Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Eagles A.J. Brown wants more for himself, and for others – ESPN
The last accomplishment fell short of personal expectation, with the ecstasy of winning a Lombardi Trophy lasting all of two days. “I thought my hard work would be justified by winning it all,” Brown wrote on February 12. “It wasn’t.” Shortly after that Instagram post, Brown had a conversation with longtime trainer Joey Guarascio that delved deeper into his psyche. “It almost made him mad because the feeling after the Super Bowl was like, ‘That’s it? Like there needs to be more. We need to make this thing a dynasty. I need to be a Hall of Famer,’” Guarascio said. “Every time we talk, it’s, ‘I want to leave a legacy that’s memorable. I want people to talk about the Eagles like they do the New England Patriots in the 2000s.’ He always had an idea and a belief that he could do it, and now that he’s starting to get the physical evidence behind it, it’s just, you know, he’s talking it into fruition.” All indications are that Brown is “hungrier than ever,” as Guarascio put it, as the Eagles begin their title defense against the rival Dallas Cowboys Thursday night (8:20 ET, NBC). “I truly feel like I’m the best in the league,” Brown said, “and I want to put a stamp on it.” But the mission reaches well beyond football.
2025 Season Preview – Iggles Blitz
The Eagles kickoff the 2025 season on Thursday night when the Cowboys come to town. Expectations are sky high for a team coming off a dominant Super Bowl win just seven months ago. A lot has changed since then. The coaching staff is different. The roster is different. But this is still a very talented team that should compete for another Super Bowl title. Injuries are always an X-factor. The Eagles stayed very healthy last year and that certainly helped them win it all. There is also the question of whether success will go to their heads. It doesn’t seem so. Nick Sirianni has preached to his players that this is 2025 and the focus can’t be on past accomplishments. Sirianni usually does an excellent job with his messaging. He’s able to connect with his players and get them to buy in to what he wants them to do. Winning a championship is a powerful drug. You don’t know how people will react to that. Having a serious, driven leader like Jalen Hurts is a good way to keep the rest of the team focused. If the Eagles have the right mindset, this is going to be a dangerous team. Sirianni embraced his CEO role last season and got the most out of the team. He is ultra-competitive and won’t be satisfied with last year’s success. He wants to win anything and everything, from rock-paper-scissors to shooting baskets to football games.
Eagles offense preview: 4 schematic questions to watch in 2025 – BGN
Longtime readers know I’ve always been a fan of 12 personnel, mainly because it can force defenses into single-high coverages and create one-on-one matchups outside. In simple terms, you create an extra gap in the run game in 12 personnel, which means the defense often has to respond by bringing down a safety. This leads to more single-high coverage and potential shots outside the numbers. But the lack of a true TE2 has limited the Eagles in that package. Last year, they ranked 15th in the NFL in 12 personnel usage but just 27th in success rate when throwing the ball from 12 personnel. With John Metchie III added to an already strong receiving group and rookie Darius Cooper flashing in preseason, 11 personnel might be the better path forward. I hope we see more three-receiver looks this season, which makes sense and could help maximize the Eagles’ passing game.
2025 NFL season predictions: Playoffs, Super Bowl, draft order, and individual awards – PhillyVoice
The Eagles Tush Push their way past the Packers in the divisional, and Amon-Ra St. Brown finds out what would have happened in the NFC Championship Game last year if the Lions hadn’t choked in the divisional round against the Commanders. The Eagles then comfortably beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LX, though it’s not the laugher it was in Super Bowl LIX.
But when Carter is between the lines he can transform into a not-so-nice guy. Sometimes it takes prodding. Jurgens said a hand to the neck may set him off. During one practice late in camp, the bear was poked. Carter responded with a paw to Jurgens’ helmet, while guard Brett Toth caught shrapnel. “Any time that he kind of gets on that mean streak, he’s a game-wrecker,” Toth said. “He’s the kind of guy you don’t want to give any extra fuel to or he’ll destroy an entire game.” The Eagles want Carter engaged, but they don’t want him enraged. He missed the first week of camp with a shoulder injury, but mixed it up with the offense from the sideline. When he returned, he exchanged trash talk with running back Saquon Barkley.
Why you should be very excited about Eagles’ 2025 linebacker duo – NBCSP
If you’re pretty excited about the Eagles’ linebacker duo entering the 2025 season, you’re not alone. They’re pretty excited too. “We’re about to cover a lot of ground on the football field,” Zack Baun said this week. “That’s for sure.” Baun returns for this season after an All-Pro year in 2024. Since signing with the Eagles, Baun was the best linebacker in football last year, won a Super Bowl, got a big three-year contract and was just recently named a captain. And now he’s teaming up with first-round pick Jihaad Campbell to man the middle of Vic Fangio’s defense. There’s no doubt that Nakobe Dean played at a really high level in 2024, but as he continues to recover from a torn patellar tendon suffered in the playoffs, the Eagles have a couple of linebackers that could end up forming one of the best duos in the NFL. There’s a lot of excitement about Campbell’s potential and it’s fun to imagine how it’ll look with Campbell and Baun on the field together. Because of Baun’s back injury during camp, they didn’t have a ton of time together, but they have had enough. And they should be able to cover just about every blade of grass.
Slogans aside, it’s more than fair to assume the Eagles will go into Thursday night with the same run-first offensive approach they took on for most of last year. Saquon Barkley has looked capable of taking on a similarly heavy workload this summer, the offensive line should remain versatile and bullying enough to dominate opposing fronts most weeks, and Hurts should still be able tilt the field in Barkley’s favor as a runner himself. A tougher question will be how the passing game leverages those undeniable truths against defensive play-callers fresh of a summer of studying Barkley’s historic season. At some point this year, the cyclical nature of the game should lead to the opportunity for Hurts to shed the “straitjacket” he alluded to during last year’s postseason if the partnership between the quarterback and new Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo allows for it. It’s important to mention this summer has featured a noticeably more comfortable version of Hurts, at least in the public eye. He was hardly a player lacking for confidence before, but perhaps the validation of a championship can help the 27-year-old find the ideal balance between the turnover-averse approach he had for parts of last season and the decisively assertive one he had for most of his MVP-caliber 2022 campaign. For what it’s worth, Patullo said Monday there will be some new wrinkles going into the opener and beyond.
A few players close to him in the locker room aren’t shy about putting their name on it. Hurts always seemed like the most confident person in a room, yet the way he’s displaying it has been apparent to teammates. “He’s definitely a lot more confident than any other year. And it’s not to knock on all the other years,” Jordan Mailata said. “You can feel who he is as our leader, but also in this offense. … He knows the offense. It’s actually beautiful to be a part of, because I feel like it’s not just him, though. It’s just like our role, too, really understanding, even just like QB depth in the pass reps, the timing of, how do we want to design the pocket? Just even those minute details, it gives confidence in us, it gives confidence in J.”
The Ringer’s 2025 NFL Power Rankings – The Ringer
Unless you’re intentionally nitpicking, it’s hard to find flaws in the reigning champions right now. This team was loaded with stars last season, and 10 of 11 starters on offense are returning in 2025. It’s possible that quarterback Jalen Hurts will have a massive statistical season as a passer and runner if defenses load up to stop last year’s Offensive Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley. The Eagles defense is still young and without a premier pass rusher, but neither of those factors stopped coordinator Vic Fangio from designing one of the league’s best units last year. Philadelphia will get every opponent’s best shot, but it’s one of the few teams with enough talent to withstand it.
NFL Week 1 Power Rankings: Ravens and Eagles open the season on top – PFF
2) Philadelphia Eagles. Despite entering the 2025 season as the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Eagles find themselves second in the PFF Power Rankings. This is still one of the most talented teams in the NFL, but Philadelphia’s defense is weaker than it was a year ago and will feature at least six new starters in Week 1. The sky isn’t falling in Philadelphia, though, nor should it be. The offense can carry the load and play bully ball while Vic Fangio’s defense finds its groove. Spirits will be high, regardless, and the Eagles will feel confident that they’ll have a serious Super Bowl-caliber defense. Player to watch in 2025: Interior defender Moro Ojomo earned a 70.4 PFF overall grade across 490 snaps while registering 31 quarterback pressures in 2024. He’ll be expected to play more snaps and fill a hole left behind by Milton Williams in 2025.
Eagles rookie safety Drew Mukuba pulled his iPhone out of his locker Tuesday and showed his home screen wallpaper, which was a screenshot of his goals from the notes app. He then pointed to each one and said it out loud: “No. 1: win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. No. 2: make the All-Rookie team.” Those are lofty aspirations for the second-round pick out of Texas, who missed a significant portion of training camp with a shoulder and hamstring injury.
Cowboys vs. Eagles Game Preview: 6 storylines to follow in the opener – PE.com
Dallas has a new coaching staff. And what does that mean, exactly? Brian Schottenheimer is in charge of the Cowboys in his first season with Matt Eberflus overseeing the defense. Given that this is the first game, there is a great sense of the unknown. So what do the Eagles study? They look at Eberflus from his 15-plus years coaching in the NFL, including stops as a defensive coordinator with the Colts (while Nick Sirianni coached there) and as head coach with the Chicago Bears. He has a track record of employing a scheme that uses a lot of pre-snap movement, a basis in the Tampa-2 scheme and zone coverage. He wants his front to play in an “attack” style. The Eagles will have built-in checks for all of this and will be tasked with making adjustments as the game goes along, not unlike every other game.
NFL MVP and players of the year will wear gold shield patch on their jerseys – PFT
For the first time, the NFL will have the league MVP and the players of the year wear a gold shield patch, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports. The gold patch is inspired by the NFL Honors logo. The 2024 NFL Honors winners of the Associated Press’ awards were Bills quarterback Josh Allen (MVP), Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (offensive player of the year), Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II (defensive player of the year), Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (offensive rookie of the year) and Rams linebacker Jared Verse (defensive rookie of the year).
Can Jacory Croskey-Merritt be the odd man out at running back on game day? – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders released their latest depth chart ahead of the first week of the season. In it, the Commanders list rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt as their fourth running back on the depth chart, behind Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez Jr.. It is an interesting position for “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, knowing that fans and beat reporters, who covered the rookie running back daily during training camp, were very optimistic over his potential impact this year. Being fourth on the depth chart doesn’t negate their opinion, though, but it begs the question of whether Bill would be active on game day, at least for the season opener against the New York Giants.
Cowboys odds: Dallas biggest underdogs of Week 1 vs. Eagles – Blogging The Boys
Anyway, the oddsmakers have not taken a positive view of the Cowboys this season. They don’t really see them as a playoff team, and their win total odds are among the lowest in the NFL right now. So as you might expect, they won’t be favored in this first game of the season. As of the time of this article being written, the Cowboys are 8.5-point underdogs to the Eagles according to FanDuel. That’s a pretty large spread in the NFL. And for this weekend, it is the biggest.
CB Trevon Diggs (knee) is expected to play Thursday night against the Eagles, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday, per a source. Diggs came off the PUP list on Aug. 24 after undergoing knee surgery in December. Diggs has been a full participant in practice this week.
Giants-Commanders, Week 1: 5 storylines for season-opener – Big Blue View
68-6. If you are a regular Big Blue View reader, you know what that references and you know we have been over it before. The is the combined score of the Giants’ last two season-openers — a 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in 2023 and a 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings last year. Head coach Brian Daboll has been asked again and again about getting off to a better start this season, and, win or lose, it is important that the Giants play a good, competitive game on Sunday against the Commanders. Can they do that? Daboll played many of the front-line players more this preseason than he has in other years. We will see if that increases their readiness. Since making the playoffs in 2016, the Giants have started six of the last eight seasons 0-2 or worse. With the Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers following the Commanders on the Giants’ schedule, 0-4 beckons if the Giants begin the season in the sloppy, unprepared manner of the past two seasons.
Bill Belichick’s aura evaporated on one North Carolina night – SB Nation
Bill Belichick has been the talk of college football in North Carolina from the second he was hired backed in December. It took one thee quarters on Monday night to remove that excitement and replace it with familiar groans of inevitability. Nobody expected the rebuilding Tar Heels to beat TCU, but by the same token nobody saw them getting embarrassed at Keenan Stadium, 48-14 — including allowing a shocking 21 points in the third quarter, a time most assumed the great Bill Belichick would make second half adjustments so his team could come back.
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