Strolling the Eagles’ locker room on Thursday night was akin to sneaking into a sold-out concert. The sweet sounds of Stevie Wonder were blasting on the stereo speakers and every player wore a carefree smile. But, instead of painting the picture, let the soulful lyrics tell the story …
Eagles thrilled with Saquon Barkley
Everybody’s got a thing … But some don’t know how to handle it … Always reachin’ out in vain … Just taking the things not worth having but … Don’t you worry ’bout a thing.
You see, Saquon Barkley is that thing. And the rival Giants seemed to think he wasn’t worth having. So, the Eagles rescued the Pro Bowl running back from the modicum of mediocrity he was mired in, stacking Barkley behind a prodigious offensive line and letting him roam free. Limitless liberty in Philadelphia. Barkley has “100-percent” exceeded all expectations, according to Jordan Mailata.
“I knew that he was a special player,” Mailata said. “The what ifs and the possibilities of what he could do behind our offensive line, you don’t really know what to expect until you see it, until he does something … special player, man, glad he’s on our side.”
Barkley and the Eagles aren’t worried ’bout a thing following a dominant 26-18 victory over the Commanders in Week 11. They scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, giving ex-Eagles star Zach Ertz a free touchdown and two-point conversion with 28 seconds left, to make the final score a lot closer than it appeared to anyone at the game.
Why wasn’t the outcome in question? Barkley made it so. He broke loose for a 23-yard touchdown, then slipped a berserk run through the seam for a 39-yard score. It was the Saquon Barkley Show — Thursday night live, no dress rehearsal, no laugh track: 26 carries for 146 yards, with two touchdowns.
“His will and want-to is on display 24/7,” Mailata said. “It doesn’t stop, it doesn’t waver. He’s very encouraging, always talking to us, always communicating on what he’s seeing on what he wants. And as an offensive line, you love that. Just the communication side, the honesty. And it’s Saquon Barkley, man, whatever he says, you’re like, ‘Yes, sir.’”
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Says NFC East Runs Through Philadelphia
The calendar might only read November but at least one Eagles player believes it is time to start fitting those NFC East champion hats. Speaking openly and honestly, with zero regrets, C.J. Gardner-Johnson held court at his locker stall and boldly predicted the future of the division.
“We’ve been doing this since before I got here. You know who runs this division,” Johnson said, referring to the Eagles. “No disrespect, that’s a great team [Washington] but we know what happens. We know what we have to do is block out all the noise but we understand that we’ve been winning this division for what, the past three to four years? It’s not a diss or a shot at nobody, you just gotta understand, keep what is rightfully yours and just keeping playing ball.”
If it sounds like Gardner-Johnson was bragging, well, he was. Remember, he was a starting safety on the 2022 Super Bowl team that fell three points shy of a championship. When asked to compare this year’s defense to that one, Gardner-Johnson kept it succinct: “Everybody can play. Everybody can rush. And everybody can cover.”
Cooper DeJean Reveals Story Behind ‘Exciting Whites” Shirts
Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship caused a bit of a stir on social media when they walked into the stadium wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Exciting Whites.” The pregame fits have been going viral — they feature multiple images of DeJean and Blankenship, with the words “sneaky athlete” and “blue collar” written in block lettering — and selling like hot cakes. Fun.
According to DeJean, the idea for the shirts grew out of a random trip to the mall. “I was in the mall one day and I met this dude and he said he had these shirts and I told him to send them to us, and so he sent them to us, and we thought it was just funny to wear.”
Those two Eagles have been balling out on the field, too. Blankenship finished with 10 combined tackles against Washington, along with a fourth-quarter interception that helped seal the win. DeJean had five total tackles in Week 11 as calls for Defensive Rookie of the Year start to get louder. He’s averaging 52 defensive snaps per game and only once earned an overall grade less than 70.6 (via Pro Football Focus).
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
