The Eagles' New Found Leader

Before the start of mini camp, and the long grueling weeks of training camp, the biggest question mark of the Eagles was not the offensive line, or the core of receivers, in fact, it was the issue of who would become the new leader of the Eagles team. We all know who previously was the heart and soul of the Eagles defense, and the whole team, but with Dawkins’ departure from the organization, the Eagles of today will look up to a new face. Whose face you ask? The Pro Bowler, former Super Bowl champ, and current starting cornerback, Asante Samuel.  

Simply put, the Eagles organization figured the new leader would be none other then Donovan McNabb. Don’t get me wrong, McNabb certainly is a leader, but as of right now, Asante Samuel has taken over the role of team leader. I understand that he is entering only his second season as a Bird, but you cannot overlook his talent and energy he brings out each and every time he steps foot on the field.  

In his 5 years with the New England Patriots, Samuel learned how to win games, and understands what it takes to win on Sunday. With multiple Super Bowl rings, and Pro Bowl honors, Samuel will look at the upcoming season as his steppingstone to greatness. In his first season apart of the Eagles franchise, he quickly learned his role on the team, and earned the respect of all his teammates, and more importantly, the fans of Philadelphia.   

Going through all the mini camps and training camp, Samuel realized that with Dawkins no longer an Eagle, someone had to alleviate the loss of his leadership. With all eyes waiting to witness the new leader, Samuel jumped into the new role. While training camp progressed, Samuel’s leadership ability rose every day. Samuel would be seen going arou nd practice encouraging all the guys, getting in players’ faces, and helping out the younger guys all while improving upon his game.  

 Samuel was a little immature in his younger days, and never appeared to ever emerge into a leader, but in the current moment, Samuel is beginning to rise up into the Eagles’ team leader, along with Donovan McNabb. As we near the start of the regular season, keep your eyes on how Samuel plays during the final weeks of preseason, and the start of the season, as you can see for yourself how Asante Samuel is blooming into the Eagles new found leader.