Take heart, Donovan McNabb. If you hear a chorus of boos when you come out of the tunnel into Soldier Field, don't get the idea that your hometown has turned on you. You're probably just standing near Rex Grossman.
Sunday will be a homecoming of sorts, for both Washington Redskin qb's, one remembered fondly, the other...Rex Grossman.
McNabb, a Chicago native who led Mt. Carmel H.S. to a state championship in 1991, is making his first appearance in Soldier Field as a Redskin. His back-up Rex Grossman, who led the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, will also be returning to Chicago in a Redskin uniform, for the first time.
So what does Rex expect, that Donovan doesn't?
It's hard to anticipate, but I would assume it's a boo," he said. "I don't think it should be, but you know how it is there; you never know what is going to happen. I've seen former players come in there and they've usually gotten booed. Either way, I don't care, I still love Chicago. I love the city, the tradition, the team and everything about it. I'm very proud to be a part of it."
Grossman took his share of criticism from Chicago fans and media, both fair and less fair. His up-and-down performances at the helm of the Bears offense, left fans shaken on many Sundays. And even though many fans vocally blame him for their eventual loss in the Super Bowl, to the Indianapolis Colts, he still has happy memories of his time here.
"The passion, the tradition and the whole deal is exciting to be a part of, especially when you get a good team and you're on Super Bowl run like we were, everything gets magnified. Everybody's involved, watching and paying attention, especially when you have a good team. Everything is moving along and you have a lot of expectations. It is one of the biggest football towns in the NFL."
But unlike Bears fans, his memories of the bad times he had here are, "just a blur".
A different reunion will be that of Jay Cutler and Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan. Shanahan, while the coach of the Denver Broncos, originally drafted Jay Cutler out of Vanderbilt, with the 11th pick in 2006. Like McNabb, he's also a local product, having grown up in Franklin Park. He still believes in Jay Cutler's toughness, and he says he still roots for the Chicago Bears, just "not this weekend"