IS ON THE TRADE RUMOR TRAIL
Today, the Daily News presents is 32-page Eagles and NFL season preview.
We take an in-depth look at the relationship between quarterback Donovan McNabb and the Eagles fans, a relationship filled with plenty of ups and downs as it heads into its 10th year.
"You have people who really like you. You have people who don't mind talking bad about you," McNabb said. "And then you have people who are kind of off to the side, and just want to see a winning football team," people whose perceptions of the quarterback remain malleable.
"Talk radio is big out here in Philadelphia. But they don't really focus on the people who really admire the things you do, or really just enjoy watching Philadelphia Eagles football," McNabb said. "I don't focus on that. I think it's important when you do any job, play any sport here in Philadelphia, take pride in your work. We know it's not going to be roses every day. You're going to have some tough days. But it's all in how you're able to overcome that adversity and bounce back and do your job to the best of your ability."
Click here to read more from McNabb, his supporters and his detractors, too.
McNabb also talked about how Philly is different than Chicago, where he grew up as a Bulls fan.
He remembers going to Bulls games here and there during the Michael Jordan era. He said he doesn't remember ever booing his heroes. He doesn't remember anybody in his family ever booing them.
"I wasn't one of those guys that boo athletes,'' McNabb said, "because I see no point in it. It's not like he's going to look up at you and say, 'Thank you . . . Thanks a lot, that helps!' . . . You understood how, some people have tough days.''
You all probably have your favorite and least favorite McNabb moments. Here are 10 we highlighted, both good and bad.
McNabb is not the only Philadelphia superstar who has had tangled relationships with the Philly sports fans. Among the others that we highlighted: Mike Schmidt, Charles Barkley and Randall Cunningham.
The section is packed with plenty more stories, columns, predictions ... Click here to get a look at many of the stories and graphics.
And if you go back to the home page, at www.philly.com/sports, and peek into the video player, you will see a video of what it's like in the Eagles locker room at the NovaCare Complex.
Plus, remember to check out the Eagles Playbook previewing the season opener against St. Louis in tomorrow's Daily News.
Les Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News since 2002. Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
Paul Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982. He has spent most of his 27 years at the paper covering the Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo came to the Daily News from the Fort Worth (Tx.) Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually wa s boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose two sports coats to blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley, a University of Oklahoma grad and very dangerous to be around following a Sooner loss, have been married 29 years and have raised 2 terrific daughters – Allison, 26, a lawyer and graduate of Boston University School of Law; and Amy, 23, who graduated from Clemson and works in marketing and sales for a professional baseball team.
