Why Eagles Fans Should Feel Good about a Summer Craze that Can Lead to a Winter 2024 Celebration.
It's been an agonizing six months that has felt like two centuries, but finally 2023 Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp is upon us. An opportunity for Eagles faithful to purge last year's ending like cup of generic mouthwash.
The expectations have never been higher. Understandably so.
Sure, the Eagles have had other years of great expectations. I could bring up the Buddy-Built-Body-Crushing Philadelphia Eagles defense from 1991 where Bryce Paup ended Randall Cunningham's season. Or the 2004 team with the addition of Terrell Owens as Donovan McNabb's new favorite target in an attempt to finally win the NFC Championship Game. Or the 1981 Eagles season, coming off a Super Bowl loss to the Raiders in 1980 with an Eagles team returning that was a product of Dick Vermeil's dedication.
I won't even mention the Dream Team. We won't go there.
Here's why every bit of the excitement is more justified than any year ever before in everdom. It's best to have your popcorn ready.
The Eagles can absolutely win the Super Bowl. In case you live under a boulder in the middle of the desert (I wasn't aware that desert boulders were prevalent in Philadelphia but we'll go with it), they almost did it last year. Sure, like any other NFL team the Eagles have lost key free agents like Marcus Epps, T.J. Edwards, and C.J. Gardener-Johnson. However, the nucleus of the team returns that mostly ran over opponents for the better part of nineteen weeks with an excellent 2023 draft class and returning talent at key positions that Philadelphians have become accustomed to.
Just in case you are still currently under that same boulder you may not have heard about Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. He's pretty good. He's also really young. The youngest Eagles quarterback to ever lead a team to the Super Bowl, in fact. He's back this year with a franchise contract and has some unfinished business on his mind.
The Eagles have a formula for draft success that centers on selecting top talent from some of the nation's finest collegiate programs.
Once again this year the Eagles acquired future top-tier contributors from two of the most successful collegiate programs, the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter, linebacker Nolan Smith, and cornerback Kelee Ringo who will look to make an immediate impact like 2022 draft class standouts Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. The 2023 Eagles rookies have all of the motivation that they need to make an immediate impact.
You may have gotten this impression already, but I never miss an opportunity to discuss it like a proud parent.
This is the best Eagles team ever. They are better than the lightening-in-a-bottle 2018 Eagles, better than the late 1940s Eagles of Steve Van Buren and Tommy Thompson, better than Andy Reid's four-time NFC Championship Game teams. Even better than "Concrete" Chuck Bednarik's 1960 Eagles who won the NFL Championship at Franklin Field.
Sure, the Eagles have been hyped prior to past seasons with astronomical expectations and illusions of Super Bowl grandeur that did not materialize.
For the Eagles and their fans however, this team feels different. And this year feels different.
Should Eagles fans feel good about a summer craze that can lead to a winter 2024 celebration? Absolutely.
The best reason is that the best is yet to come
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