8:00 AM ET
Tim McManusESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA -- Standing by his locker stall past week, Eagles seasoned antiaircraft extremity Brandon Graham smiled arsenic helium rattled disconnected each the cardinal additions to the squad implicit the past respective months -- a radical that includes receiver A.J. Brown, borderline rusher Haason Reddick, cornerback James Bradberry, information C.J. Gardner-Johnson, linebacker Kyzir White and the newest member, antiaircraft extremity Robert Quinn.
"I've prayed for a squad similar this. I'm not going to lie," the 34-year-old Graham said.
"I've been dreaming astir a squad similar this where, man, we're playing together, we're undefeated," adding that the chemistry this radical has close present is akin to the tight-knit 2017 squad that won it all.
Chemistry is simply a fickle thing. When you adhd big-name players to the locker country mix, you're astir arsenic apt to extremity up with the "Dream Team" -- the ill-fated moniker for the 2011 Eagles who proved to beryllium thing but -- arsenic you are a squad you imagination about.
But the Eagles are connected a roll. They struck golden successful 2017 with acquisitions similar antiaircraft extremity Chris Long and moving backs LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, who helped get the Eagles implicit the hump and seizure their first-ever Lombardi Trophy.
And the aboriginal returns connected this year's haul look remarkably strong. The Eagles person top-rated units connected some sides of the ball, and are 7-0 for conscionable the 2nd clip successful the organization's history, joining the 2004 squad that went to the Super Bowl. They look to proceed that streak erstwhile they look the Houston Texans astatine NRG Stadium connected Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
Brown, caller disconnected a career-high 156-yard, three-touchdown show against the Pittsburgh Steelers, is connected gait for 1,600 receiving yards, which would shatter a franchise grounds that has stood since 1983 (Mike Quick, 1,409 yards). Quarterback Jalen Hurts is astatine his champion erstwhile throwing to his bully friend, tossing 5 touchdowns with nary interceptions with a 90.4 QBR. Hurts and Brown person been choky since their assemblage days, opening erstwhile Hurts tried to enlistee Brown to Alabama.
"When you're playing for idiosyncratic that you love, that you telephone family, it's a antithetic meaning down it," Brown said. "I cognize I can't fto him down."
Gardner-Johnson is tied for the league pb with 4 interceptions contempt making the determination from country to information connected the doorstep of the season. Bradberry is tied for 2nd successful passes defensed (10) and entered Week 8 with the second-best opposing passer standing (32.4) successful the league down lone his teammate Darius Slay (31.8). The database goes on.
Thanks successful ample portion to their contributions, the Eagles person top-rated units connected some sides of the ball, and are 7-0 for conscionable the 2nd clip successful the organization's history, joining the 2004 squad that went to the Super Bowl.
"[The] squad already had immoderate endowment connected it earlier we got here," Bradberry said. "We were conscionable benignant of immoderate of the missing pieces I conjecture they needed to truly bring it each together."
There are respective reasons arsenic to wherefore it has worked retired truthful well. Luck, Bradberry acknowledged, plays a part. So, too, does the utilization of the "cohabitation matrix" arsenic the beforehand bureau has called it -- a cross-referencing process wherever everyone successful the Eagles web who has past with a prospective escaped cause oregon commercialized acquisition weighs successful connected that subordinate to assistance guarantee a locker country fit. And possibly astir importantly, there's been a concerted effort connected the portion of manager Nick Sirianni and the seasoned leaders to make an situation wherever newcomers are welcomed and taken nether wing, with ego being acceptable speech for the greater good.
"[O]ur guys that we person successful this gathering close now," said antiaircraft coordinator Jonathan Gannon, "care much astir their teammate than they bash themselves."
THE CASE OF "Dicker the Kicker" shows the grade this radical goes to easiness the acclimation process.
When Pro Bowl kicker Jake Elliott went down with an ankle wounded successful aboriginal October, the Eagles signed undrafted rookie Cameron Dicker successful beforehand of their Week 5 crippled astatine the Arizona Cardinals. Early that week, Sirianni went astir to the apical peculiar teams players, a league root said, encouraging them to invited Dicker arsenic 1 of their ain and spell retired of their mode to marque him consciousness similar a portion of the team.
"[Punter Arryn Siposs] and [long snapper Rick Lovato] took him nether their arms. Jake gave him support. They embraced him," Sirianni said. "That's our team."
Then, during a gathering that Saturday morning, Sirianni showed the full squad highlights of Dicker kicking astatine the University of Texas to pump him up. Dicker went connected to go NFC Special Teams Player of the Week aft hitting a brace of tract goals against Arizona, including a 23-yarder successful the closing infinitesimal to assistance Philadelphia to a 20-17 win.
Bringing successful a rookie kicker for a short-term hole is 1 thing. Adding big-name and/or big-money players is another. One crushed escaped cause signings and trades don't enactment retired is due to the fact that of the mode it affects entrenched players astatine that presumption group. In a athletics wherever the hunt for occupation information is simply a changeless struggle, it's casual to beryllium acrophobic erstwhile a big-name subordinate is brought in.
The Eagles, though, person immoderate cardinal veterans who spot the twilight of their careers coming, and are prioritizing chasing hardware implicit defending their ain turf. Graham, 34, has had this mentality tested much than anyone else, archetypal with the signing of Reddick to a three-year, $45 cardinal woody successful escaped agency, and astir precocious with the acquisition of Quinn via a commercialized from the Chicago Bears. Graham, though, was 1 of the archetypal radical to greet Quinn erstwhile helium arrived successful Philadelphia, wearing that thousand-watt grin arsenic helium offered immoderate encouraging words.
"Really everyone embraced me, made maine consciousness invited truthful I don't consciousness similar I'm walking astir similar a stranger," Quinn said. "I've got to convey the guys for welcoming maine arsenic casual arsenic they did."
Slay has taken a akin tact with Bradberry. Sirianni went retired of his mode to praise Slay -- a squad skipper for the archetypal clip successful his vocation -- for his leadership, saying that whether it's lending teammates his car oregon making definite they person a spot to spell for Thanksgiving, helium has gone supra and beyond to cultivate the benignant of family-like ambiance the coaching unit was hoping for.
"We person large leaders connected this squad that cognize what it takes to get to the top," Sirianni said. "It's not the champion radical of individuals that wins championships. It's not the champion radical of individuals that wins games. It's the champion team, right? These guys enactment similar brainsick to bash so."
THE "COHABITATION MATRIX" was archetypal made nationalist successful 2018 erstwhile Roseman utilized it during a pre-draft interrogation league with reporters. It's a strategy acceptable up by erstwhile VP of subordinate unit Joe Douglas, present the wide manager of the New York Jets, wherever radical who person connections to a subordinate they are reasoning astir acquiring are identified and sought retired successful bid to get a fuller representation of however a imaginable conducts himself some wrong and extracurricular the building.
Its usage was connected afloat show with the Quinn signing. Eagles manager of sports show Ted Rath and secondary manager Dennard Wilson were connected the Los Angeles Rams unit erstwhile Quinn was there. Gannon was a scout for the Rams erstwhile they drafted him successful 2011. And erstwhile players Chris Long and Connor Barwin, present the manager of subordinate improvement with the Eagles, played with him connected the Rams. All offered their input earlier Quinn was brought connected board. Before Quinn adjacent arrived astatine the building, players were talking similar they already knew him.
The process is akin for each of their prospects, with coaches and unit members asked to taxable inheritance accusation connected players they've overlapped with.
"They did a batch of research, talking to coaches successful the league. I cognize my cause and my secondary manager [Wilson], they're beauteous acquainted with each different -- my cause represented Dennard erstwhile helium was a player," Bradberry said. "My manager I conjecture conscionable trusted that sentiment astir maine arsenic a subordinate and arsenic a person."
The Eagles didn't person to look acold to find a necktie to Brown. Hurts and Brown telephone each different champion friends. There wasn't overmuch of a leap progressive successful figuring retired however they would mesh arsenic teammates.
"I person a batch of spot successful A.J. I deliberation that's a batch of the crushed wherefore he's here," Hurts said. "We've ever had a large relationship. It's been beauteous to spot however it's unfolded passim the year, personally for him and I, and america connected the field. I ever had a batch of admiration for his mentality. He's been doing large things for us, I'm arrogant of him arsenic a person and arsenic a quarterback."
Hurts seems astatine bid this twelvemonth -- arsenic overmuch arsenic a shot perfectionist can, anyhow -- and the aforesaid seems to beryllium existent for conscionable astir everybody connected the roster. The vigor is pinging disconnected 1 subordinate to the next. And that's nary coincidence.
"It's the champion players holding the champion players accountable," said Brown." Jalen says each the time, there's a standard, and we're raising that modular each accidental we get. Including myself, guys came successful and we went to work. We didn't look for handouts. We went to enactment and we cognize what we've got to bash and what we're trying to accomplish."
English (US)