Jake Elliott’s clutch 61-yard field goal is something that will be remembered in Philadelphia for quite some time. Whether you watched it at the Linc, on TV, or with the Titanic music behind it, there was something simply magical about the road Elliott took to get to that point, and how the game panned out. Needless to say, emotions were high in the locker room after the game. What did Elliott’s teammates make of his game clinching kick?
DOUG PEDERSON:
“Quite honestly, I had so much confidence standing there, calmness. I just watched him kick a couple kickoffs extremely deep into the end zone, and it was pretty awesome. Sounded like a cannon off his foot, great snap, great hold, protection was there. Yeah, awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome.”
CARSON WENTZ:
“We knew [Eagles K] Jake [Elliott] had good range, but I wasn’t sure 61 [yards] was doable. Coach had a lot of faith in him and we had a lot of faith in him. He got it done and it was pretty crazy.”
“I was just praying that it went in. How often do you see a 61-yarder? I think it was the longest in franchise history. Good for him. Hats off to him, as a guy who just got here two weeks ago. We’re all pretty pumped for the kid.”
COREY CLEMENT:
“Definitely the biggest star in this locker room right now. We believed in him once he got a chance to get that foot under him. You guys should really be interviewing him since he’s the real hero today.”
ALSHON JEFFERY:
“When I came to the sideline, I asked our special teams coach [Dave Fipp] if he’s ever made a kick that far. He said [K Jake Elliott] can make it from 61 yards. He said he’s practiced it before, so I’m like [great]. I was just hoping that if he didn’t make it, we could take our best chances in overtime. At the same time, it was a heck of a kick.”
TORREY SMITH:
“Yeah, Jake is the man. Absolutely. I’m so proud of him. People don’t know how tough it is when you miss a kick early in the game and the game is on the line and he has the opportunity to redeem himself and he did it. He didn’t flinch. We didn’t even know how far this guy could kick. He’s been here for a couple of weeks. Someone, they said he’s on the sidelines like, ‘hey can you make this,’ and he’s like ‘yeah,’ just casual like. Then he goes up there and he did it and that’s a big moment and I’m so happy for him.”
JASON KELCE:
“I was behind the ball, right around the 45-yard line on the other side, so I couldn’t tell where it was in relation to the field. Is it going right? Is it going to be long enough? I still didn’t know until the official threw his hands up whether it went in or not. I mean kudos to Elliott. That’s tremendous coming in here like that. A last minute situation with [Eagles K Caleb Sturgis] going down, he has only been here for two weeks now so that’s huge. A 61-yarder to win the game, that’s fun.”
LANE JOHNSON:
“When [K Jake Elliott] first kicked it, I knew it was going to come out low, so the big thing was to not let any pressure in. We had a cover call, so as soon it went in the air, we ran down the field and I thought it was going to go wide right. It curved back in, I heard the crowd’s reaction, and the stadium just erupted.”
BRANDON GRAHAM:
“My head was down and I was just waiting on people to run out – if they ran out, we won, and if they didn’t, then we had to go to overtime. When I heard people yelling and going crazy, I just starting running. I didn’t even see him make it.”
JALEN MILLS:
“I’ve seen him make over 40 yards at practice. He always kicks it through the uprights. So there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to make it.”
RASUL DOUGLAS:
“That was a beautiful kick. I think it was 61 yards or something like that. I’ve never seen him kick that long before, so I’m on the sideline just watching. And I see the Giants switch [CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie] out for [WR Odell Beckham Jr.], so I’m like; alright they’re trying to get the best chance in for a return. And as I’m looking at Odell while the kick is going and I don’t see him put his hands up, I’m saying to myself, ‘This ball has a chance.’ And he just put his head down and I’m like, ‘Oh this must be good!’ And it went in and everyone went crazy.”
What were your thoughts and emotions as the ball sailed through the air? Let us know in the comments!
Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
