"When you win in Philadelphia, there is no place better to play," says Cunningham, 45, who in 2004 founded a church called Remnant Ministries in Las Vegas. "And when you lose, you are going to hear about it. Philadelphia fans are like very stern parents."
Cunningham still follows the Eagles from Las Vegas. While he says he does not know McNabb well, Cunningham adds that he has always liked him. The former quarterback who once was called "The Ultimate Weapon" says: "Donovan has handled the situation in Philadelphia very, very well. He has been such a consistent player. I still think he has a lot of game left in him. And I think if the pieces stay in place, the team will do very well with Donovan this year."
Cunningham says that playing in Philadelphia gave him a "thicker skin." High school football in California and college ball at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas did not prepare him for the "hard-core fans" he would encounter in Philadelphia, where a few poor showings would leave the crowd clamoring for the second-string quarterback. Cunningham came to understand that, saying: "People like to see the new man on the block. And if he does well, they cheer him even more." But he says the fans' scrutiny strengthened his character.
"Playing in Philadelphia helped me become a better person," says Cunningham, who was eased out by coach Ray Rhodes in 1995 and sat out a year before signing with Minnesota. "I actually developed skin that was too thick. I got to the point where I could care less what anybody said."
