Eagles news: Birds say they're playing Super Bowl for Philly plane crash victim; Andy Reid found a new DeSean Jackson
A.J. Brown spoke Wednesday about Trey Howard, the Philly plane crash victim who went viral after waking up in the hospital and asking about his sister and the Super Bowl.
There are just five more days before the Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
Eagles owner Jeff Lurie is still bitter over the iffy penalty call for Chiefs in the 2023 Super Bowl. He also offered a candid contrast between the high-flying Birds and Jerry Jones’ collapsed Cowboys.
Inside the eight-cylinder mind of Vic Fangio, the Eagles’ defensive guru who is one step from an elusive Super Bowl title.
The turf — a big problem in the last Eagles Super Bowl — won’t be an issue this time.
Craig Laban, The Inquirer’s restaurant critic, has a list of the Eagles-themed food and drinks actually worth trying.
Play Birdle, the daily Eagles-themed word game.
A.J. Brown said he'll play for 'hero' of Northeast Philly plane crash
A.J. Brown said he will play Sunday for Trey Howard, the fourth grader who suffered a brain injury from using his body to shield his sister after last week’s plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia and then woke up after surgery to ask if he missed the Super Bowl.
“He’s a hero,” Brown said on Wednesday. “Stepping in to save his sister. You can tell he has great parents. He was raised right. For him to wake up and say ‘Did I miss it?’ It’s crazy. Something of that magnitude takes place and he’s worried about a football game. Of course, we want to do it for him.”
Howard’s father, Andre, told 6ABC that he picked up his three children from school last Friday and stopped at Dunkin Donuts on Cottman Avenue. The plane crashed near 6 p.m. and Howard said it sounded like a missile. He soon heard his 10-year-old son telling his sisters to get down. A piece of metal struck Trey Howard’s head and a police officer rushed him to the hospital for emergency brain surgery. The father said his son is recovering.
Saquon Barkley’s daughter had conflicted plans with her dad during the Super Bowl
Saquon Barkley’s six-year-old daughter, Jada, had a scheduling conflict with this year’s Super Bowl.
“We had a daddy-daughter dance the same day,” Barkley said on Wednesday. “But it got canceled.”
The dance has since been moved to March 14. So, Barkley should be able to attend. He said his daughter teased him about it on FaceTime last night.
Philly's tough environment made Howie Roseman a better GM
NEW ORLEANS — He’s the toast of the Big Easy these days, the consensus best general manager in the NFL, but it wasn’t long ago that Howie Roseman was looking for a place to hide.
The presence of Carson Wentz here, as the Kansas City Chiefs’ No. 2 quarterback, as the backup behind Patrick Mahomes, is a reminder that Roseman and the Eagles had hitched their future to him … then had to trade him once Wentz played so terribly during the COVID-marred 2020 season that he was benched for Jalen Hurts and demanded to be traded.
Just two years earlier, Roseman had been the architect of the first Eagles team to win a Super Bowl. He learned after the Wentz fiasco, and after that 4-11-1 season, that in Philadelphia, the term genius can have a short shelf life.
Eagles distributing sports bras to New Orlean's Girls on the Run chapter
Win or lose, the Eagles are striving to make a lasting impact on the Super Bowl’s host city.
In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, the Eagles announced their donation of 216 FLY:FWD sports bras to the New Orleans chapter of Girls on the Run.
The nonprofit serves millions of girls across the continent, inspiring confidence and encouraging physical activity through an experience-based curriculum that incorporates running.
NFL confirms they'll host a game in Australia
The NFL made it official — they’ll be hosting a game in Australia in 2026.
NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said at a news conference Wednesday the game was part of a “multi-year commitment to play games in the city.” It will be the league’s first regular-season game in the Asia-Pacific region.
The designated home team will be the Los Angeles Rams, but O’Reilly didn’t announce which team they would oppose.
Local company trolls Chiefs fans in creative way — and for a good cause
There’s a billboard battle brewing ahead of Super Bowl LIX. First, a Swiftie from Boston and a Dallas-based company paired up to troll Eagles fans by placing a “Tayvoodoo” billboard less than a mile away from Lincoln Financial Field. Now, a Philadelphia ad agency is returning the favor in Kansas City fans with a Philly-themed billboard next to Arrowhead Stadium. And it comes with a twist.
On Tuesday, Wilmington, Del. based ad agency Aloysius Butler & Clark placed a digital billboard near Arrowhead Stadium that reads “816-323-GO KC—call for a pep rally in your pocket.” Commuters traveling on I-435 dialed the number, only to be surprised with the “Fly, Eagles Fly” fight song.
But the billboard does serve another purpose — besides trolling Chiefs fans. With every call received, AB&C is making donations to the Eagles Autism Foundation and Kansas City’s Hunt Family Foundation. They’ll be donating up to $5,000 depending on the numbers of calls they receive between Tuesday and game day on Sunday.
— Ariel Simpson
Report: Jalen Carter misses media availability with illness
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was missing from Wednesday's Eagles media availability due to an illness, NFL Network reported.
The Eagles practiced today for the first time this week and will release a practice report later, when we'll see if and how much Carter participated in the first session.
It's worth noting that an Eagles PR staffer was wearing a facemask Wednesday, and a few Eagles defensive players were seen wearing masks in the locker room over the weekend at the NovaCare Complex.
— Jeff Neiburg
Saquon Barkley explains his swim celebration and why he stopped
After a 78-yard touchdown run through the snow against the Los Angeles Rams, fans could see Saquon Barkley wildly waving his hands around in circles at his side after finding his way into the end zone. The running back said this is his favorite touchdown celebration because it dates back to his time as a Nittany Lion.
“It’s like a little swim,” Barkley told teammate Darius Slay on the Big Play Slay Podcast. “I love it because it’s just literally me being a kid and having fun. I did it in the beginning of my career in New York, I haven’t really done it yet here until that game [against Los Angeles]. And when I made that run and I was just hitting myself on the helmet, I remember just being like taking in the atmosphere and it brought me back to when I was in college. And that’s when I started doing it. It made me feel like I was back at Penn State. So, I was just like, 'Come on!' and started doing my little thing.”
But after Barkley left college, opponents started using his celebration to troll the Nittany Lions — including former Ohio State (and St. Joe's Prep) wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. after defeating Penn State 20-12 back in 2023.
Lane Johnson wants an NFL award for offensive linemen
No offensive lineman has ever won Offensive Player of the Year, let alone MVP.
That’s unlikely to change any time soon. Even receivers have a difficult time winning either award — only four have won Offensive Player of the Year and none have won MVP. With NFL Honors coming up just days before the Super Bowl, Lane Johnson is in favor of adding a new award for offensive linemen.
“They had the Joe Moore Award in college,” Johnson said. “I don’t know, they can take that to the NFL. It’s like the linebacker award, the Dick Butkus Award. They have a high school, college, and now in the pros. I don’t know, just my thinking. They should give us a Blue Bell Ice Cream Award or something.”
— Gabriela Carroll
Saquon Barkley says he's had 'too many' drug tests this year
There’s no doubt that Barkley has freakish God-given abilities. In his first season in Philadelphia, the former Penn State running back has put his talent on display a number of times — whether he’s breaking away for long touchdowns or performing acrobatic backwards hurdles.
Barkley previously revealed that he was drug tested right after the Eagles 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he ran through one tackle, spun around another and then hurdled a player — backwards. Now, drug tests seem to be part of Barkley’s normal routine.
“I’ve had too many,” said Barkley on the Big Play Slay podcast. “I’ve had too many drug tests to be honest. I’m not one of those guys that’s going to take a picture of my drug tests and be like ‘Look they’re drug testing me,’ I think people that do that are just trying to get clicks.
Andy Reid lauds Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick
Asked if Patrick Mahomes reminds him of any NFL quarterback of yore, Chiefs coach Andy Reid demurred.
“I try not to compare him,” Reid said. “He’s really re-writing it for himself.”
Indeed, Mahomes is one-of-one. No quarterback has ever quite combined Mahomes’ gifts of improvisation, athleticism, arm strength, accuracy, decision-making, cleverness, leadership, and competitiveness. And Reid’s been around some talented, one-of-a-kind QBs.
New Orleans officials talk security and more ahead of Super Bowl LIX
With the Super Bowl just days away, New Orleans officials say they are "quite prepared" to provide a safe, secure event for attendees heading to the Big Easy for the big game — even with an incoming visit from President Donald Trump.
About 2,000 law enforcement officers will be on hand around the Caesars Superdome and related NFL events throughout the week, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at a Wednesday briefing. Earlier this week, officials said that that large police presence would include about 300 National Guard troops and 200 officers with the Louisiana State Police, local NBC affiliate WDSU reports.
Kirkpatrick added that street closures in the city will ramp up as Sunday approaches, and that residents and visitors will notice "more and more restrictions as more tourists" in New Orleans. Bourbon Street, for example, will be under a "hard closure" order — meaning no vehicle traffic and blocked intersections — from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. every night through the Super Bowl, Kirkpatrick said.
Merrill Reese has no plans to retire, even if the Eagles win the Super Bowl
The Eagles’ first Super Bowl took place in the Superdome against the Oakland Raiders in 1981, and in the booth to call the game was a youthful, 39-year-old broadcaster named Merrill Reese.
The Eagles have appeared in four Super Bowls, and Reese — the NFL’s longest-tenured announcer and prestigious Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award winner — has been the booth for all the them. He’s back in New Orleans to call the final game of his 48th NFL season as a broadcaster, and as luck would have it, it’s in the same exact spot he called his first Super Bowl 44 years ago.
If the Eagles win Sunday, it would be a tempting idea for Reese to ride off into the sunset, an appropriate end to a Hall of Fame career for a local boy who landed a dream job calling his favorite team.
Jalen Hurts on the 'thrill' of being doubted
Jalen Hurts said "it's no secret" that he finds motivation in being doubted.
The Eagles quarterback has spoken before about the "thrill" he gets in adverse moments when uncertainty about his play, perceived or otherwise, begin to reach him.
“It’s just who I am,” Hurts said Wednesday when asked why that is. “My mentality and my approach is always to find ways to better myself. It’s always looking internal first and then looking at my teammates and how I can better the guys around me as well.”
— EJ Smith
Super Bowl pressure? Try playing in Philly, says Sirianni.
The pressure Nick Sirianni said he feels going into his second Super Bowl appearance isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“Shoot, there’s always pressure in this game,” Sirianni said Wednesday. “Have you been to Philly?”
At the outset of his tenure with the Eagles in 2021, Sirianni got an education on the passion of Philadelphia sports fans. He recalled the Lincoln Financial Field crowd booing his team at halftime of their second preseason game against the New England Patriots, down 19-0. The Eagles would go on to lose, 35-0. After the game, Sirianni expressed a sense of shock at the halftime reaction to his wife, Brett.
Nick Foles has a new podcast
Former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its first and only Super Bowl title (so far), launched two debut episodes of his latest project, The No Days Off Podcast with his cohosts John McCarthy and Pat O’Donnell.
While they spend much of the first episode talking about fatherhood, Episode 2 is where the really good stuff — at least for Eagles fans — starts. It mainly focused on Foles’ journey to the Super Bowl in 2017, an unforgettable time for his entire family. Not only did Foles come off the bench to lead the Eagles to the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy, but he also became a father in the offseason.
“[In] 2017, my wife Tori and I had Lily on June 16,” Foles said. “We’re going back to Philly, we’re going to help a young Carson Wentz, we’re going to raise our daughter here as long as we’re going to be here and it’s going to be a really special place for us, just because of how much we loved the city from our previous stint.”
Xavier Worthy is Andy Reid's new DeSean Jackson
Xavier Worthy is the latest star speedster in Andy Reid’s arsenal. The fastest man in NFL Combine history logged 638 yards and six touchdowns in his first NFL season, and is playing in his first Super Bowl as a rookie.
At the NFL scouting combine, the Chiefs had one comparison in mind for Worthy — former Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson.
"Andy Reid, he had a perfect offense for me to come in and learn," Worthy said. "DeSean Jackson, he had a guy similar to me, so he knew how to use a receiver like me … They showed me, actually, when I was at the combine, they showed me a DeSean Jackson clip. He was like, 'This remind you of anybody?'"
Travis Kelce: Cam Jurgens is 'one of my favorite guys to watch'
Travis Kelce spent over a decade watching his brother, Jason, under center for the Eagles, so he knows a thing or two about elite center play. After Jason’s retirement in the offseason, Cam Jurgens slid over to fill his place, and Kelce said Jurgens has quickly become one of his favorites in the league.
“I hate to say it, but I’m used to watching the center in Philly, and [Jurgens] stepped right in as one of my favorite guys to watch,” Kelce said. “Cam is unbelievable. He’s been so cool to to me every time I get around Philly. Without Jason, he has done an unbelievable job this year, taking the bull by the horns and and really being the middle piece up front for them. That offensive line, that’s the motor over there in Philly, and I think that it’s going to be a tough, tough job stopping them on Sunday.”
— Gabriela Carroll
Brandon Graham's 'big brother-type connection' with some Chiefs players
Brandon Graham’s impact on the Eagles is immeasurable. During his 15 seasons with the Birds, he’s been a leader on the field, in the locker room, and in the community, mentoring a generation of Birds’ defensive linemen.
But Graham’s impact is also felt in his hometown of Detroit, and at his alma mater, Michigan, even though he graduated in 2010.
“There was always that big brother-type connection,” Chiefs linebacker and Michigan alum Josh Uche said. “Fortunately for me, I was able to jersey swap with him last year, which was a really cool moment for me. One 55 to another 55, which was pretty cool. He’s that Michigan man that you look up to while you’re in college. He’s the epitome of what it means to be a Michigan man. All the years he’s put in, the big play moments he’s had. It’s an honor to call him a Michigan brother.”
Going to the Super Bowl or paying your mortgage? Guess which costs more.
How much is it worth to watch the Eagles play in the Super Bowl in person? A Zillow analysis found that a “cheap” ticket costs more than the typical mortgage payment for a recent homebuyer in 46 of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, including Philadelphia.
The cheapest Super Bowl ticket that Zillow found on four resale sites on Jan. 22 cost $4,800. That’s more than 2½ times the typical monthly mortgage payment in the Philadelphia area, according to Zillow’s analysis of median home values.
According to the reseller TickPick, the cheapest ticket price for a seat in New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome had dropped to around $3,600 on the secondary market as of Wednesday morning. But that’s still about twice the cost of the roughly $1,870 median mortgage payment in the Philadelphia region in December.
Flyers fan Jason Kelce Mummer costume in enemy territory
Eagles to hold first Super Bowl week practice Wednesday
The Eagles will hold their first Super Bowl practice Wednesday, five days before they face the Kansas City Chiefs at the Superdome.
The Birds will practice at the New Orleans Saints training facility at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center.
Prior to practice, both head coach Nick Sirianii and quarterback Jalen Hurts will speak to reporters. Sirianni is scheduled to speak at 11:30 a.m. Philly time, while Hurts’s availability is set to begin around 11:45 a.m.
Jalen Hurts laughs at the idea of changing coordinators again
Jalen Hurts has had so many offensive coordinators, it’s downright laughable. And laugh is exactly what Hurts did when asked Tuesday about the prospect of changing coordinators again.
“Ask me a week or so from now,” Hurts replied after chuckling three times.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is Hurts’ eighth coordinator in nine seasons, including his four years in college. It soon might be nine in 10 years, since Moore is considered the No. 1 candidate to fill the vacant head coaching job in New Orleans after the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Eagles-Chiefs is just the 10th Super Bowl rematch. History is both for and against the Birds.
When the Eagles take the field against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, it will be the 10th time in NFL history fans are treated to a Super Bowl rematch.
To win, the Birds will need to overcome a bit of history.
Sunday's game will be just the sixth time in NFL history a team got a shot at Super Bowl revenge within a decade, as pointed out by University of Pennsylvania professor Deniz Salman. In the Eagles' case, it's only been two years since they lost to the Chiefs in the 2023 Super Bowl.
Philly airport bumps up the number of flights to New Orleans
On average, just one to four flights daily leave Philadelphia International Airport for New Orleans.
But on Friday, 14 New Orleans-bound planes will fly out of Philly, among 28 from Thursday to Saturday, said airport spokesperson Heather Redfern. Frontier and American have regular daily departures, but starting Wednesday, Delta, United, and Southwest all will be adding flights.
You can probably guess what explains the radical bump in traffic.
Jalen Hurts didn't have much to say about Donald Trump attending the Super Bowl
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't have much to say about President Donald Trump attending the Super Bowl.
Hurts — who once called former President Barack Obama an “all-time leader” — was asked during a media availability Tuesday how he feels about Trump’s attendance.
“He’s welcome to do what he wants," Hurts said.