Eagles: Because it will be more than a season game vs. Jaguars

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Years passed in Philadelphia with sports fans from around the world howling: How could the city erect a statue of Rocky Balboa but not one for real boxing Hall of Famer and famous resident Joe Frazier?

The answer: The statue was nothing more than a movie prop that was left behind once filming for “Rocky III” wrapped so it could be featured as a tourist attraction. No offense, Smokin’ Joe.

A similar question arose this week, with former Eagles coach Doug Pederson taking his Jacksonville Jaguars to Philadelphia.

Why is there a statue of Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles commemorating the most famous play in team history, and on the short list of greats in Super Bowl history, wedged between doors in a hard-to-find spot on the other side? from the street of Lincoln Financial Field? Because again, the 9-foot-tall bronze statue that honored the trick play that won the Eagles their only Super Bowl was donated by a brewing company and not awarded by the franchise.

However, Eagles fans love the place. for selfies for stories For just a few seconds of a reminder of the time Foles ran to the sideline and asked Pederson “Do you want the Philly Philly?” and the coach said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” Foles then caught a fourth-down touchdown pass and the city’s utility poles were never the same.

Super Bowl memorabilia and statues can last forever.

The jobs, well, they’re a little less permanent.

Pederson was fired less than three years after he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots because of a fractured relationship with the front office on decisions ranging from the rebuilding path to the draft and their relationships. with star players. He had two years left on his contract when owner Jeffrey Lurie made the decision in January 2021 to cut ties with Pederson. About 13 months later, Pederson was hired to help clean up the mess left behind in Jacksonville once Urban Meyer was fired after what will be one of the worst coaching stints in NFL history.

Hey Philly. Look who’s back.

Allen Iverson played here in a Denver Nuggets jersey. Andy Reid coached on the sidelines for the Kansas City Chiefs. Eric Lindros showed up in a Rangers sweater.

Now here comes Pederson and the Jaguars going 2-1, not bad considering they’ve posted a league-low four wins the past two seasons, and heading toward what should be a happy homecoming for the 54 year old coach.

How about a standing ovation?

“Hopefully something in that realm,” Pederson said. “But look, it’s Philly. Anything is possible, right, with those fans? I’m looking forward to running out of that tunnel with the Jaguars and getting ready to play a game there.”

Pederson went 42-37-1 in five seasons with the Eagles. He guided the Eagles to two division championships and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 in 2020. Lurie indicated that after Pederson was fired, the coach didn’t agree with rebuilding. Pederson’s relationship with Carson Wentz also reached a boiling point once the quarterback was benched with four games remaining in the 2020 season for Jalen Hurts.

Peterson is gone. So is Wentz, who had a really bad day in his first game against the Eagles in a loss last weekend. However, Hurts is still around and plays like an MVP, as he has the Eagles off to a 3-0 start and dominant in every phase of the game.

“Everything you’re seeing now is everything we saw in him when we recruited him,” Pederson said. “You’re seeing the growth, not only in the quarterback, but also in the team. Some of the pieces around him. He will defy all odds. This is how his career has been built.”

Pederson insisted he could control his emotions as he returned to the stadium that was the scene of some of his greatest professional triumphs. He just wants to get out of Philly with a win. He definitely won’t take a selfie at the statue of him.

“Maybe a day after I retire or something, but I don’t have any plans to do it anytime soon,” Pederson said.

RUNNING IN THE LIGHT OF DAY

Jacksonville’s James Robinson has the two longest touchdown runs of any running back this season.

The third-year pro had a 50-yard touchdown run at the Los Angeles Chargers a week after posting a 37-yarder against Indianapolis.

“Not bad at all,” he said.

Really good considering Robinson tore his left Achilles tendon in December. Those long TD runs, as well as his 230 rushing yards, should be enough to show that he’s fully recovered from the injury.

“If the last few weeks don’t show up, then I don’t know what people want,” he said.

KOBE-TIGER CONNECTION

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni showed the team a motivational video of Kobe Bryant before last week’s win in Washington. The Eagles won 24-8, both of Bryant’s uniform numbers when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

This week, Sirianni showed a video of Tiger Woods explaining how he always wanted to get better, even when he was the best golfer in the world.

“We can learn so many good things from what not to do and what to do,” said Sirianni. “Last week, it was a Kobe Bryant movie. This week, it was a Tiger Woods movie about how I’m going to improve my swing today to make sure I’m improving even though I’m playing pretty good right now.”