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John Smallwood: What a shame Reid and McNabb are playing nice before Eagles-Redskins showdown

WHAT'S SO FUNNY about peace, love and understanding? Well, nothing, actually, but I'm not sure whether Elvis Costello is a fan of the NFL.

"I think the world of Donovan [McNabb]," Andy Reid said. (David Maialetti  / Staff file photo)
"I think the world of Donovan [McNabb]," Andy Reid said. (David Maialetti / Staff file photo)Read more

WHAT'S SO FUNNY about peace, love and understanding?

Well, nothing, actually, but I'm not sure whether Elvis Costello is a fan of the NFL.

Leave it to Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb to spoil what could have been a wickedly fun week of vitriolic verbal back-and-forth.

The spurned quarterback, returning to South Philadelphia for the first time since he was unceremoniously booted down I-95 to the nation's capital.

The coach who hitched his entire wagon to the signal-caller and always came up just short of striking gold, or, in this case, silver.

It has all the material for a classic football melodrama - deceit, broken promises, rejection, denial, bruised egos, hurt feelings, betrayal.

This could have been the testiest back-and-forth in Eagleland since wide receiver Terrell Owens was dismissed from training camp and started doing situps in his driveway.

In fact, considering McNabb was joined at Reid's hip for more than a decade as the linchpin of everything the coach wanted to build with the Eagles, this could have been 600 times better.

Leave it to these two "Kumbaya"-singing gridiron pacifists to keep things civil.

"Well, listen, I think the world of Donovan," Reid said, blowing kisses as the Eagles start to prepare for the Grudge Game of the Century against McNabb and the Washington Redskins on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. "The legacy that he left here will be just that, a legacy that lasts forever.

"He did phenomenal things for this organization, and that's not forgotten."

Oh, gag me with a midnight-green Chunky Soup spoon.

"I can't even fathom that right now," McNabb said about the upcoming tilt with the Eagles after the Redskins lost to the lowly St. Louis Rams last Sunday. "Right now, I'm just focusing on this game and trying to correct the mistakes we made.

"I've always said that this is just a normal game."

What you talking about, Donovan? - OK, I know I'm dating myself with these 1980s references, but it was a long travel day back from Jacksonville.

These two guys . . . They won't let us have any fun leading up to Sunday.

Reid already has his team in the "See no Donovan, Speak no Donovan" mode that will dominate the locker room this week.

Quarterback Michael Vick squashed any McNabb story lines with an "I'm not even going there" comment after the Birds beat Jacksonville, 28-3.

Just you watch and see.

By the time Sunday comes, the Eagles will have propped up McNabb so high with praise, you will think he was simply coming into the Linc for a halftime induction ceremony into the Eagles Honor Roll.

McNabb will be talking so vanilla during his weekly news conference, you'll think his days as an Eagle are further in his past than his days at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago.

Both sides have plotted out their respective strategies for this week since the Eagles announced on Easter that they had traded their once-franchise quarterback.

I wouldn't be shocked to find out they've been sharing notes.

Look, a lot of what you just read was written tongue-in-cheek.

Clearly, there were some hurt feelings - mostly McNabb's - but there rightfully is a mutual level of respect between these parties.

Both the Eagles and McNabb thrived during their 11-year association. The only thing they didn't accomplish together was to win a Super Bowl - which is the primary reason they finally parted ways.

Not only would it be out of character, but it would be plain wrong for these two sides to start trashing each other after arguably the greatest era of Eagles football.

Still, would it kill either of these guys to drop their guard a little bit and find just a tiny fragment of that dark spot that hides deep in the back corner of all of our hearts?

Just for fun - well, fun for us - it would be great if "Bad Andy" sneaked out and said, "I traded this guy because after a decade of coming up short, I finally realized we weren't going to win diddly with him.

"I broke protocol and traded him to Washington because I figured why not bless a division rival with the same outrageous fortune."

And for entertainment purposes - well, entertainment for us - it would be outstanding if "Evil Donovan" poked his head out for a moment and said, "If that narcissistic megalomaniac had given me some proper wide receivers, learned how to manage a clock and developed game plans that didn't require me to throw my arm into a spaghetti noodle, maybe there would be a couple of those shiny silver football trophies at the NovaCare Complex."

Oh, what could be?

Instead, Philadelphia will dispatch reporters to Washington, Washington will dispatch reporters to Philadelphia, and the national media will show up in both places to hear two masters of spin-doctoring say nothing significant about what undoubtedly will be the most emotionally draining game of their NFL careers.

Where the hell is T.O. with the popcorn when you need him?

When is Dallas week? *

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smallwj@phillynews.com.

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