Michael Irvin keeps praising the Eagles; Keith Hernandez checks out during game

It’s a marvel that former Cowboys great Michael Irvin is firmly onboard the Eagles bandwagon, but someone needs to get him some new material.

During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Monday, the Hall of Famer once again praised the Eagles and lauded the team’s chances at greatness this season, claiming the squad could become the league’s next dynasty.

“My sleeper team — I’m talking about all the way to the Super Bowl — are the Philadelphia Eagles,” Irvin said. “These are the two worst words for Cowboys nation — an Eagles dynasty… If they could just put the right hands on the steering wheel — that would be the coach — and get the right guy at quarterback, they will have something special, because they have special talent.”

Obviously, it’s great for Eagles fans to hear a Cowboys legend like Irvin praising the Birds as they head into the season. But he’s been saying nearly the same exact thing for months.

During an interview on The National Football Show with Dan Sielo earlier this month, those two words — Philadelphia dynasty — once again came up, as did Irvin’s comments about having the right hands on the wheel and under center.

“The two worst words you can hear if you’re a part of Cowboys nation is ‘Philadelphia dynasty,’ and Philly has something that’s lined up right now that those two words can commingle,” Irvin said, also making sure to heap praise onto Jalen Hurts, who is entering the second season as the Eagles starting quarterback.

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“I’m a fan of any winner. And Jalen Hurts has been a winner, at Alabama, at Oklahoma,” Irvin said. “I’m so afraid of what he may be able to do in Philly… I like his leadership, I like what he brings to the table.”

Rewind to May, and you can hear Irvin once again saying those same two words — “Philadelphia dynasty” — to former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci on the NFL Network, all while praising the team’s young receiving corps and predicting the team could start the season 5-0.

“If the right hands get on the steering wheel of the Eagles, and the right hands under center, the Dallas Cowboys and Cowboys nation are going to hear the two worst words they ever want to hear — Philadelphia dynasty,” Irvin said.

Unfortunately for Eagles fans, Irvin was also talking about the idea of an Eagles dynasty as far back as 2017, when he praised then-Birds starter Carson Wentz and first-year head coach Doug Pederson, both of whom are no longer members of the team.

“If we are not careful what goes on in Philadelphia, it could be not just a great year, but the start of something of a great dynasty,” Irvin said during an interview on 94.1 WIP.

Irvin’s fondness for this Eagles team appears genuine, and it’s especially interesting considering Birds fans hated him so much as a player, some cheered the injury that ended his career at Veterans Stadium. It’s just time to come up with a few new lines table any talk of an “Eagles dynasty” before the season has even started.

The last time we heard Keith Hernandez’s name, all of Philadelphia was united against his unwillingness to call any Phillies-Mets games on SportsNet New York due to Philadelphia’s supposed lack of defensive fundamentals. Even NBC Sports Philadelphia mocked his irrational Phillies hatred with a “Keith Hernandez approved” graphic whenever the team made a solid defensive play.

Turns out Hernandez might be paying less attention to the games than we thought.

On Sunday afternoon during the second inning of the Mets game against the Colorado Rockies, Hernandez spoke about going to his “favorite little spot for dinner” to catch ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball matchup that night between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves.

According to Awful Announcing, nearly a minute after play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen said who would be pitching — Jake Odorizzi versus Adam Wainwright — Hernandez chimed in attempting to figure out which pitchers would be on the mound.

“Odorizzi, maybe?” fellow analyst Ron Darling mockingly stated, poking fun at Hernandez for zoning out.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” Hernandez admitted. “How many times have I done that over the last 17 years?”

Of course, it’s moments like this that have made Hernandez an endearing figure in the booth, in a similar way John Kruk has become a fan favorite since joining the Phillies broadcast booth in 2017. But don’t expect Kruk to understand any Seinfeld references when it comes to Hernandez.