After Adam Joshua Feeley nearly does the impossible, how do you tell him, his teammates and a city of disgruntled fans that he's going back to the sideline?

That is what Andy Reid will do if Donovan McNabb is healthy enough to start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. It is the way Reid operates and always has. Feeley himself understands that.

"It's Don's team," Feeley said after an eventful performance in a 31-28 loss to undefeated New England. "The situation is that I'm a backup quarterback. I know my role."

Reid said he believed McNabb would be ready to return to practice later this week and ready to play. It would be fortuitous if McNabb's sprained ankle and injured thumb kept him out one more week. That would give the coach a chance to see Feeley play one more game, to find out whether last night's performance was a fluke or whether Feeley is simply ready to be a frontline quarterback.

Feeley wasn't perfect. Spotting the Patriots a seven-point lead with that early interception made the hill the Eagles tried to climb that much steeper. And the two late interceptions were killers.

"I take this on my back," Feeley said. "We put ourselves in a chance to win and basically I lost it for us."

That's harsh, but you do have to wonder how fans and the media would have reacted if McNabb played exactly the same game. Three picks. Three touchdowns. Feeley slipped and fell on the first play after the Eagles recovered that surprise onside kick, squandering an important early opportunity. He made some great throws and missed some open receivers.

Actually, McNabb has played exactly that game a number of times. You may remember a three-point loss to the Patriots in a game in Jacksonville a few years back. Three picks. Three touchdowns. As always, when the Eagles lose, McNabb got roasted for it.

But fair is fair. In between the interceptions, Feeley played a terrific game against an outstanding team. He moved the Eagles up and down the field. He read and reacted to blitzes. He threw for touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

In short, Feeley was the quarterback for the Eagles' best all-around performance of this strange season. Yes, they played even better than in the blowout victory over Detroit. The Patriots are that good.

This is about as complicated as a quarterback situation can get. McNabb has not been himself most of this season, and it is unknowable what role his surgically repaired knee is playing in that. It may simply be that McNabb returned too soon and, instead of playing his way back to form, he has played himself into a funk.

Many Eagles fans don't fully appreciate McNabb. It isn't fair, but that poisoned atmosphere is a factor in all this. Playing McNabb at the Linc on Sunday means one of those tense afternoons when every play becomes a referendum on the QB.

McNabb has meant a lot to the Eagles and to Reid, and he deserves to be treated with class and respect. That doesn't mean he has a lifetime guarantee to be the Eagles' starting quarterback, though.