusa.

At 4 on Fox, it'll be Cowboys-Broncos with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

At 4 on CBS, in what should be the best game of the three, it's the Saints hosting the Jets, called by Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf.

Sunday night features a gem with the Chargers visiting the Steelers.

And you may have heard that Brett Favre and the Vikings take on the Packers Monday night.

This'll be a good chance to check out the Giants and the Cowboys. I'll be sure to post thoughts on those games some time Sunday.

Last week: 10-6
Overall: 24-22

Raiders at Texans

Attention fans in Detroit, Cleveland, Tampa and other cities where you think your team stinks. Things could be worse. Just look to Oakland where the Raiders have put up 36 points through three weeks (worst in the AFC) and third-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell is completing 41.3 percent of his passes with one touchdown and four interceptions. If you head over to the Oakland Tribune's Web site, this headlines sticks out: Poole: Raiders are historically horrendous. Columnist Monte Poole explains that Oakland has the worst record in the NFL over the last 100 games. He writes:

What's more discouraging for longtime Raiders fans is the creeping realization there is no rational reason to expect the next 100 games to be much, if any, better.

Ouch. Too many points here though.

The pick: Raiders (+9)

Titans at Jaguars

Time for MC's Pick of the Week. After a Week 1 loss, he's one win away from being on an official hot streak, having hit on his picks in Weeks 2 and 3. The take here:

The Titans will get their elusive first win this week. Tennessee’s main issue this year has been defending the pass, but Jacksonville’s air attack is not exactly prolific. The Jags don’t have much of a home-field advantage either: they have only covered the spread in one out of their last nine home games. 

MC bringing the knowledge this week. It certainly can't help that the Jags' stands are half-empty during home games.

The pick: Titans (-3)

Ravens at Patriots

The timing is good for the Eagles' bye. Several really good games this week, including the undefeated Ravens going to New England. Unfortunately, for those of you in the Philadelphia area, unless you have the NFL package or are going to a bar, you won't be able to watch this game. The Ravens have put up 103 points through three games, the top mark in the AFC, and it's not even close. The Chargers are second with 73. With the Patriots' receivers banged-up, I think John Harbaugh's crew goes to Foxboro and gets the win.

The pick: Ravens (+1.5)

Giants at Chiefs

Tough to get over just how bad the Chiefs looked last week at the Linc. Did we see a single instance where it looked like the players were buying in to Todd Haley? No enthusiasm at all from them. I know he's only three games in, but Haley's off to a brutal start. Can't see how you take the Chiefs here, and the betting public agrees (which can be dangerous). According to sportsbook.com's Betting Trends page, 90 percent of the action is on the G-Men.

The pick: Giants (-9)

Bucs at Redskins

Count me among those that thought the Redskins could make some noise in the NFC East this year. Count me also among those wondering what the hell they were thinking three weeks in. The only question now seems to be which big-name coach Daniel Snyder will bring in to replace Jim Zorn in 2010. Mike Shanahan? Mike Holmgren? Only a matter of time at this point.

The pick: Bucs (+7.5)

Seahawks at Colts

The Football Outsiders Almanac explained in the preseason that the '08 Seahawks were historically unlucky in terms of injuries on offense. And 2009 hasn't been much kinder. They'll be without Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones in this one and likely will be staring 1-3 in the face.

The pick: Colts (-10.5)

Bengals at Browns

I said last week that if Cincy knocked off the Steelers, I'd be a believer. Did anyone see this coming? For Eagles fans who get tired of having the same QB and coach in this city year in and year out, take a look at Cleveland. The Browns have had eight different Week 1 starters at QB in 11 years. This team may be the leading candidate for 2009's biggest disaster.

The pick: Bengals (-6)

Lions at Bears

Forget Brett Favre vs. the Packers. Want revenge? Look no further than this game. Rod Marinelli, now an assistant in Chicago, takes on the players who helped him lead the first 0-16 team in franchise history.

The pick: Lions (+10)

Jets at Saints

One of the other good matchups of Week 4, and this one we do get to see in Philadelphia. We'll know just how good New Orleans is in a few weeks. They face the Jets, Giants and Falcons in three of their next four games.

The pick: Jets (+7)

Bills at Dolphins

Tough season for Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin. The fumbled kickoff return in Week 1, which played a big hand in Buffalo's loss to New England. And now a broken fibula, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. On a different note, while doing some online research for this game, I discovered that Buffalo's cheerleaders are known as the Buffalo Jills. Really? See for yourself.

The pick: Dolphins (+1.5)

Rams at 49ers

Poor Steve Spagnuolo. An 0-3 start and an offense that has put up a league-low 24 points through three games. 24 points! Eight points a game! And it's not like the Rams have been going up against the NFL's elite. They've faced Seattle, Washington and Green Bay. It's already been a long year in St. Louis and we're only in Week 4.

The pick: 49ers (-9.5)

Cowboys at Broncos

You know things are bad in Dallas when a headline in the sports section of the Dallas Morning News reads Dallas Cowboys' Romo could learn from Broncos QB Orton. Wow. The Cowboys' running game, however, has been great so far, averaging 193.7 yards per game and 6.8 yards per attempt.

The pick: Cowboys (-3)

Chargers at Steelers

This question from a reader on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Web site: Isn't it obvious yet that Mike Tomlin is a poor excuse for a coach? His first two drafts stunk and the defense is showing its age now that Troy's out. The players won the Super Bowl, not the coach; extending Tomlin's contract will mean the competitive death of this team.

That didn't take long, huh?

The pick: Chargers (+6.5)

Lines are from sportsbook.com. Monday night game will be picked on Monday.

Michael Vick's camp and Nike seem to have different views of his supposed endorsement deal with the company. (Yong Kim / Staff Photographer)

Yesterday, reports surfaced that Michael Vick had his first endorsement deal since returning to the NFL.

Vick's agent, Joel Segal, told the Inquirer's Mike Jensen that the Eagles' quarterback was "looking forward to working with Nike" again.

Meanwhile, at a conference in New York, Mike Principe, the managing director of BEST (a sports marketing and promotion company that represents Vick) reportedly announced that the Eagles' quarterback was back with Nike.

However, this morning, while it appears there is some type of agreement, it's not exactly what you might have thought when the news was first reported.

CNBC's Darren Rovell got comment from a Nike spokesman, who said on the record that the company has no contractual agreement with Vick, only that it would provide him with free product.

“Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick," spokesman Kejuan Wilkins said in a statement to Rovell. "We have agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike.”

Not exactly what was announced by Vick's camp.

In other news, ex-Eagle Hollis Thomas has signed with the Carolina Panthers, according to a report by the Associated Press. The Eagles worked out Thomas in the offseason, but he ended up signing with the Rams. St. Louis released him after Thomas saw a reserve role in its first three games.

More later, including a national media links roundup, which we haven't done in awhile.