McNabb's return to Philly will be 'a little crazy'

It took about 37 seconds for the topic to come up: Donovan McNabb, returning to Philadelphia as a Redskin.

Get used to it.

Andy Reid had just finished the opening remarks of his Monday news conference, about 17 hours removed from a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but already notepads were flipping toward the next story: Sunday's return of the quarterback who starred for the Eagles for a more than a decade but now leads one of their most hated rivals.

With national news outlets joining the local media, the second question of the morning focused on McNabb.

Reid said his team will stick to its routines: studying the Redskins as a whole and trying to win an important division game. But he allowed that Lincoln Financial Field will be even more manic than usual this Sunday.

"It will be a little crazy. It's always crazy when the NFC East teams come here. So, I'm sure they'll be even a little crazier," Reid said.

"I do know the louder, the better. I do know that, and that's why I welcome people in. You know, our fans are a little crazy. We're probably on the 'A-List' in the National Football League, and I love that part of it. When they put all that green stuff on and dress crazy and all, I like that. So, I welcome the Redskins into that," Reid said.

But how will Eagles fans greet McNabb specifically in his first trip to the Linc as a visitor? Reid wasn't sure. McNabb, after all, drove years of Eagles winning. But he also had vocal critics, and even those who loved McNabb now have to reckon with seeing him in burgundy.

"He is a Redskin, and they don't get the best acceptance in our stadium there," Reid said.

On the other hand, Reid hailed his former quarterback's contributions to the Eagles.

"I think the world of Donovan. And the legacy that he left here will be just that, a legacy that lasts forever. He did phenomenal things for this organization, and that's not forgotten," Reid said. "But at the same time, he wants to beat the Eagles, and we want to beat the Redskins."

For the Eagles, this will mark the second consecutive week dominated by quarterback questions. Reid's starter switch last week has faded to the background after Michael Vick's command performance muted the ensuing debate - at least for now.