DONOVAN MCNABB LOVES EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW RESTAURANTS IN HIS ADOPTED HOMETOWN OF PHILADELPHIA. BUT HE HASN'T FOUND ANYWHERE THAT MAKES HIS MOTHER'S RED BEANS AND RICE.
As an All-Pro quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, Donovan McNabb has put himself in a position to be remembered alongside some of the city's sports greats - Hall of Fame names like Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Mike Schmidt, and Bobby Clarke. Since joining the team in 1999, his No. 5 jersey has been a wardrobe requirement for any serious sports fan in Philadelphia. He's become as synonymous with the city as cheesesteaks and the Liberty Bell. He's also become a part of another Philadelphia tradition: frustration.

McNabb finally led the Eagles to the Super Bowl last season after previously coming up short in three straight NFC title games. The Eagles' streak of futility, however, was much longer than McNabb's: The team hadn't made it to the big game since 1981. After playing it tough against the reigning champion New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX, McNabb and the Eagles fell just short, losing 24-21. The ­defeat further extended Philadelphia's fruitless quest for any major sports championship to 22 years.

The loss sticks in 28-year-old McNabb's craw: He defiantly says the Eagles have "some unfinished business to do with [Patriots quarterback] Tom Brady and his boys." Going into his seventh pro season, McNabb yearns to take his adopted city to pro football's promised land, especially now that he understands the thwarted mind-set of the Eagles' die-hard fans. It's the same as his. It just took him some time to catch up.