Tuesday, February 4th, 2025

SUPER BOWL SCENE & HEARD: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Craig Llewellyn

Editor

SUPER BOWL SCENE & HEARD: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Craig Llewellyn NFL

Super Bowl LIX is on the horizon and, with both the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles arriving in New Orleans for the big game, the Opening Night press availability provided more than its fair share of storylines.

BARKLEY’S DESTINY

There is little doubt that Saquon Barkley is more than just one of the best running back in today’s NFL, more even that just one of the best players full stop. A 2,000-yard season may have added impetus to his Hall of Fame bid, but the first-year Eagles star has only one thing on his mind in New Orleans this week: Super Bowl glory.

“It means everything,” Barkley told the assembled media on Opening Night of the week-long Super Bowl festivities as he reflected on the free agency path that took him across the NFC East from a New York Giants team that barely deserved his talents. “That’s life. You’re going to have adversity, going to have up and downs, but it’s who you are in those moments. I never lost faith. I just kept my head down and kept working, and was able to get here and be able to surround myself with unbelievable individuals. When you’re able to do that, you’re able to have a lot of success.”

With his time in the Big Apple reaching its natural end, and having seen QB Daniel Jones rewarded with a lucrative contract extension instead of him, Barkley mulled various options for the next step in a career that had seen his star in college at Penn State before being taken high in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

“Me and my family literally had a sheet, we did pros and cons,” the second-overall pick revealed of his decision to join the Eagles. “The only con about Philly was I might get some slack ’cause I played in New York. It was a no-brainer for me. The talent that we have here, going against those guys, hearing stories about the organizations, and then most importantly, those big boys up front.”

Despite departing the Giants on what appeared to be bitter terms, Barkley insists that there are no hard feelings — a sentiment perhaps eased by his new situation.

“My message to Giants fans will be that it’s nothing but love,” Barkley insisted. “I’d be naïve to think that they were not supportive to me over the last six years. The way I look at it, all the things that happened over there, that is a reason why I’m able to have the success I’m having now.”

That move not only produced an historic season with ball in hand, but also delivered Barkley his first crack at a Lombardi Trophy, after his only previous postseason appearance ended in a Divisional Round defeat at the hands of his new team.

“That’s why me and my family made the decision to come to Philadelphia, to have an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl,” Barkley said in a separate interview with FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid so, to actually be here and finally have it come to light will be amazing.

“But the dream wasn’t just [about] getting here…”

HURTS’ REVENGE GAME

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts insists that he hasn’t dwelt on the disappointment of coming out on the losing side of one of the most epic Super Bowls of all time, but admits that, thinking back to that day in Arizona, the memory of it is providing fuel second time around.

Had Philadelphia been able to convert their 10-point half-time advantage into a second Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts would probably have been named the game’s MVP after an individual performance that saw him throw for 304 yards and a touchdown, while adding 70 more on the ground as he found the endzone three times. Unfortunately, the Eagles lost 38-35 to Sunday’s opponents from Kansas City, and Patrick Mahomes walked off with another indivdual accolade.

“I’ve learned so much,” Hurts told journalists on Opening Night ahead of Super Bowl LIX. “It’s the same as any other game, the moments are the moments but, ultimately, every game has its lesson — good, bad or indifferent — to become wiser, grow and mature and take all these lessons in for the next season and the next games.

“But [losing Super Bowl LVII] has had a great driving force. It lit a flame, lit a fire in me, and to have this opportunity again is exactly what you work for. It’s a blessing to see all the hard work pay off and have this opportunity again. It means everything — but you’ve got to be able to finish!”

WHO YOU GOT?

Well, we’ve put our necks on the line, but what do you think? Eagles at a (tush) push? Chiefs complete the...