Eagles admire the Phillies’ ‘crazy’ Citizens Bank Park playoff atmosphere — and Bryson Stott’s moment

Professional athletes are just like us — they don’t like sitting in traffic.

So when recently-signed practice squad cornerback Bradley Roby had to adjust his route home on Wednesday night for a second straight day thanks to congestion from the Phillies’ wild-card game against the Miami Marlins, Roby decided he might as well see what all the fuss was about.

He realized that Citizens Bank Park was roughly a half mile from the NovaCare Complex. Roby spontaneously purchased tickets, affording him an up-close look at Philly sports fans in their natural habitat.

“That was cool, just to see how crazy the fans are,” Roby said. “They were doing Eagles chants during the game. I’m like, ‘What? This is baseball. How you gonna talk about Eagles?’ But it just showed me how much they love the sports in this city. So that was dope.”

Roby admitted that he hasn’t watched much baseball in the past, but his experience on Wednesday made him want to become a fan. The most unique aspect of his night at Citizens Bank, he said, was witnessing Bryson Stott’s grand slam in the sixth inning that punctuated the Phillies’ 7-1 victory. It was the first time he’d ever seen a grand slam in the flesh in just his second in-person baseball game.

» READ MORE: Bryson Stott’s grand slam gave Shane Victorino chills as he watched with his youth baseball team

Throughout his nine-year NFL career, Roby has played for the Denver Broncos (2014-18), the Houston Texans (2019-20), and the New Orleans Saints (2021-22). So far, Philadelphia’s fanbase is most similar to New Orleans’ thanks to their similar passions for their sports teams. As an Ohio State Buckeye, Roby is well-acquainted with intense supporters.

“This reminded me of college,” Roby said. “Sports are really big here and I like that.”

Wide receiver A.J. Brown has also been tuning into Phillies games, although the 8:08 p.m. starts overlapped with his daughter’s bedtime and encroached on his own bedtime. Brown, a former high school baseball player, was just as struck by the atmosphere at Citizens Bank as Roby was even though he watched the games on television.

“Playing in the Bank was crazy,” Brown said. “I could just tell, and even Bryson’s home run the other night, that was crazy. Everybody was singing his walk-up song. He goes out and hits a grand slam. It was electric. I would love to play in the Bank, even in center field. Even if I was the opposing team. Just to see the atmosphere. It’s crazy.”

Brown said that the environment isn’t much different at Lincoln Financial Field, but the respective paces of each sport make the crowds distinct from each other. In baseball, according to Brown, everybody’s on the edges of their seats for every pitch, and the game can change with just one swing.

While Brown didn’t want to look too far into the future, he answered affirmatively when asked if watching playoff baseball in Philadelphia sparked a desire to return to the same stage in the NFL this season.

“I thought about last year at the Linc, the NFC championship, that was crazy,” Brown said. “Hopefully we can keep doing what we’re doing and keep getting wins and try to bring it here again.”

The Eagles visit the Los Angeles Rams 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 SoFi Stadium.