Bob Ford: Eagles, Reid unlikely to unload McNabb

For a large segment of Eagles fans, the two sweetest words that could be spoken by Andy Reid - topping "I quit," in the most recent polls - were uttered during the league meetings in Orlando last week when Reid said, "I'm listening."

He was asked by reporters if the Eagles were entertaining offers for Donovan McNabb, which is the accepted verb for this kind of thing. Does the team invite the offer in and give it a drink? Take it to Walnut Street for a show? Try to get the offer a little relaxed and then remove its clauses? Hard to say, but offers are entertained, rumors swirl, and trades are proposed. You can mess with a lot about sports, but the verbs remain sacrosanct.

Reid wasn't just talking about McNabb when he indicated he was using his aural powers of communication. He was speaking about all three quarterbacks under contract for the 2010 season (and no further, at this point). Not just McNabb, but Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick could presumably be had for the right price, too.

"I wouldn't say they're on the market," Reid said. "I'd say I'm listening. I'm not saying I'm doing anything. I'm keeping my ears open, which we do on every player. This is no different."

Take it apart, and that's a fairly noncommittal committal. Yet, it has unleashed a wellspring of happiness among part of the fan base who have taken the quote as a sure indication that the McNabb Era has finally reached its expiration date. It isn't just the lunatic fringe this time, either, the Eagles-are-cheap-don't-try-to-win nutballs. The sentiment for trading away McNabb - and firing Reid and holding down Jeff Lurie and forcing him to sell by threatening he'll never see France or a plate of brie again - has spread to many reasonable fans who are simply tired of watching reruns.

In the past, team president Joe Banner could produce reams of research proving that Donovan McNabb is not only popular but might be the most popular athlete in Philadelphia. The arguments always carried a touch of hysteria, a sort of world-is-flat insistence despite many seasons of watching the ship sail away in one direction and come back in the other, bearing spices and oils but never a large silver trophy shaped like a football. Even though the Island of Lombardi always eluded the grinning skipper, the Eagles trotted out their polls and their findings and posited that the majority of fans liked McNabb quietly while all the others called into radio shows.

That might still be true, but to a lesser extent as McNabb fatigue has increased. And there is never anything more popular than a backup quarterback who hasn't failed yet, so the presence of Kevin Kolb adds to that seesawing equation.

But the assumption that McNabb is definitely gone is still premature. For the record, it says here that the Eagles are not going to trade McNabb and that he will be the starting quarterback when the 2010 season opens.

There are a number of reasons for that, but the most logical is that Reid and the front office think the team can compete for a Super Bowl in the coming season. Given the way last season ended, and given the large number of question marks on the roster, that might seem overly optimistic, but these are stubborn men who believe in the decisions they have made and will make.

If you accept the theory that the Eagles will be serious contenders - and, hey, they missed the second round of the playoffs by only three touchdowns - then it is also logical that McNabb is a safer bet at quarterback than Kolb. Not because Kolb couldn't possibly be better, but because no one could possibly know that right now.

Throw in all the standard babble as well. Reid has a deeper emotional connection to McNabb than to other players and has more invested in seeing his initial plan for the franchise end in ultimate success. Maybe there is fire beneath the smokescreen of unconfirmed rumors, but it is difficult to imagine Reid shipping his favorite protege to the Oakland Raiders, the NFL equivalent of placing your teenage daughter on a tramp steamer bound for Malaysia.

Analyze the Eagles' position. Reid couldn't have said, "Well, we're entertaining offers for Kolb and Vick, but not for Donovan." That would have lowered the trade value of the other two. So, he had to say what he said. And what was that? "When the phone rings, we answer it."

Thus far, the phone calls haven't amounted to much, according to Reid. "There's nothing right now that I'd jump up and down about," he said.

What would make the market so much different in a month, or two months? McNabb isn't getting any younger, Kolb is still valued as a future quarterback by the Eagles, and there appears to be absolutely no interest in Vick.

Reid said he felt very lucky to have three capable quarterbacks on the roster and, having cooked up this stew, he might have to eat it as well. It might not go down easily, but he'll find it a lot more palatable than will some of the fans.