You may just be joining the self-isolation party, or you may have been here for a couple of weeks already. However long the duration, it’s safe to say this time is pretty stressful. But aside from going down YouTube rabbit holes at 5AM and spending your days in Call Of Duty Warzone’s Gulag, what Eagles related things can we do?
Invincible
Would it really be a self-isolation period without a quality film and way too many snacks? If you’ve already binged ‘Tiger King’ and now wondering what to watch, there’s always Disney’s ‘Invincible’.
For those unfamiliar, the film follows the true story of Philadelphia legend Vince Papale. Mark Wahlberg plays the then 30-year old bartender from South Philadelphia, who attended an open tryout for the Eagles during a tough stage in his life. The rest, as they say, was history.
Papale would play 3-years in the NFL and was named Special Teams Captain by his Eagles teammates in 1978, as well as winning the ‘Man of the Year’ award.
The movie itself is as heart-warming as they come and it feels like a heroic script as opposed to following a story close to the hearts of everyone in the city.
If you’re yet to watch this absolute masterpiece, there’s no better time to dive in head-first. If you’ve already seen it 382 times, you may as well make it 383.
Philly Special
As you may or may not know, NFL Gamepass is now free for anyone in the US. The league’s premier subscription services gives you access to every game dating back to the 2012 season and of course, that includes Super Bowl 52.
Whether you want to examine the coaches film and see the iconic matchup from new angles, or simply just want to hear Al Michaels and his bias surrender defeat as Nick Foles hoists the Lombardy trophy, it’s all available. Whenever you want. However you want. On a TV, on a laptop, on a phone. If you’re down in the dumps, just watch Super Bowl 52. I promise it’s a good vibe.
Maybe you’re a newer Eagles fan and never got to experience the game. Perhaps you missed it live for personal reasons.
Go on. Treat yourself to the most iconic game in Eagles history.
Alright, Howie
So, you fancy yourself as a GM? I see you lurking on Twitter. I hear those screams for a Yannick Ngakoue trade or the drafting of Henry Ruggs. I feel those pleads for speed and cries for a linebacker. So why not go and make your own reality while we all wait on the NFL Draft to roll around?
Madden 20 may have its flaws (and lots of them), but ‘connected career’ is still a really solid experience and allows you to take as much or as little time as you want. You can even dive straight into the 2020 offseason and load up a created draft class from this year’s prospects!
If you have a copy of the game, I think a great way to pass the time is to load up a save as the Eagles and see how you’d guide them through this offseason. Keep a few notes of the moves you make, the sleepers you draft, and the results that follow. You may just spot something familiar in the year that follows…
Alright, Howie (part 2)
If you’re not in the right frame of mind to launch your Xbox controller at your TV, I’d advise staying away from Madden and instead using this time to go one further.
The NFL Draft is under a month away now and there are so many prospects to watch tape on! A simple search of ‘*insert player name vs’ will bring up a flurry of results. Watching 3-4 games on a prospect where possible to get a feel for his game is advisable, but it’s easy to fall into binging sessions.
My process for finding new prospects to watch often falls to a simple thought process:
- What position do I want to watch?
- Head over to any site that lists declared draft entries (The Draft Network do an excellent job with their mock draft machine and have them ranked too.
- Find the position, scroll through, find a player, and off to YouTube we go.
Don’t forget to hit me with the players who you would die on a hill for! Tweet them to me @LiamJenkinsPSN
Open Cheerleader auditions?
Believe it or not, the Philadelphia Eagles are actually hosting open auditions to join their cheerleading squad. If you’ve watched ‘Invincible’ and want to create your own Eagles legend, this may be the best way to do it.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Liam, I’m not a fit 20-something anymore.’ I don’t care. It’s better than doing TikToks and you get to learn a whole routine, have a laugh while doing it, and it actually counts as exercise. Not only could this be a really good family bonding experience, but it’s also fun.
And if you seriously wanted to apply but are worried about how people will react, who cares? This franchise helped Kyle Tanguay to become Philly’s first male cheerleader in 35-years and support equality and diversity across the board. Why wouldn’t they include you?
On that note, I will be posting my own audition to YouTube. I’m not seriously trying to make the team, but if I can make a light-hearted sketch and bring a smile at this time, I absolutely will.
Bonus shout: Stay locked in to PSN
The world may be coming to a standstill, but the Philly Sports Network show rolls on. We’re still posting daily articles, numerous videos per week, and regular podcasts. We’re so thankful to have you in our corner, so we’re going to give you as much content as we can to keep you occupied over the next few months and keep the love for your favorite Philly teams burning!
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
