August 29, 2015
Matt Rourke/AP
Former Philadelphia Eagles DB Walter Thurmond, 28, says he's hanging up his cleats after just six NFL seasons.
It used to be that the only music NFL players could really hear during practice was the ringing in their own ears. As contact drills have been scaled back, however, the way teams prepare for games has changed. Under Chip Kelly, blaring music at practice is now part of the science of simulating live game situations.
Even if Kelly is known for wielding his strong-willed authority as the team's shot caller, the third-year coach has loosened up a bit about the playlists at practice, inviting players to drop requests into a 'Music Suggestion Box', NJ.com reports.
How do the tastes of Eagles players mesh with the tastes of Eagles fans? StubHub recently published a list of which bands fans of NFL teams love the most by checking the overlap between concert tickets and NFL games. The NFC East is all over the place. Cowboys fans secretly frequent Taylor Swift shows. Giants fans are into Kenny Chesney. Redskins fans, in what is probably their only redeeming quality, are big on the Foo Fighters.
Eagles fans apparently can't get enough of Maroon 5. "Take a hard look in the mirror, Eagles fans," USA Today tells us. "Do you like what you see?" Well, the team looks pretty good.
But maybe the Eagles players can help broaden our horizons. Here's a playlist pulled from the suggestion box.
Connor Barwin, DE - Jamie XX, "I Know There's Gonna Be Good Times"
Nolan Carroll, CB- Migos, "Pipe it Up"
Walter Thurmond, S - Jay Z, "Picasso Baby"
Jon Dorenbos, Long snapper - Awolnation, "Sail"
Beau Allen, DT - Rihanna and Calvin Harris, "We Found Love"
Tim Tebow, QB - Any Rascal Flatts
Maybe the only thing to take away from any of this is that, with two preseason picks, Walter Thurmond's musical tastes appear to be benefitting him the most.
