It’s been so easy to love the Eagles this year – to jump up from your seat and share in their amazing triumphs or hold your head in disbelief at their crushing pains. This team has shown us all what can happen when passion and talent come together in true harmony. It isn’t often that a group of elite athletes put aside their egos and goals, and simply work for the good of the organization. But then again, that is the purest definition of “team,” and it’s what we have with the Eagles. So even in the toughest of times – say when your quarterback takes a season-ending hit – a team keeps fighting. You gotta love that.
BIG-NAME FANS
Eagles fever has spread, and even famous fans aren’t afraid to show their love for the Birds.
“My favorite player right now is Carson Wentz. I told my brother early in the season that I just love the way he plays the game. The way that he’s able to get to progressions throughout the course of a three-step drop or a five-step drop, and if everything breaks down, his ability to run, get outside the pocket and either make passes or get yards with his feet. He’s a very smart player from the outside looking in, obviously, and they’ve got a really good team.”
LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers
Source: ESPN
“I always enjoy watching them…Going to the games, seeing the guys and just cheering them on. I know how passionate the fans are in Philly, and I want to be right here with them.”
Mike Trout
Los Angeles Angels
Source: NBC Sports
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcibF7vnUeF/?taken-by=philadelphiaeagles
When it comes to being the biggest Eagles fan, Bradley Cooper will give you a run for your money. Not only was the actor in attendance at the 2017 Eagles-Rams game – wearing an awesome shirt, no less – he’s also delivered his fair share of trash talking for a number of Eagles’ hype videos.
In the 2014 spot promoting the Eagles-Giants face-off, Cooper said, “I promise you there is no brotherly love lost between us and the Big Apple’s big talkers with their ‘youse a bunch of cheesesteak eatin’, liberty bell crackin’, museum steps running’…yeah, yeah, yeah. You wanna know the best way to shut a loud mouth up? It’s to shut it for them.”
PLAYERS’ PRE-GAME PLAYLISTS
Fletcher Cox
“This is straight pump-up music, hip-hop. I listen to it to get me going, get me right. It’s not just the music for me, but it all is part of my routine before a game. I have to be hyped before a game and the music helps me get there.”
Jalen Mills
“I like to dance before a game and express myself and this is the kind of music that helps me. It’s fun for me. I’m already excited about playing and this kind of just lets me feel my body and get into that right state of mind. You see me before a game and I’m always moving around and having a good time. That’s the kind of music I like.”
Carson Wentz
THE GREATEST PLAY THIS SEASON…AS TOLD BY THE FANS
I would have to go with the first moment where I thought things might go the Eagles way this season: the 61-yard field goal from a rookie kicker to beat the Giants at the end of regulation in the third game of the season. Good teams seem to get the lucky plays throughout a season, and the Eagles were finally on the positive end of one.
Ryan Sheffield, Marlton
It was week three against the New York Giants. It wasn’t the flashiest play, but it was executed with perfection. Wentz completed a 19-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery along the sideline. Jeffery was able to get out of bounds and stop the clock with one second left. This play led to the 61-yard field goal by Jake Elliot to win the game. The result of that game sent the Giants down a losing path and Eagles on a nine-game win streak.
Rob Wilson, Cinnaminson
Even Doug Pederson said this was one of the best plays he’s seen in a long time: Game against the Redskins. Third down and goal. Wentz is on the 9-yard line and somehow manages to stay on his feet despite the rush, and throws to Corey Clement in the corner. Clement reaches for the catch. Amazing.
Rachel Thompson, Medford
I love the choreographed celebrations – the home run swing, electric slide and bowling strike. It let us all see how much fun they’re having.
Matt Allison, Collingswood
LeGarrette Blount ran 68 yards against the Chargers. It was his longest run as an Eagle. He barreled over one guy and then stiff-armed another all the way down the field. They just couldn’t get him down.
Jill Oregon, Haddonfield
The best moment was the first Cowboys game. Every year, besides winning the Super Bowl, our goal is to beat the Cowboys. The Eagles led at the half, 9-7, and then crushed them in the second half. Final score: 37-9. It’s a beautiful feeling.
Laura Rosher, Cherry Hill
My favorite play this year is the Wentz touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor in the Washington game. He scrambled around a heavy rush to throw the long touchdown pass. I knew then we had something special in Carson Wentz.
Tom Fresno, Mount Laurel
It was in the first game against the Redskins. On a third down and long, Carson eluded the defense and completed a touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor. This play set the tone for the remainder of this magical season, which has surpassed everyone’s expectations.
Joe Lewandowski, Collingswood
Remember in the game against the Redskins when Carson Wentz escaped from a near sack and then ran for the first down? I saw that as a physical representation of fans’ belief in the team this year. This guy did the hardest job in sports to the maximum level every Sunday. It’s why millions now have belief.
Casey Witherspoon, Marlton
Jake Elliot’s game-winning 61-yard field goal was the best play of the year. It jump-started us to 11-2.
Terry Sims, Mullica Hill
In week one, Brandon Graham sacked Redskin QB Kirk Cousins and knocked the ball loose, and Fletcher Cox scooped it up and ran 20 yards for a touchdown. You knew this team would make great plays all season.
Tony Grant, Mount Laurel
For me, the best play was against the Rams. In the third quarter, Wentz ran for a TD that was called back for holding, but he took a hit that blew out his ACL and ended the season for him. Even though he was injured, he stayed in the game for several plays and threw a TD pass to Alshon Jeffery. It was the best play by far — it showed Wentz’s heart.
Les Vail, Glassboro
ALL EAGLES, ALL SEASON
We’ve been relying on the experts – ESPN’s SalPal and Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro – to give you an inside look at the Eagles, from training camp through game-winning recaps.
The First Pick
June 2017
By Dave Spadaro
The ink was barely dry on Derek Barnett’s four-year, $12.85 million contract with the Eagles when Dave Spadaro interviewed the rookie – selected with the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft in April – about his big-league role with the Birds. The DE has played in every game so far this season and already racked up five sacks.
Doug Pederson & South Jersey
August 2017
By Dave Spadaro
Doug Pederson loves one little SJ restaurant so much he asked us to photograph him and his wife Jeannie there before they grabbed a bite to eat. Though their plans changed at the last minute (that’s what happens when you’re the coach of an awesome NFL team), we still got the inside scoop on his favorite spots and why he’s happy to call South Jersey home.
Wentz/Pederson 2.0
September 2017
By Sal Paolantonio
The heat and humidity were unbearable on the day SalPal headed to Eagles training camp, but no amount of sweat was going to stop him from talking to Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz about their on-field chemistry and their second attempt to make Birds history.
Carson Wentz: Just Getting Started
October 2017
By Dave Spadaro
The season had just started when Dave Spadaro sat down with Carson Wentz, but high hopes had already been pinned on
No. 11. Though the two did discuss football, Wentz really wanted to talk about his time during the off-season – including hunting and a life-changing trip to Haiti.
Changing Direction
December 2017
By Dave Spadaro
Dave Spadaro had already interviewed Darren Sproles – and written an entire article about the running back – before he suffered a season-ending injury in a game against the Giants. After some new interview questions, the heart of the updated article still remained: there’s no denying the powerful impact Sproles has made on the team.
Nick Foles: The Quiet Quarterback
November 2014 | By Dave Spadaro
We knew quarterback Nick Foles was a good thing for the Eagles back in 2014, but we never could have predicted his role this season. This quote may be from years ago, but it’s obvious that Foles still has the focus and determination to lead the NFC East champs on the road to victory:
“My sole focus is on this football team and my teammates and coaches. Everyone has his opinion. That’s fine. That’s part of what makes football great. I’m responsible to my teammates, to be as prepared as I can be. So I’m concentrating on what my job is, not what people are saying about me.”
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COREY CLEMENT: FULL CIRCLE
Glassboro’s Corey Clement has dreamed of playing for his favorite NFL team since he was 17 years old. Just take a look at his tweet from 2017.
One day … Some day pic.twitter.com/RocLxvIh
— Corey Clement (@CoreyClement_6) May 16, 2012
Lucky for Eagles fans, the running back’s dream came true this year, and he’s been wowing them ever since. His season started with a perfect tackle to stop the Washington Redskins’ opening kickoff. Then came his first touchdown two weeks later at home against the New York Giants, followed by two more TDs against the Denver Broncos. Pederson has called the rookie “a bright spot” for the Eagles offense. “He’s one of those guys that runs extremely aggressively and hard. I trust all our players – and it’s no different with Corey.”
In South Jersey, Clement has a lot of loyal fans, especially in Glassboro. His high school football coach, still the coach at Glassboro High School, sums it up: “Everybody knows Corey. Everybody loves Corey. I cannot tell you how much pride and happiness we feel.”
Included in that fan group is Mary Beth Ragozzino, Clement’s guidance counselor in elementary and high school. Ragozzino told the student that if he played in the NFL, she would give him the family’s BMW M5 – a car that Clement loved. Late in the season, she handed the young Eagle the keys to his new car as congratulations for his years of hard work.
But while Clement appreciates the love, he knows he has a job to do.
“Here’s the thing,” Clement says, “making it to the NFL is one thing. Staying here is another, so I know I have a lot of work to do. This is just the beginning for me. I’m loving every minute of it.”
