MARLTON, N.J. (AP) - Donovan McNabb has a reminder for some of the young Philadelphia Eagles: He's no longer going to be there to absorb the boos.
McNabb was back in the Philadelphia area Saturday hosting a football clinic for 320 kids as part of his ongoing charity work. The six-time Pro Bowl quarterback said he'll always have an attachment to the city where he played for 11 seasons before getting traded to the Washington Redskins in April.
"I've been here for a long time," McNabb said. "I feel like this is part of my home."
Though he was regular winner during his time with the Eagles, McNabb always drew his share of criticism. Now it's time for the team's next generation to see if they can handle the heat that comes with the praise.
"It not only happens with me. It happens with Peyton (Manning). It happens with Tom (Brady). It happens with everybody. When you're the older guy, everybody talks about you. When you win, everybody talks about you. When you lose, everybody talks about you.
"And some young guys always want to get the credit - until they get in the shoes where they're the ones getting the criticism. Then all of a sudden, people don't like the criticism. I can handle that; some people can't. Until they get hit with that type of buzz, then they'll realize the shoes that I was in. But, from afar, everybody wants to be who you are."
McNabb did not name any of his former teammate but he could have been talking about Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, who in May told The Sporting News he was "very happy with the decision" by the Eagles to trade McNabb to the Redskins.
Jackson also said: "I don't think we lost anything, even with McNabb being gone."
It was pointed out to McNabb that some of the children at his clinic will be rooting against him when the Eagles play the Redskins this fall.
"And there are a lot of them who will be following me," he said. "Some of them have already bought Redskins No. 5 jerseys."