November 10, 2022
This city loves being the underdog. Philadelphians find strength in people doubting them. We would have rooted for the Phillies no matter what, of course, but the national pundits picking against the Phillies added to it.
It’s not enough for us for our teams to go out there and win. We need that extra oomph of national disrespect. We need to let that go because the Eagles won’t be underdogs again for a long time. They are 8-0 and have yet to trail in the second half of a single game (the longest streak since the 1984 Dolphins according to CBS Sports). After their victory Thursday against the Texans and the Bills' loss to the Jets, the Eagles became the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl. They have been the favorites to come out of the NFC for weeks already. This week the Eagles are 11-point favorites against the Commanders. It will be the third-consecutive week the Eagles are double-digit favorites.
We are now the hunted instead of being the hunters. It is a needed change for the city.
We are going to have to find another way to motivate ourselves. We should get outside of our comfort zone and embrace that this team is different. We should want all our sports teams to be like this one. There is a lot of value in being awesome. We should feel comfortable, saying, “The Eagles are great, and they will back it up on the field." Humility is a nice trait to a degree. At some point, however, it becomes annoying. Did you ever have that feeling where you are short on money and get to the register and hope that you have enough money in the account? Too often we act like that even when we have enough $$ in the bank. As Eagles fans, there is no need to be humble right now, the Eagles have the money.
People around the country hate the Yankees because they won so much over their history. Wouldn’t it be nice if a team in Philadelphia was hated because they won too much? I want people in other cities to actually have to say, “The Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, Union win too much, I’m tired of them." That should be the dream, not to be doubted all the time. Who are these national frauds to doubt us?
The Eagles have Jalen Hurts, the current leader for MVP of the NFL. He can spend all day being humble, but we don’t need to be. He is not an underdog anymore. He is a QB that was a starter at Alabama and Oklahoma who has now taken the next step at 24-years-old.
The Eagles have the best CB combination in the NFL. Darius Slay, James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox are elite in every way. We don’t have to pretend that they aren’t. They have a chance to be better than the Troy Vincent/Bobby Taylor/Al Harris trio. We should be happy that they are excellent.
The Eagles have Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce on the offensive line. These two champions continue to lead and play at a high level. We don’t need the national media to doubt us to appreciate them.
The Eagles have their best linebacker core in years, and they haven’t even unleashed rookie Nakobe Dean yet. They have Dallas Goedert who outside of his unfortunate first name has emerged as one of the best tight ends in football. This is all without mentioning AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Miles Sanders, etc.
This is a stacked team. It’s not bragging if it’s true.
It is time we make this needed adjustment. Being good and knowing it doesn’t equal not being hungry. In fact, it can add pressure and lead to better performance. If everyone is giving you their best shot, you must be ready each and every game. That helps the players, and it helps the fans. Just look at last weekend. On Saturday, the city lost two championships within hours to teams favored over them. The Union and the Phillies were underdogs. What did it get us outside of heartache?
The Eagles are providing us with an opportunity to fundamentally change how we think and it would be a mistake to let it go by. We are Eagles fans, and the Eagles are the best team in the NFL. I’m not afraid to say it.
Tyrone Johnson is the host of "The Best Show Ever?" on 97.5 The Fanatic, airing Monday through Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
You can follow him on Twitter: @TyJohnsonNews
