Vermeil doesn't believe McNabb is going anywhere.


Everyone has their own opinion on the current Donovan McNabb saga, from fans to writers to other teams around the league, so it's not exactly surprising that a fan-favorite in Philadelphia would chime in with an opinion of his own.

Former Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil piped up while talking to Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan on Sirius NFL Radio, and will most likely be vilified because of it.

"Yeah, you know, there's a lot of rumors in regard to that but I talked to [coach] Andy [Reid] before he went to the owners meetings a week ago and it really didn't sound that convincing that he was going anywhere to me," Vermeil said. "I mean, he didn't just say he's going anywhere he said they've got some things going on but I'll be surprised if he leaves Philadelphia."

I'm not sure how close Vermeil and Reid are, so there's no telling if Reid spoke to him on a personal level or put up the same front he puts up with the press. But either way, a coach can usually tell when another coach is lying or telling half-truths -- considering Vermeil did his fair share during his career.

I've been saying that I don't believe the Eagles will trade McNabb short of a blockbuster deal, but the word is now that interested teams aren't offering anything more than a third-round pick for the quarterback.

Andy Reid won't settle for anything less than a first-round pick or, at the very least, a very high second round pick, or a player or equal value to McNabb. He's in no rush to move McNabb, so he's not simply going to take the best deal available and move on.

Reid's not even willing to do that with Michael Vick, so what makes everyone so sure that he'd be willing to do it with a guy who's three times the quarterback Vick is now or ever has been?

While the timing to do a deal might be perfect in theory, there are just too many mitigating factors that will prevent a deal from going down. I believe Reid would like to keep McNabb, McNabb would like to stay in Philly, and that both will get their wish for at least one more season.

I'm a strong proponent of signing McNabb to an extension and testing the market for Kolb, which might not be such a far-fetched idea if Kolb is valued higher than McNabb around the league.