Eagles News: Philadelphia players select “Dreams and Nightmares” as their Super Bowl intro music

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Brett Favre factor, relentless coaching, Eagles’ introduction song - NFL.com
The Meek Mill connection. The Eagles’ unofficial anthem this season has been “Dreams and Nightmares” by rapper and Philly native Meek Mill. It was playing as practically the entire team danced in a meeting room the day before the NFC Championship Game, again on the field pregame and one more time after they beat the Vikings. Defensive end Brandon Graham said the team has decided that will be the song they’ll come out to this Sunday when they’re introduced as a team. ”If you’re going to go with a Philly song,” Graham said, “that’s the one you’re going with.” Mill is currently serving a sentence of two to four years for a parole violation stemming from two arrests. It was a controversial sentencing, as prosecutors recommended no jail time. ”Meek, you know, he’s locked up right now,” Eagles rookie defensive end Derek Barnett said, “so we have to hold the city down for him.”

Belief - BGN
All postseason, Philadelphia has thrived through doubt. Their success might have something to do with the underdogs that brought them to it.

Eagles vs. Patriots: Five matchups to watch, when the Patriots have the ball - PhillyVoice
Certainly, the Eagles will bracket Gronk on occasion, particularly in the red zone, but there will be times when an Eagles defender will be asked to lock him down on his own. No matter who the Eagles choose to cover Gronk when they are in man defense, they will be giving something up. If they put Jenkins or a third safety like Corey Graham on Gronk, they’ll be giving up size. If they put a linebacker on him, they’re giving up a higher likelihood of separation... and also, size again. If I were Jim Schwartz, I’d be more inclined to cover him with Jenkins or Graham and make Brady and Gronk beat me with good ball placement and contested catches, rather than upping the odds of Gronk running free through the secondary against Bradham or Kendricks.

Can the D do it? - Iggles Blitz
There is a lot of talk about Bill Belichick against Doug Pederson. Who will out-scheme the other one? I actually feel pretty confident in the Eagles offense. The OL is playing well. The skill players just had a terrific showing. Nick Foles had a great game. The coaches have proven time and again that they can put together a great gameplan. Beyond that, they can also adjust on the fly. I think the Eagles will move the ball. I think they’ll score points. Can Jim Schwartz and his defense stop the Patriots? That’s what has me nervous.

How and why Chris Long made ridiculous Super Bowl tattoo bet - NBC Sports Philadelphia
Meet Ken Flajole. He’s been the Eagles’ linebackers coach for the past two seasons. His name is pronounced FLAY-juhl. He’s the oldest member of the Eagles’ coaching staff. And his bald head and face might be tattooed on Chris Long’s body pretty soon. In an interview with NFL Network during media night on Monday, Long revealed that he had a bet with Flajole. If the Eagles win the Super Bowl, he’d get the 63-year-old’s face tattooed somewhere on his body. According to Flajole, that’s 100 percent accurate.

Eagles Aim To Win In Trenches On Sunday - PE.com
It circles back to being unselfish, which equals success, which equals Super Bowl. The Eagles are banking on winning the line of scrimmage on Sunday, on putting a physical pounding on the Patriots ...

The Secret to Running on the Patriots - Sharp Football Analysis
To keep it simple for you and for the Eagles, as they finalize their game plan: The Eagles already use a ton of 11 personnel. They run often from 11 personnel. Jay Ajayi is most dangerous when running from shotgun and when running from 11 personnel. The Patriots allow a 60% success rate and 6.6 YPC to teams that run from 11 personnel, but approximately half of that when those same teams run from other personnel groupings. If the Eagles want a chance to win the Super Bowl, it is in their extreme best interest to run Jay Ajayi MORE than expected in shotgun, from 11 personnel.

For the Eagles to Beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 52, They Must First Not Beat Themselves - The MMQB
Finding Fletcher. Lynn coached in the AFC East for eight seasons, and so he knows the way to beat Brady is to go right through him. And the way to him, generally, is a direct shot through the middle of the defense, which makes Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox perhaps the most important non-quarterback in this game. “He’s tall and he has such patience and poise,” Lynn said of Brady. “When you have great edge rushers, a lot of times quarterbacks will panic because they feel that pressure. Brady just steps up in the pocket and delivers the ball. It doesn’t affect him whatsoever. Trust me, I’ve seen it up close and personal too many times. Pressure that’s in his face, now you gotta get out of the pocket. That’s out of his comfort zone. “And in all my years playing against Tom Brady, that’s what affected him most, the pressure up the middle. So they’re gonna have to decide. Do you leave the tackles one-on-one with the edge rushers and send help to Cox? You can do that with the center or whatever uncovered guard you have, you can slide to Cox and put two guys on him. But you’re going to single up some guys on the edge.”

Brandon Brooks brings winning battle with anxiety to Super-Bowl stage - ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles guard Brandon Brooks threw up everything he had in his stomach right before the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, a welcomed indicator that, in his mind, everything was OK. ”As weird and as bad as that sounds, I felt cool, I felt good,” he said. “It’s what I needed, to be honest, because when I threw up it was like, ‘OK, it’s game day. It’s just like every other game. Nothing different.’” For most of his pro career, Brooks has started his Sunday mornings by vomiting. But on the day of the Vikings game, that familiar feeling didn’t come immediately. He has a pretty firm grasp on things now, but a deviation from the norm before the biggest game of his life was a touch unsettling for Brooks, who missed two games last year and four games total in his career as the result of the debilitating effects of an anxiety condition that long went undiagnosed. On those days, he would wake up around 4 or 5 in the morning violently ill, and remain in that state for a full 24 hours. Then, as suddenly as it came on, the illness would stop, and he’d be back to his old self.

2018 Super Bowl odds, picks: Here’s why Eagles will beat the Patriots by double digits - CBS Sports
But here’s how I think it plays out: the Eagles utilize a heavy-pressure defense to get Brady off his spot early and minimize the ability of New England to throw down the field. Without Julian Edelman in the game, the Pats can’t eat up quite as much short-yardage stuff, although Danny Amendola is a different animal in the playoffs and although Dion Lewis/James White are nice substitutions, Philly was good against pass-catching backs this year (10th by DVOA). Good luck stopping Tom Brady, but this is an Eagles team that can do it based on the defensive personnel.

Doug Pederson is one win away from becoming an unlikely Philadelphia legend - The Athletic
Leading 21-7 at the time, they were poised to get the ball back first at the beginning of the third quarter. Some players expected Foles to take a knee and for the team to head into halftime feeling good about itself. But Pederson called a screen that picked up 11 yards. Then a double move to Zach Ertz that gained 36. And finally, another screen that put the Eagles in position to kick a 38-yard field goal and go up 24-7. “He’s fearless,” said quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. “Fearless. I’ve learned a lot from Doug. He is a fearless play-caller. He stays on the attack and he’s a creative play-caller, but he’s fearless. And he is not afraid to step on the gas. He is by far the best play-caller I’ve been around.”

52 observations ahead of Super Bowl LII - PFF
Including playoff games, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham has allowed just 0.62 yards per coverage snap this year, which is the second-best mark among linebackers. His seven pass breakups are tied with Deion Jones for the most among players at the position.

Film Room: Rob Gronkowski - Football Outsiders
Rob Gronkowski is as dominant a player as the league has seen in this era. Though oft-injured, Gronkowski transcends the typical role of a tight end. The Patriots employ Gronkowski as a primary deep threat, a red-zone go-to, a true wide receiver, and a point man in the run game. There is not a single offensive skill player more versatile and valuable than Gronkowski. No matter the question a defense presents to the Patriots offense, Gronkowski is the answer. Be it getting the ball himself or allowing others to make plays, a majority of the Patriots success revolves around the cartoonish tight end. The same exact pass concept can be defended two different ways, produce two different results, and still be influenced primarily by Gronkowski.

Robert Kraft admits “tension” but thinks it’s a good thing - PFT
Patriots owner Robert Kraft admits there’s some pressure. But he doesn’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. During an interview with Andrea Kremer for the NFL Network, Kraft gave a nod to recent stories about a potential rift among himself, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, but didn’t say it was the kind of thing that hurt them.

How Bradley Cooper Became the Celebrity Icon of the Eagles - The Ringer
This is a love that runs much deeper than ‘Silver Linings Playbook’.

Former Colts head coach Tony Dungy explains what it takes to defeat the Patriots in the playoffs - Pats Pulpit
“What everyone thinks you need to do is raise your game in the playoffs, but you don’t,” Dungy said. “The Patriots play their game all the time and you got to be able to play your game for 60 minutes in a pressurized environment and not make mistakes. And when you do that, you have a chance to win. But if you make mistakes and can’t handle the moment, they’re going to play at a high level [and win].”

These are the plays the Eagles need to run to win the Super Bowl - SB Nation
It’s here! On Sunday we will get to watch Super Bowl 52 in Minneapolis between the New England Patriots — who are looking for their sixth title for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady — and the Philadelphia Eagles, looking for their first title in their franchise’s third Super Bowl appearance. On paper, this Super Bowl sets up to be a fantastic matchup. This won’t be your usual game preview, where we break down position by position. I actually think this matchup is pretty simple. The Eagles are more talented than the Patriots. They have the better lines. But — and this is a big but — the the Patriots have Brady and the Eagles have Nick Foles.

The Devastating Departure of Kendall Fuller from the Redskins - Hogs Haven
When news hit last night of the trade for Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, all I could do was go to bed and cry myself to sleep. We’ve all read this book before - the Redskins, in typical fashion, trade valuable picks away for an aging veteran. I knew a player was involved, but I couldn’t stand to find out who...that could wait until morning. When I woke to find out that “player to be named later” was Kendall Fuller, my blood pressure immediately flew through the roof! How could the front office make this kind of move? Why would they trade their best young cover corner, who was heading into year three of his VERY affordable rookie contract, as part of this deal? Andy Reid, that ole’ Wolf in sheep’s clothing, had yet again fleeced the Redskins!

Chiefs and Redskins Agree on Trade for QB Alex Smith - Over The Cap
The Redskins mishandling of the Cousins situation was about as bad as any handling of a contract that I can recall. Rather than proactively approaching his contract they simply franchised him for a second time assuming that gave them some kind of leverage in a contract. This is normally the case in the NFL where age is a major negative towards long term earnings and teams can use the tag to strong arm top players into contracts that are not representative of a market contract. But the rules are different for quarterbacks who are effective well into their mid 30s and can play the franchise tag game if they want. The cost to keep Cousins this year would have been over $30 million. When Cousins refused to sign a so-so offer with Washington they took to the media and basically tried to paint him as a greedy bad guy. That should have been a sign that the relationship was over.

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