One Last Look

The Eagles' Super Bowl defense in a picture

Two weeks after the Super Bowl, the Eagles are still on my mind. I'm sorry! Here is one final post, focusing on the defense. 

The reason the game (and season) resonates with me is defense. Everyone talks about the offense—Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and that fabulous offensive line were indeed amazing. But I believe the reason for the Birds' success this year is defense.

The Eagles' defense went from nearly last in the NFL last year to the best this year. After sputtering to a 2-2 start, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made some changes and the results were immediate (and effective).

I love defense. And the Super Bowl was a clinic in how to play it. The Kansas City Chiefs didn't cross half field until late in the third quarter. Their points were scored in garbage time, when the game was already decided. The Eagles got after them at every level: the defensive line (6 sacks without blitzing, one of which produced a fumble), the linebackers (an interception and general smothering play), and the secondary (a pick-six and big stops). It was amazing to watch (if you are an Eagles fan). And it wasn't new; all season long, the team has played great defense at every level. Watch the NFC Championship and Super Bowl highlights. Amazing. So how did they get there?

How do you build a defense? How do you make the worst unit in football into the best? It was a combination of good drafting, player development, quality free agent pickups, and a willingness to change what isn't working. (Note: starting lineups generally list 12 players, showing 'regular' and 'nickel' formations, so the below numbers reflect that total.)

- Good drafting (and undrafted pickups): this unit had eight starters drafted by the Birds, seven of whom were still on their rookie deals. (One more, Reed Blankenship, was an undrafted free agent.) In the below graphic, only three players were offense . . . the Eagles built this team through good drafting.

- Player development: a handful of defensive players (drafted or otherwise) didn't seem to play that well in the last few years, only to break out this year. That matters and points to good coaching. It is easy to write off players who don't pan out in a year or two, but the Eagles have consistently shown patience in this area.

- Free agent pickups: the Eagles had three on D. Darius Slay was traded to the Eagles years ago, and re-signed with them. He has been a veteran leader in the secondary. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was on the team in 2022, went elsewhere in 2023, then signed back in 2024. He is an example of a player who excels in a specific system; he has been excellent on the Birds both years on the team, while he struggled in his year elsewhere. Finally, linebacker Zack Baun was the find of the year. Relegated to special teams on the Saints, he signed with the Eagles for cheap and ended up an All-Pro (which also points to player development).

- A willingness to change what isn't working. What may be missed in the Eagles' success this year was their two big misses: 1) they signed Bryce Huff to a big contract. He didn't perform and was benched a few games into the year. 2) they signed LB Devin White, who was the expected starter. He didn't work out and was cut a few games into the year. Why does this matter? Good coaches get the best out of their players but also identify the ones that aren't working out. Even though Huff and White had more money (or attention) on them, the coaching staff made changes based on need and not 'flash.' It paid off.

Jalen Hurts was the Super Bowl MVP. And he had an amazing game. But me? I would have given the award to the entire defense. "Defense wins championships" is the common wisdom in the football world. Yet awards show what we really value; the last time a defensive player won the NFL MVP was 1986 (Lawrence Taylor). Since then, over 30 quarterbacks have taken home the award, with the rest being running backs. Super Bowl MVP stats are similar; they are almost always QBs. So the defense can get disrespected, which points to a final reflection: excellence doesn't always get recognized. You can be the best—and be a key part of a championship team—without getting accolades. And that is okay . . . we're not called to collect trophies, but to be faithful in the tasks given to us. 

Go Birds. Thanks for a great season. And thank you, defense. You gave us something to cheer for in an uncertain time. UPDATE: one Eagles fansite just released a 2024 defense highlights video. Check it out!

On the Road with Saint Augustine (James K.A. Smith)

"This is not a book about Augustine. In a way, it's a book Augustine has written about you. It's a journey with Augustine as a journey into oneself." So writes James K.A. Smith in his introduction, who goes on to say "I've been on a ride with Augustine. Here's what I've seen; here's what he's shown me (about myself); here's why you might consider coming along."

We're all (metaphorically) on the road in life. We are looking for something or someone. We know something is missing; we're looking for home. And where we end up resting "is a matter of what and how we love."

We often look and rest in the wrong places. We focus on the finite, with unrealistic expectations. It never satisfies, but we never stop. With Augustine, maybe we should consider that "the finite is given as a gift to help us get elsewhere." Things here are "doomed to disappoint if you've been made for another shore." As Augustine spent a lifetime learning, "you [God] have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

When we look to God, it changes everything. But we are still in the world. Still subject to futility, tragedy, and sorrow. "Conversion doesn't pluck you off the road; it just changes how you travel." "The key is to know where we are, and whose we are, and where we're headed, and not be surprised by the burdens of the road." 

After the above introductory content, Smith looks at topics through Augustine's eyes, to include freedom ("how to escape"), ambition ("how to aspire"), sex ("how to connect"), mothers ("how to be dependent"), friendship ("how to belong"), enlightenment ("how to believe"), story ("how to be a character"), justice ("how to protest"), fathers ("how to be broken"), and death ("how to hope"). It turns out the ancient bishop knows a good deal about our contemporary world and these matters. 

Select highlights:

- on freedom: "coming to the end of myself is the realization that I'm dependent on someone other than myself if I'm going to be truly free." And true freedom is not a freedom from rules or boundaries but graced empowerment for a purpose.

- on friends: "the true friend is the other who has the courage to impose a conviction, who paints a substantive picture of the good, who prods and prompts you to change course and chase it—and promises to join you on the way."

- on story: "The point of a story isn't originality or ingenuity . . . [but] to give a gift to the listeners, to create a world in which listeners could see themselves, orient themselves, and maybe even see a way forward, a way out." "Your story is only useful because others have lived it and will live it again."

----

Ultimately, this book "offers a fresh articulation of Christianity that speaks to our deepest hungers, fears, and hopes" (from the publisher's dust jacket review). This is a way to learn about who you are and what God offers, not from a recitation of facts but through analyzing the struggles of Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430), an African who spent years spiritually wandering until he found his home in Christ. He invites us to do the same, not in a heavy-handed way, but through his famous Confessions (and many other works) where he openly acknowledges his failures and wanderings. He's been there; he knows what you're going through. And he knows the way out.

James K.A. Smith is an excellent writer, offering profound, hard-hitting, and succinct statements of truth in a compassionate, inviting way. It took me a while to understand the approach/point of this work, but if you keep his stated goal in mind, it makes sense. Recommended.

Rating: A

Parading Around

On Friday, we did a day trip to Philly for the Eagles' Super Bowl parade. This post recaps that experience . . . and what a day it was.

The party: me, my three kids, my friend, one of this kids. Six total.

The plan: leave at 6:30am, get to Wilmington Delaware to catch a regional rail to Philly, watch the parade, and do the same in reverse.

What happened: 

We left on time, got 15 miles down the road . . . and got a flat tire. Pulling over by a BGE substation, we called a tow truck, but when their time of arrival was (potentially) an hour or more, we opted instead to put the spare on ourselves and return home, get my friend's van, and try again.

We left (again) from our home, but this time at 8:00am. The last train departed Wilmington at 9:30 . . . and it takes about that long to get there. It was going to be close. We made good time but couldn't find parking once we arrived; that, plus a long line and uncertain status of the last train (would we fit or not?) led us to keep driving to Philly.

We arrived in Philadelphia at 11:00am, slowed by bad traffic outside the city. Mercifully, we found parking easily (at 8th and Market Street, just east of city hall). The parade started at the time we arrived, but we suspected we had time to get in place; they started at the stadium and would take hours to go north on Broad Street before snaking around city hall and heading northwest to the Art Museum.

people standing on the johns . . . dicey  move

Finding a good spot was hard (good spot meaning we could actually see the buses once they came through). Seven years ago, we had done something similar but taken the train and arrived much earlier; this time, we were dozens of people from the front. As the barriers prohibited crossing the main thoroughfare, we were stuck on the east side of the route. We snaked around city hall (north, then south, then north again) before ending up in Love park. We ended up with a reasonable view given the circumstances; 80 feet from the road. The map below shows the route (in red) and were we parked/walked (in black).

our view

We got as close as we could and hunkered down to wait. And then . . . something magical happened. Jason Kelce, recently-retired Eagles legend, just happened to walk right through the crowd about 10-15 feet from us:

It was very cool to see him with the fans. (He would later jump onto the parade route and walk down the street with the team.) At one point, a fan handed him a beer, he chugged it, and kept walking.

As we waited, the crowd really pressed in. I started growing concerned for my youngest, who could have been smothered. I kept a small bubble around him as best I could.

Finally, around 12:45pm, the buses came into view. The crowd went wild, phones went up, and I had to keep lifting my youngest above the throng so he could see. (I'm still sore . . . but it was worth it.) The below video was taken by my daughter.

There were more buses than I remembered from last time. At least five, maybe seven or more. It may have taken 20 minutes all told for them to go by, based on the slow pace and frequent stops. The players were spread throughout (the owner, coach, GM, and Jalen Hurts were in the front bus . . . probably more, but I couldn't see everyone). We saw Jalen, Zack Baun, Dallas Goedert, and a few more people I don't recall now. Each one of us may have seen different players based on where we were looking.

After they passed, the crowds largely dispersed, forced by the barriers to head east. I then noticed they had modified Love Park's iconic sign to read "Love, Hurts." Nice.

Heading east led us to Reading Terminal Market, where we swung in, waited in a long (but fast-moving) line for Beiler's Doughnuts, and then kept heading back to our car, stopping one more time for Philly's Pretzel Factory twists (or a cheesesteak). 

We left around 2:30pm, getting one last view of the Linc (the Eagles' stadium) on the way out. 

We got home at 5:30 or thereabouts; traffic was predictably slow getting out of the city.

Reflections

It was a long day . . . was it worth it? The kids gave a resounding "yes." We couldn't get as close as I hoped, but it was very cool seeing Kelce so close, and it was a fun atmosphere regardless of your view. "Everyone is so nice here," said my daughter. (I definitely saw some tense moments between people jostling for a view, but that aside, she was right.) It is fun to be in a crowd of people united. To celebrate regardless of personal inconvenience. To enjoy the moment.

Would I do it again? Depends on how quickly the Birds win their next one. It is a chore going up and back in a day. But you never know when you'll get moments like this, so taking advantage was wise.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

After the war with the mages, England is at peace. Or is it? When his power-mad Uncle Vortigern usurps the throne and kills his father, young Arthur escapes and survives on the streets being aided by women in a brothel. Vortigern knows, though, that Arthur must be alive . . . and the powerful sword in the stone can be wielded only by him. Obsessed with finding the heir, Vortigern will make any sacrifice . . . while Arthur wants no part of power. Still, he may not have much choice . . . and from nothing will come a king.

I've had this 2017 film on my list for quite a while. It was definitely different; a visual spectacle with powerful music and some unique (and fun) storytelling methods. Those aspects I enjoyed. What I didn't:

- an emphasis on the mystical. Vortigern is building a tower that (apparently) makes him powerful somehow, Arthur's sword yields superhero-like strength, and there are mages that can control animals. And some other really weird stuff.

- there is very little Arthurian here; a few nods to the legend get buried in what feels more like Robin Hood or A Game of Thrones at times.

- I can't tell what the overall message is. It appears to be that Vortigern's evil created Arthur. Suspect theology.

Still, there was at least one good message in the film: Arthur's transformation. He doesn't want to embrace who he is. At one point, when he's resisting that, his companions put him through a test. One fears they are going too far and might kill him, but another replies:

You don't want all of him to survive, that's the point. You have to break his old self completely, wear him down. You want him to think big? Give him something big to think about.

Later, to Arthur directly, she encourages him to stop running, and reminds him that: 

You will face it when it's worth it to you.

We are reminded consistently in Scripture about putting off the old self and putting on the new, and putting worth in what truly matters (vs. our old desires). So that subtheme was done well.

Overall, I both liked this more than I expected but was somehow also disappointed. The aspects I enjoyed made it fun, but my disappointment came in its claimed ties to Arthur.

Rating: C+

Go Birds

That was satisfying. Yesterday the Eagles won the Super Bowl by clobbering the Chiefs, 40-22, and it wasn't that close (they were up 40-6 before putting in their reserves and yielding two late TDs). This post looks at their year.

The Team

Two years ago, the Eagles lost the Super Bowl to the Chiefs. That team was amazing but fell short. (Still, there are lessons in a loss.) This year's team featured 20 players from that roster (by my count) plus 33 others; turnover happens quickly in the NFL (consider: only 4 players remain from their last Super Bowl victory in 2018). The depth chart is below: note two injuries on defense (to Nakobe Dean and Brandon Graham) affected, but didn't deter, the Birds from success.

The Highlights

There are many . . .

Offense

- Saquon Barkley

What a player. What a pickup. Coming over as a free agent from the New York Football Giants, signing Saquon was considered a risky move by some given his age. It wasn't; he rushed for over 2,000 yards in the regular season, had several amazing playoff performances, and modeled humility to boot. He won the NFL offensive player of the year for his achievements.

He is a true team player and talent, the latter of which is perhaps best epitomized by his 'reverse hurdle' earlier this year:

- The Offensive Line

The Eagles have a history of strong offensive lines, and this year was more of the same. Lane Johnson, Mekhi Becton, Cam Jurgens (who replaced Jason Kelce), Landon Dickerson, and Jordan Mailata simply dominated. Mekhi in particular has a powerful story—written off as a bust, he came to Philly and resurrected his career. He could be seen crying often on the sidelines in thankfulness and joy.

- The Regulars

Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert have put together a string of successful seasons in Philly. It's fun watching them play.

Defense

- What a turnaround. Last year, the defense sputtered and looked lost. This year, they were the best. And defense wins championships. There was elite talent at every level, and new coordinator Vic Fangio put them in position to be successful. Several players drafted from years (Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, Milton Williams) past stepped up and performed at higher levels; free agents pickup Zach Baun went from special teams player to an all-pro; and this years' draft picks transformed the secondary from one of the worst units to one of the best.

This defense completely dominated in the playoffs, with a +13 turnover margin in four games. In the Super Bowl in particular, they looked unstoppable. 

Staff

- Nick Sirianni, head coach redeemed. 

Nick had a rough year in 2023, watching his hot 10-1 Eagles skid to a 11-6 finish and first-round ouster in the playoffs. There was talk of firing . . . instead, he stayed on and changed his approach. With two new coordinators and a new mindset, it worked. He righted a team that felt lost last year . . . quite an achievement. Generally, you don't come back from losing the locker room . . . Sirianni did.

- Howie Roseman, GM extraordinaire.

I don't know how he does it, but Howie finds ways to draft well, supplement through free agency, and sign the key players to long-term extensions in fair (but team-friendly) deals.

- Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio, new (to the Eagles) coordinators.

After last year's trainwreck, the offense and defense needed makeovers in the coaching department. Enter Kellen and Vic. The offense looked off at times, but found ways to win through it all. The defense skidded to a 2-2 start but caught fire and never looked back. 

The Amusing

- A.J. Brown's Book Club

During a lackluster game (where Brown was frustrated by a lack of targets), he was spotted on the sideline reading a book.

The book ("Inner Excellence") became an instant bestseller.

- ELGSES

During the playoffs, Philadelphia's mayor led a crowd in an Eagles chant, only to mis-spell Eagles during it. The Internet reacted predictably.

- "Exciting Whites"

Reed Blankenship and Cooper Dejean, two players in the Eagles secondary, are they only two white people on the defense. They became known as "exciting whites" based off of a meme about wine (read more about that here). You can buy shirts, folks.

- The fans

Eagles fans don't disappoint. Memes and videos about them don't, either.  

- Go Birds

This is a phrase specific to the region around Philly, and is the east coast version of 'aloha.' It means basically whatever you want it to mean.

The End

It is nice to see the Birds get their second championship in seven years. But even better is the way they played together this season. Throughout, it was clear you could describe the team with one word: "unselfish." Different players dominated different games. Everyone stepped up. And now . . . they are the champs. Go Birds.

The Monster in the Hollows (Andrew Peterson)

Shortly after book two . . .

Having escaped Kimera last time, the Wingfeathers cross the Dark Sea of Darkness to take haven in the Green Hollows, a land safe from the Fangs of Dang. There, the kids enroll in school and try to adjust to a new and peaceful life. But trouble seems to follow them wherever they go . . . there is a monster in the Hollows, and it will stop at nothing to destroy them.

The last book was suspenseful throughout; here, we get a breather for most of the book until the tension ramped up towards the end. Overall, it was excellent. There were a few plots points that were rushed, but the twists and backstory were both surprising and welcome. Another winner.

Rating: A

Batman, Volume 3: Death of the Family

He's back. After a year away from Gotham, The Joker has returned with a vengeance—and he is after Batman's 'family' (Alfred, Robin, Nightwing, etc.). The Clown Prince of Crime seems even more deranged than usual, determined to destroy everything the Dark Knight holds dear . . . will he succeed?

This was a good story, but it caught me off-guard; I thought this volume would conclude the Owls story line from last time. Instead, apparently that arc was done (for now) and the series shifted gears. That surprise aside, this was an intriguing (and occasionally gross) psychological tale about these archrivals, with a few twists to boot. 

Rating: A-

Batman, Volume 2: The City of Owls

Continuing from volume one . . .

The Court of Owls—the fabled secret society said to have ruled Gotham for decades—is real. Their assassins, called Talons, are everywhere. And their target is Bruce Wayne. Owls can feed on bats . . . but this is no ordinary creature of the night. Does Batman have what it takes?

This second volume continues the excellent story, with more enjoyable twists along the way. Collecting six issues, the first four were outstanding, with five and six being side stories that seemed like filler (unless they will play a role in the conclusion of the arc). But overall, highly recommended.

Rating: A

Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls

The Court of Owls is a well-known children's poem and old wives' tale in Gotham. The rhyme suggests that the real rulers of the city are these members of a secret organization . . . but Gotham is Batman's city. Or is it?

I quite enjoyed this mystery/adventure; it has familiar elements to Batman stories but intriguing twists as well. The story was great; the art was decent. I look forward to the next volume.

Rating: A