Eagles News: Eagles players are ready to prove their doubters wrong

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Eagles well aware of the skeptics ... and love it - NBC Sports Philadelphia
It might seem strange because they’re the top seed, but the Eagles are taking an “us vs. the world” mentality into the playoffs. ”At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what the outside world thinks,” Jay Ajayi said. “Because at the end of the day, when you’re on a team, it’s a bubble. We believe in what we have in this team. And obviously, the media, they come out with the storylines and everything that’s going on, but we don’t buy into that. We believe in what we have. We understand what’s in front of us and we’re in a great position to go achieve our goals. Other teams are at home right now. We’re ready to go get it done next week.”

Who is more important: head coach or quarterback? - BGN
The guys debate which matters more in the NFL: quarterback or head coach? And how about in the specific case of the Eagles? Is Doug Pederson or Carson Wentz more important?

Atlanta It Is - Iggles Blitz
Atlanta is the favorite according to the oddsmakers. That’s just fine. The Eagles will use that as motivation. This is the best possible situation. The Falcons are a good, but flawed team. The Eagles beat them a year ago and really stifled that offense. Doesn’t guarantee it will happen again, but this is better than facing the Panthers or Saints. I don’t know about you, but I’m already excited. Playoff football is a whole other level of intensity.

Behind Carson Wentz’s emergence, Eagles crush season prediction - ESPN
How I fared: Not great! The Eagles exceeded most expectations (including internally) by rapidly developing into one of the league’s best teams in 2017. Quarterback Carson Wentz was the catalyst. He took off like a rocket in Year 2, finishing second in touchdown passes (33) despite missing the last three games of the regular season with a torn ACL. Doug Pederson responded to questions about his coaching chops with a strong showing. Cornerback was the other major concern going into the season, but that group fared better than anticipated even with Ronald Darby’s extended absence due to injury, aided by a quality supporting cast. Assuming Wentz returns to form post-surgery, double-digit wins will be forecast for this team for the foreseeable future.

The moves that turned Eagles from 7-9 to 13-3 and playoffs - Inquirer
The Eagles view roster-building as a continuum – it’s not limited to the busiest days of the offseason calendar. The first day of free agency and the draft weekend are clear pressure points, but the seeds of the Eagles’ 2017 roster also took them from the league meetings in Phoenix in late March to the flight home from Green Bay after the preseason opener in August to the NovaCare Complex offices as Halloween approached. The net result is a 53-man roster for the Eagles’ home playoff game on Jan. 13 with 23 players who were not in the organization last year – a 43.4 percent turnover. It stretches from a big-ticket free agent such as Alshon Jeffery to an under-the-radar signing like Corey Graham; from a high draft pick such as Derek Barnett to Corey Clement, who was signed as an undrafted free agent; from acquiring players via trade such as Tim Jernigan, Ronald Darby, and Jay Ajayi, to poaching a player off a practice squad, such as Jake Elliott. During the 2017 calendar year, Howie Roseman and Co. made more than 130 roster moves, issued more than $160 million in salary obligations, and celebrated their first division title since 2013. Here’s how they put it together.

Unscripted: Exclusive Access Down The Stretch - PE.com
Ever want to be a fly on the wall in the post-game locker room, inside a team meeting, or on the sidelines? We take you to all of those places and more as key players take us inside the team’s final stretch of the regular season.

Blount goes from ‘Last Chance U’ to maybe last chance with Eagles - DelawareOnline
For Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount, his time at “Last Chance U” a decade ago wasn’t close to being his last chance. Blount has had many more chances after spending the 2006 and 2007 seasons at East Mississippi Community College, the subject of a Netflix series called “Last Chance U.” The running back has lasted through eight NFL seasons because of his talent, and despite getting into fights in training camp, suspensions in college and the NFL and getting released twice. So it’s somewhat ironic that now, at the age of 31, Blount has grasped the reality of a last chance in a reduced role – and he couldn’t be happier.

Does the N.F.L. Have a Usain Bolt? Here Are the League’s Fastest Players - NY Times
The majority of N.F.L. players are fast — really fast. So the top speed of the fastest running back is only slightly better than the top speed of the fastest defensive lineman. If the fastest players at each position were able to race 100 yards at their top recorded speed, here’s how they would finish, according to Sportradar. [Lane Johnson named fastest offensive lineman.]

After Falcons’ Wild-Card Win vs. Rams, Consider Dan Quinn for NFL Coach of the Year - Sports Illustrated
Heading into the season, Dan Quinn and the Falcons had a number of mental forces to battle following the Super Bowl. But Quinn managed to not only get the team back into the playoffs, amid a surprisingly strong division, but he also took down the NFC’s No. 3 seed on the road. And for that, he’s not going to get enough NFL Coach of the Year votes.

Falcons-Rams post-game injury report: bloodied Matt Ryan visits medical treatment tent during victory - The Falcoholic
Matt Ryan got absolutely rocked when he slipped on a second down play late in the second quarter. He slipped and was already falling to the ground when a defender hit him from behind, bending his neck awkwardly. The next play also resulted in a sack that caused Ryan’s head to slam into the ground. (Not a good look for the offensive line.) The back of Ryan’s head, right by his ear, was bleeding as he stood on the sideline, and they took him into the medical tent for treatment. Ultimately he was fine but those two plays and their aftermath were unsettling.

Vegas marks John DeFilippo as odds-on favorite to become next Bears head coach - Windy City Gridiron
The quarterback coach for the Philadelphia Eagles has been recognized as a rising star in coaching circles around the league.

Giants coaching search: Pat Shurmur a fit for New York? - Big Blue View
Pat Shurmur, who interviews on Saturday for the New York Giants vacant head-coaching position, is an intriguing candidate. At first blush, the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator might seem like just another retread head coach, just another guy who failed the first time and is looking for a second opportunity. There are a lot of those guys out there, including several on the list of candidates the Giants are considering.

The Falcons showed how they can get back to the Super Bowl in wild card win over the Rams - SB Nation
Atlanta’s had an up-and-down season, but the team that showed up against the Rams looks like a contender.

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