The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles are a ‘hell of a destination,’ says All-Pro who requested a trade – NJ.com
Appearing on “The Zach Gelb Show” on CBS Sports Radio, Garrett was asked about the possibility of joining the Eagles if he were traded to Philadelphia. “We went there for a preseason game, and I definitely got me a cheesesteak,” Garrett told Gelb. “It lived up to my hopes. I’m not going to stay too attached to any one team at this point. I know my fate really isn’t in my hands, but it would be a hell of a destination.”

Myles Garrett trade: Recent history says Browns fans should lower their expectations – Dawgs By Nature
Two first-round picks (or the equivalent) are not off the board but it seems unlikely given recent trades. The problem for Garrett and Cleveland is that the team has no reason to want to trade him away without getting a great return in the deal. Garrett’s contract and the impact on the salary cap also limits the team’s motivation to make a deal.

Eagles-Chiefs Game Preview: 5 questions and answers with the Super Bowl enemy – BGN
3) What’s one thing that really worries you about the Chiefs heading into this game? The Eagles inside pass rush against the Chiefs’ reshuffled offensive line. Left guard Mike Caliendo has been a liability since entering the starting lineup with Joe Thuney kicking outside to left tackle. Jalen Carter has not really developed into a traveling player, so he will likely line up opposite Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith. Jordan Davis is no slouch, however, and I fear center Creed Humphrey will focus so much on helping Caliendo that it will be difficult to reinforce Smith if Carter is cooking.

Trent McDuffie prepares for new role vs. Eagles this time around – Arrowhead Pride
The last time Kansas City Chiefs star cornerback Trent McDuffie played against the Philadelphia Eagles (in last year’s regular season), he predominantly played from the slot while ex-teammate and current Tennessee Titan L’Jarius Sneed held down the perimeter. Fast forward to this year, and the gauntlet of being the man on the outside has fallen at McDuffie’s feet. It’s a challenge he has taken head-on and is looking forward to on Sunday in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. To prepare for the game, McDuffie said he watched Super Bowl LIVII, in which the Chiefs defeated the Eagles — and the 2024 matchup, in which the Eagles defeated their home team. “Honestly, really just looking at how they were attacking us, seeing just the things that I can improve upon as far as technique-wise,” explained McDuffie from the podium on Wednesday. “I’m on the outside this time, so just watching more tape on A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.”

Chiefs offense vs. Eagles defense Super Bowl 2025 breakdown and things to watch for – SB Nation
This Super Bowl is going to be fun: an Eagles defense that wants you to take your time and eat your vegetables against a Kansas City offense that’s got so much fiber in them they could stop up the Hoover Dam if it broke. The Chiefs don’t need to be explosive to win games; at this point they might not want to be explosive. But Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIX showdown with Philadelphia is their biggest test yet. The biggest thing to watch for when Kansas City has the ball is the personnel matching. The Chiefs play the second-highest percentage of 12 personnel in the NFL at 33.9 percent per Sumer Sports, but they also have a top ten EPA per play when using 12 personnel. This is the Chiefs’ new era of their offensive brilliance: eschewing 11 personnel and super spread offense by just continuing to add tight ends onto the field like infinity stones, until the defense matches their personnel with base defense. That’s when the Chiefs win the battle, because if teams want to play nickel against their 12 personnel, they’ll just run the ball at them for five yards a pop, matriculating the ball downfield in what many consider to be painstaking to watch. However, if teams load up against the run and put all their linebackers on the field, Kansas City can crush teams with their tight ends and horizontal speed. A tough place to find yourself in.

The Best Sports Bars in Philly to Watch the Eagles in the Super Bowl – Eater Philly
Philly has no shortage of sports bars that are perfect for watching sports, and especially when it comes to rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, February 9 in New Orleans. It’s the kind of game you want to watch at your favorite bar, with a beer clutched tightly in one hand, and french fry mid-air in the other. Here are the best Philly sports bars with beers, food, drinks, and crowds for watching the Super Bowl and supporting the Eagles. Go Birds!

Mailbag: Who does the Superdome field surface benefit more, the Eagles or Chiefs? – PhillyVoice
Question from @HelloMidlife: I’m concerned about the Superdome turf, and speed guys like Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. How will Vic Fangio and the defense handle them? Have Eagle CBs covered speedsters like them this year? Worthy ran the fastest 40 ever at the Combine, so technically, no, they haven’t played anyone as fast as him this season. And certainly Brown (4.27) can run, too. But as we noted in our Eagles-Chiefs preview (when the Chiefs have the ball), they are a dink-and-dunk offense that simply did not hit on many big plays this season. The Eagles, meanwhile, gave up the fewest pass plays of 20+ yards this season. Could Andy Reid catch the Eagles napping and hit a big play or two? Sure. But unless the Chiefs completely change their offense, we’re not likely to see them air it out down the field. It’s just not their game.

Reasons To Feel Good About Sunday – Iggles Blitz
The Eagles allowed 31 offensive points in Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs averaged 6.4 yards per play. They went 4 for 5 in the red zone. The Eagles didn’t force a turnover and only forced 2 punts. That defense wasn’t a good matchup for KC, especially on a slick field. This year is a different story. KC throws a lot of passes at or behind the line of scrimmage. They were third in the league in yards after the catch. The Eagles do a great job at defending short throws. KC has not been able to throw deep this year. They live and die with a short passing attack. That also eases the pressure on their re-shuffled OL. Patrick Mahomes excels at the quick game so they will have some success to be sure, but it won’t be as easy as it would against another team. Or the 2022 Eagles. This defense should have some success against Mahomes.

Kellen Moore Made the Eagles’ Offense Easier for Everyone – SI
Through it all, the other offensive coaches found someone in Moore who, according to one assistant, “is so smart, and knows where he wants to go, and will find a path to get there.” The goal all along was to synthesize the scheme into something digestible for the players, where they could play fast while keeping the defense off-balance. In some cases, that meant presenting four different formations to get you to the same thing, which is, again, a version of the Eagles knowing where they wanted to go and finding the path (or multiple paths) to get there. So over time, Moore made the scheme both his and one that the holdovers—Patullo, Stoutland, receivers coach Aaron Moorehead and tight ends coach Jason Michael—could take ownership of, too. On Wednesday, I relayed to one of those coaches that a couple of coaches who’d played both the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs said Philly’s offense was relatively simple. He smiled, and said, “That’s the idea.”

Meet the Main Characters Who Have Defined the Eagles’ Season – The Ringer
Two things to keep an eye on Sunday when it comes to the Eagles head coach. First is Sirianni’s emotions. Lurie this week said those emotions are Sirianni’s biggest strength and his biggest weakness. They have led to fun memes, and haven’t really negatively impacted Sirianni during a game, but not every game is the Super Bowl. Second is his in-game decision-making. Sirianni has had some moments this season where he’s been overly aggressive and others where he’s been too conservative. Coaching against Patrick Mahomes can play mind games on opponents. Sirianni needs to coach to win and can’t let the moment get to him.

Super Bowl 2025 preview: Chiefs-Eagles stats, prediction, more – ESPN+
My Super Bowl LIX pick: If you were hoping there would be a clear choice for which team to pick at the end of all those words, you’re not the only one. I came into the preview not having a strong feeling and now feel like things are even closer. Sometimes these games can get decided by the unpredictable, like Dre Greenlaw tearing his Achilles running onto the field or the Eagles scoring on a touchdown pass to Nick Foles. It’s too simplistic to look at what has happened this season and say it’s tough to see those outliers keeping up. Barkley has produced long runs at an unsustainable rate … but he’s doing it just about every week. Mahomes can’t keep winning all these close games … but he has been doing it for over a year. It’s tough for me to see the Eagles blowing out the Chiefs, even if they might be the better roster on paper, if only because it’s impossible to hold Mahomes down for four quarters. And if it’s going to be a close game, I’m not sure how I can pick against Kansas City and watch 60 minutes of football without regretting my decision. There have just been too many times when the future Hall of Famers of this Chiefs dynasty — Mahomes, Kelce, Jones, Reid and Spagnuolo — have made that perfect adjustment or come up with that critical play when they have needed to thrive. I believe they’ll do that again. Chiefs 27, Eagles 24.

Eagles moneyline is the most popular Super Bowl bet – PFT
The point spread has also shifted slightly at some books, with the Chiefs going from 1.5-point favorites to 1-point favorites. More bettors are putting their money on the Eagles than on the Chiefs in every state except Kansas.

Is Chiefs’ offensive line really ready for Jalen Carter? – NBCSP
During these playoffs, Carter leads all defensive tackles with 12 pressures and he has played 91.7% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps. “He’s really good,” right guard Trey Smith said. “He makes a lot of plays, unorthodox in his approach a lot of times taking on blocks. Extremely physical player. He’s a good player, man, he’s having a great year.” While the Eagles have the best offensive line in the NFL, the Chiefs’ line is still really good. It should be no surprise that an Andy Reid team is well-built in the trenches. But there is still an opportunity for Carter to pressure Patrick Mahomes in this game. Earlier in the season, the Chiefs were struggling at left tackle and bumped veteran Joe Thuney out from left guard to left tackle. While Thuney has played really well to solidify the edge, they miss him inside. Since going to this current offensive line in Week 15, the Chiefs’ interior has allowed a pressure rate of 9.0%, per NFL NextGen Stats. That is the fourth-highest rate in the NFL after they had been fourth-lowest (5.1%) in the first 14 weeks of the season.

How good are the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs? We rank all 38 Super Bowl teams since 2006 – PFF
Trouble for the Eagles? The 2024 Eagles rank among the strongest Super Bowl teams relative to their competition in the same season. However, it’s worth noting that the Chiefs have already beaten three similarly dominant teams on football’s biggest stage: the 2019 49ers, the 2022 Eagles and the 2023 49ers.

Inside Eagles GM Howie Roseman’s best offseason — and his unending obsession with the next one – PHLY
Last Thursday, Roseman arrived home from his son’s basketball game at 9:30 p.m. and retreated to his office to watch film from the Senior Bowl practices. His wife walked into his home office and asked what he was doing. Roseman once picked Cox and Kelce, and he’s seen them develop, win, and retire. He replaced both, and now their replacements could win. When Roseman signed Barkley to headline perhaps the Eagles’ most prolific offseason, he spoke about experiencing the confetti of a Super Bowl victory. The season only ends two ways: embracing outside a locker room feeling like you let each other down, or embracing under confetti. So, Mindy asked, what was Roseman doing last Thursday? “We gotta make sure that our offseason next year is good,” Roseman said.

Super Bowl picks, odds, scores for Chiefs vs. Eagles: Who do analysts predict will win on Sunday? – NFL.com
Will Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs become the first team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowls? Can Nick Sirianni’s Philadelphia Eagles flip the script from SB LVII and secure the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy on Sunday? Our analysts provide their Super Bowl LIX picks. [BLG Note: There’s a 21 to 7 split in favor of the Chiefs here.]

A Philadelphia Ad Agency is Trolling Chiefs Fans for Charity – Crossing Broad
Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast, has come forward to claim responsibility for the “816-323-GO KC—call for a pep rally in your pocket” digital billboard next to Arrowhead Stadium. Since Tuesday, Feb. 4, the billboard has been capturing the attention of commuters traveling on I-435. Just 24 hours after the billboard was installed, hundreds of people dialed the number, only to be greeted with a rousing version of the “Fly, Eagles, Fly!” fight song.

Deebo Samuel supports his friend by wearing an Eagles jersey – Niners Nation
A year ago, leading up to the 49ers and Eagles showdown in the regular season, Brown said, “It’s always a pleasure to play against one of my closest friends.” Still, seeing Samuel in an Eagles jersey, regardless of the reason, will inevitably cause vitriol toward Deebo. After all, Philadelphia is one of the reasons the 49ers didn’t get another chance at the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in 2022. For those looking to take it out on Deebo on social media, he deleted his Twitter account recently. The account “@19problemz” doesn’t exist any longer.

Myles Garrett openly entertaining a future in Washington on radio row – Hogs Haven
Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett has made his rounds on radio row following announcing his desire to be traded to another team. On Monday, Garrett issued a statement officially requesting a trade from the Browns, citing his desire to “win and compete,” but that complacency won’t allow him to stay in Cleveland just because he loves the city. Cleveland has already responded to Garrett’s statement, stating that they do not want to trade Myles Garrett and have no plans to do so. However, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Garrett is just as firm in his decision. Since his announcement, Garrett has been in New Orleans on several platforms, openly entertaining the thought of playing with the Washington Commanders.

Former Cowboys TE Peyton Hendershot says Chiefs are about winning, Dallas about ‘extracurriculars’ – Blogging The Boys
Hendershot spoke with incredible respect to the Cowboys. His tenor was not one of ill will or in trying to stir the pot. He answered the question with grace and in the most honest way that he could. People shouldn’t assume anything negative here. But Hendershot confirmed what former Cowboys have said in the past by saying that the Chiefs, his current team, are purely focused on football and winning. In the tweet above he referred to “extracurriculars” being more of a priority with the Cowboys, and if you listen to the whole clip you will hear him say things like autograph signings and picture opportunities. He provided some legitimate depth to this subject that has encircled the team for some time.

Is Eli Manning a first-ballot Hall of Famer? – Big Blue View
I think that in 2012 or 2013 believing Manning would be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, probably on the first ballot, would not have drawn much argument. The back half of his career, though, damaged that perception. The other thing I have always believed, though, is that the Giants let Manning down by not surrounding him with the talent needed to compete for more championships after that 2011 season. Somewhere along the way the Giants stopped giving Coughlin the kind of players he wanted, and Manning the kind of players he needed. I also, though, understand that there are many out there who can’t get past the bad seasons. Can’t get past the 117-117 regular season record. Can’t get past the awkward Manning Face when things went wrong. I think those people are not seeing the forest for the trees, but it’s like politics. No matter what facts you present people to make your case, some folks are dug in aren’t going to budge in their belief no matter what. It may not happen on the first ballot for Manning. I think, though, that it should. [BLG Note: He’s not a Hall of Famer.]

Will Kendrick Lamar perform “Not Like Us?” — and other questions about his Super Bowl halftime show – Vox
Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show will most likely be historic for quite a few reasons, but a big one is that he’s the first solo rap act to headline the show in the broadcast’s almost 60-year history. The music segment has certainly evolved since the early days of hosting college marching bands and the unsettling, feel-good dance group Up With People, now welcoming contemporary pop acts from Lady Gaga to The Weeknd. However, the NFL has been more hesitant to fully embrace rap, despite it being one of the most popular genres of music in the world.