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.