The main thing: How a quote from Britain Covey’s grandfather has infiltrated the Eagles locker room

Leaning against the side of his locker, Britain Covey lets out a knowing, almost weary smile as he nods his head.

It quickly becomes evident that this isn’t the first time someone has connected the dots between one of the team’s primary mantras, one often uttered by its central figure, and his family history.

Most Eagles fans would attribute the saying, “Keep the main thing the main thing” to the always-philosophical Jalen Hurts. But scholars credit Covey’s grandfather, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, as the originator of the idiom.

There’s just one thing, Covey explains in response to an overzealous reporter broaching the subject: He doesn’t like to make a big deal about it.

“I don’t like to go around parading that,” Covey said. “But it does make me happy.”

In his second year with the Eagles, Covey has become a “locker-room favorite,” according to head coach Nick Sirianni in part because of a personality his teammates describe as “quirky.” The 5-foot-8, 173-pound return specialist and slot receiver had an unconventional path to the league because of a two-year hiatus from football to serve a Latter-day Saints mission in Chile. And he has a distinctive presence as a go-to for deep conversations or quotes passed down from his grandfather, Stephen Covey.

Even at 26, most of his teammates agree Britain Covey is wise beyond his years.

“I feel like Covey’s a smart guy,” cornerback James Bradberry said. “He reads a lot of books and stuff, so he’s always got something, a little nugget to put in my ear every now and then that’s quote-worthy. … I just listen to Covey often because Covey, he talks about a whole bunch of stuff. He’s really a funny person, a witty person, so I just listen to him sometimes.”

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Hurts added, “I have a ton of respect for anyone trying to give great insight to people. Especially through books and stuff. I like that about him.”

That insight can be traced back to Sunday afternoons in Utah, where Covey spent most of his childhood sitting in on devotionals led by his grandfather and father after church service, and listening as his family dove into subjects similar to the ones he’s heard in locker rooms over the last decade or so.

“Keep the main thing the main thing.”

When Britain Covey first heard Hurts say it on the podium, he approached the quarterback to tell him his secret. Hurts told him he first heard it from his own father, and the two joked about who may have said it first.

“I’m like, ‘Maybe my grandpa got it from your dad,’” Covey said. “It’s not like my grandpa has a claim on any of these things.”

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Hurts has become well known for his long list of philosophical sayings, whether coined by him, passed down from his father, or heard elsewhere.

Before the season, the 25-year-old Hurts, fresh off earning a master’s degree in human relations, joked that he might get a second master’s in philosophy. His search for profound sayings came from his upbringing and through experience, and he seemingly has a quote for just about any situation.

Covey thinks Hurts could have a future in the field if he ever wanted to. As someone raised by authors, he would know.

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“For this new upcoming generation, I think he’s so impactful,” Covey said. “This is what my grandpa used to teach all the time: Verbal words are the top of the pyramid, but the base of it is relationship and example. I think that’s what Jalen does well. Words are hollow if you don’t have those two things to start with. He does.”

“He’s like a philosopher, right?” Covey added. “So he’s wise beyond his years.”

The message regarding “the main thing” has clearly resonated with the two of them and now has reverberated throughout the rest of the Eagles’ locker room. After last season’s trip to Super Bowl LVII and the daunting task of making it back to football’s biggest stage, it feels more important than ever.

Bradberry, another one of the team’s deep thinkers, said the Eagles will have to find a spot for the quote on the NovaCare Complex walls, which are already plastered with motivational sayings and messages the coaching staff consistently repeat.

“I think Covey’s grandfather has had an impact on us from afar,” Bradberry said. “Jalen’s said it quite a few times, so you hear it quite often around here. Once you hear the quote, it’s a good quote — it’s a great quote, actually. So I guess it’s part of our culture now.”

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“Playing in the NFL, there’s a lot of distractions,” Bradberry added. “But playing for a well-established organization like we play for and the fans are so in-tune with what’s going on here and they’re very invested in us, there’s a lot of opinions that come around in the media and whatnot, so you definitely have to keep the main thing the main thing. It’s a great quote for us, especially coming off the run that we had last year. All that doesn’t matter, the main thing is getting better each and every day.”

A few days ago, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson explained the effect of synergy in an offensive meeting.

“Synergy basically means two plus two doesn’t equal four, it equals five,” Covey said, loosely reciting Johnson’s message.

“That’s directly out of Habit 6: Synergize,” Covey said. “But I don’t know if that’s where he got it from.”

Hearing teammates and coaches echo sentiments he first heard from his grandfather, who died in 2012, is nothing new. Dating back to high school and college, Covey would hear coaches and players preach the foundational principles he learned in his family’s published works.

Considering the book so many still recite was first released in 1989, Covey said his grandfather’s teachings remind him of classic songs he hears on the radio.

“The things that he taught will be timeless,” Covey said. “It’s kind of like Beatles music, where it withstands the test of time. For me, that’s the whole point of my grandpa’s teachings, they were supposed to be timeless. Not gimmicks and things like that where it won’t be relevant in 50 years. They’re timeless principles that will be relevant for as long as there’s life.”

“For this new upcoming generation, I think he’s so impactful. This is what my grandpa used to teach all the time: Verbal words are the top of the pyramid, but the base of it is relationship and example. I think that’s what Jalen does well.”

There isn’t a day that passes where Covey doesn’t use a quote from his grandfather. He has them written on his phone and printed out around his home.

Like Hurts, he can find a quote for just about any situation.

Think first to understand, then to be understood.

“I think that’s a lot of times the case between coaches and players,” Covey said.

Build on your strengths and organize to make your weaknesses become irrelevant.

“It’s kind of been the motto of my entire football career,” Covey said. “I think that happens a lot of times in football and you talk about that. I don’t think people got that from my grandpa but that’s something he taught.”

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When asked which one is most relevant for him now, coming off the best game of his career with 81 punt return yards and a career-high 52-yard return, Covey took a passage from Habit 1.

Focus on your circle of influence rather than your circle of concern.

“There are certain things that you can’t do anything about,” Covey said. " … My circle of influence is my teams and how well I can perform. My circle of concern are things that you can’t control.”

As prepared as he may be, Covey’s careful not to overshare the quotes that bounce around his brain. He knows the guys who are receptive to his style of encouragement, but he doesn’t want to be that guy if he can help it.

It’s why he didn’t chase down Johnson to tell him his personal story behind “synergy” and why most of his teammates don’t know what it means to him when he hears them talk about the main thing.

But don’t get it mistaken, every time they do, it reminds Covey he may as well be humming a Beatles tune.

“I don’t ever want to go around parading my famous grandpa,” Covey said. “But I do think his principles are timeless. I think that’s important to keep his legacy alive by sharing those. He used to always quote, and I don’t know if he’d been sent it or quoted [saying] it, but, ‘Life is about leaving a legacy’ and I want to carry on his legacy.”

The Eagles host the Washington Commanders on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.