Rams label McNabb report 'absolutely false'

NOW THAT Donovan McNabb is officially in play, and has even acknowledged he is officially in play, while asking that the Eagles move quickly to resolve their quarterbacking drama, expect to hear a few red alerts sounded before anything really happens.

The first salvo in what could be a fusillade arrived yesterday afternoon with a report, later modified, saying the Eagles had offered McNabb to the St. Louis Rams for the first pick in the second round of next month's draft (33rd overall) and safety Oshiomogho Atogwe.

Atogwe is a restricted free agent who has not signed his tender from the Rams, which would make trading him impossible right now. The report later was amended to say Atogwe had been mentioned in "speculation.''

Reaction from the Rams was swift and unambiguous.

"Absolutely false . . . It's utterly ridiculous,'' St. Louis general manager Billy Devany told the St. Louis Dispatch. "I haven't talked to Philadelphia about any of their players.''

The Post-Dispatch quoted another source as saying, "They may have a trade offer, but not from us. Why would we trade for McNabb and then go watch Bradford throw on Monday?''

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, whom the Rams are considering with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, has his pro day on Monday. Since the Rams acquired quarterback A.J. Feeley, speculation has held that they might try to get through 2010 with Feeley while breaking in a franchise QB.

Was the report a reflection of what the Eagles would like to get for McNabb at this point? It certainly didn't seem to reflect anything the Rams were contemplating; it would be very difficult for Devany to trade for McNabb after such a scathing denial and retain any credibility.

The Eagles refused comment on the St. Louis report, but they have acknowledged they are talking with multiple teams about their quarterbacks. It seems very unlikely they have much interest in trading Kevin Kolb, since they haven't extended McNabb, and Michael Vick does not seem to be a hot topic anywhere.

Two teams also mentioned in McNabb speculation are Oakland and Buffalo, with multiple reports saying McNabb would not sign a contract extension in either place. He is entering the final year of his current deal, and a team trading for him that couldn't sign him would have to franchise McNabb in 2011, for something like $20 million - if the team could deal with the fact that its marquee QB didn't want to be there.

A source close to McNabb indicated that indeed, Buffalo and Oakland would not be preferred destinations. San Francisco, which might be re-evaluating its QB situation in the wake of general manager Scot McCloughan's dismissal, would become the NFC West favorite if it obtained McNabb, and the quarterback presumably would see the appeal of that.

Several teams that might have been potential McNabb landing spots a few months ago seem to have resolved their QB situations, most notably Cleveland, which signed Jake Delhomme and traded for Seneca Wallace.

In what might have just been an odd coincidence, Eagles coach Andy Reid mentioned at yesterday's NFC coaches' breakfast in Orlando how nifty it would be to have the first pick in the second round of the draft. Reid had been asked about the new draft format, in which Round 1 is held April 22, Rounds 2 and 3 April 23, and Rounds 4 through 7 April 24.

"I'm interested to see how it works,'' Reid said. "I'd love to have that first pick of the second day. Where you can sleep on it, regather your thoughts, which you normally don't get to do. I don't think [the new format] is a bad thing.''

Saints coach Sean Payton said at the NFC coaches' breakfast that New Orleans was discussing whether to match the Eagles' offer sheet to restricted free agent running back Mike Bell hours before the midnight deadline Tuesday.

New Orleans did not match, and Bell became an Eagle.

"It's tough, and we were still discussing at 8 [Tuesday] night, but overall we looked at organization and this puzzle is bigger than just one part, which makes it hard,'' Payton told Daily News contributor John Ingoldsby.

Payton conveyed his appreciation for Bell to Andy Reid.

"He gives you a big, powerful running back. He enjoys playing the game. I had a chance to talk to Sean Payton about him. Sean liked him,'' Reid said. "Respected his ability. He's 26 years old, so his best years are ahead of him.''

To function in Reid's offense, Bell will have to be more than a between-the-tackles pounder.

"I thought he improved [as a pass-catcher],'' Reid said. "I think that became more important to him when he went to New Orleans. I pulled out every route. I pulled out every [blocking] protection he had at both places [Denver and New Orleans]. You could see progress as it went on. Became a decent pass-protector.''

Reid acknowledged he didn't envision Bell flanked wide, like Brian Westbrook

"That's not the way I look at him. I look at him more as an in-the-backfield player,'' Reid said. "I don't think you need to flex him out and do a lot of things with him, though I think he can catch it well enough on the different routes we do. But for the most part, you keep him in the backfield.''

Reid said he likes the fact that Bell is just about to turn 27; he wasn't a high-mileage free agent.

"I like the age part. I like the things that he brings. Brings a little different flavor to the backfield that we haven't had in a couple of years. I consider him similar to what Correll [Buckhalter] did for us, as far as his skill-sets go,'' Reid said.

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