As the feeling finally began to return to my toes, I realized what a tremendous two weeks it had been.

My car was taking its usual 30 minutes to begin heating up as I waited in the line outside Lincoln Financial Field following the Philadelphia Eagles' 36-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys this last Sunday.

Just a week earlier, I had been in the same car, getting ready for the 500-mile trip back to Pennsylvania from Charlotte, N.C. I had just attended my first Eagles game at an opposing stadium, and it was a successful trip as the Birds beat the Carolina Panthers 25-16.

The experiences of the two weekends were probably as different as hanging out with Snoop Dogg at the Holiday Inn one night and singing Christmas carols with Clay Aiken the next.

The first major difference was the pregame shows fans listen to on the radio driving up to the games. On the Panthers' station, the hosts welcomed Philadelphia fans and commented on how well-represented they would be at the game.

You expect the same thing from Philly sports-talk right?

Well, not exactly.

One of the Eagles pregame shows featured hosts enticing intoxicated fans to step up and eat live cockroaches, which were brought to symbolize Cowboys fans. A rather novel idea, I thought to myself as my dad nearly gagged in the passenger seat.

As we walked up to Ericsson Stadium, Panthers fans welcomed us to Carolina.

When we made eye contact with the fellow Eagles fans, the E-A-G-L-E-S chants reigned long and proud. Panthers fans just watched and laughed as I wondered what would happen if opponents' fans did a similar thing on their way up to the Linc.

And while I didn't exactly get my answer this past weekend, it was close enough. A Cowboy fan and an Eagle fan were entering the game together, as friends. When the crowd grew large enough, the Eagle fan pointed to his buddy with the Cowboy hat and started the chant that would be heard frequently throughout the day -- I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with "mass coal, mass coal."

As we approached the stairs to enter the Linc, it was chaos. The lines for security checks mirrored the lines outside Canyon Pizza at 2 a.m. on a Saturday night. Fans pushed and shoved as guards asked them to raise their arms, remove their winter hats and take their cell phones out of their pockets while the frisking ensued.

In Carolina? There was no security whatsoever. It was as if having a ticket was great, but if you didn't have one, there still might be some way to sneak you in to see the game.

Before the Panther game, a prayer was said, wishing the players good sportsmanship and good health.

What resonated through the many speakers at the Linc before the game?

"We remind all fans that throwing any objects on to the field, including snowballs, is strictly prohibited and will result in ejection," as the nearly 70,000 fans booed and laughed in unison.

And then of course, there was the heckling of fans.

Most of the fans around us in Carolina were friendly and welcoming. One woman did throw some obscenities at one of the Eagles' fans I was with.

However, while he didn't deserve it, and wasn't using bad language or obstructing anyone's view, he definitely did have a little David Putty in him.

The worst that I received was when a fan commented on the back of my Donovan McNabb jersey, "Hey McNabb, aren't you supposed to be on the field?"

Apparently he confused my frame with that of the 6-foot-2, 240 pound quarterback. More of a compliment than an insult, I thought. But very creative nonetheless.

Meanwhile, as the final seconds of the Eagles-Cowboys game wound down, one Dallas fan who had been sitting quietly the whole game, shook hands with the fans around him and congratulated the Eagles on likely winning the NFC East title. As fans watched from a few rows back and saw the Cowboys baseball cap, they responded.

"Go home loser!" one fan yelled.

"Go kill youself!" said another.

And so the differences between the two games ended with the lines of traffic, the over-priced concessions and the Eagles wins.

It appeared that Philadelphia fans lived up to the their reputation as rude, obnoxious barbarians while the Panthers fans embodied southern hospitality.

Whether this is just one fan's tale or how things always are, I don't really know.

But who would have it any other way?