Celebrity Corner appears each week during the 2013 season, featuring Eagles fans who have gained fame in their careers of sports, entertainment and popular culture. This week: Brian Knobbs, former professional wrestler and part of the "Nasty Boys," who toured the WWF and WCW with great success. Knobbs has also had success in reality television and as a celebrity fan for the Tampa Bay Rays.
I've been an Eagles fan since I was a kid growing up in Allentown, Pennsylvania where we had a lot of people around my family who loved the team. I was able to get to some games, and that just increased how much I followed the Eagles. I've always been able to either watch the game or follow what's happening.
It wasn't always easy to do so because of the traveling in wrestling, but I found a way. Along the way, I've made my list of some of my favorite Eagles. Here are a few …
1. Bill Bergey, linebacker: He played tough football and he was an inspirational guy. I met him when I was a kid at a Hess Department Store and I never forgot it. He and Harold Carmichael came to the store and Bill signed an autograph for me and it made an impression for me. Both Bergey and Carmichael were really nice and talked to us, and for me as a little kid, it was special.
2. Ron Jaworski, quarterback: I met him at training camp at Bethlehem a few years ago, and I shook both Jaworski's hand and Bergey's hand and it was an honor. I liked how Jaws hung in the pocket and how he took so many hits and yet he was always there, week after week. Tough guy. I like tough guys.
3. Donovan McNabb, quarterback: He was a heckuva player and he gave it all he had when he played with the Eagles. It wasn't always pretty with Donovan, but we sure won a lot of games and he was a big reason why we did.
We're in a new era now and the verdict remains out on Chip Kelly's time as a head coach. It started out so well during the win over Washington and I was really excited. It has changed a lot since then. We're 1-3 and that's frustrating.
I know that we have a couple of holes to fill, and I know that college coaches who come to the NFL have a lot to learn. The part that's tough for the fans is that we have to let it build and see how it develops over the course of a couple of seasons. It's probably not fair to judge Chip right now. He needs to add some pieces to the roster.
The bottom line is winning games. It's a tough business and we don't have a lot of patience as fans. I'm going to be there for the team, following every week. I want to see the team grow together and see how it goes, what happens.
I'm no longer on the wrestling circuit, but I've got a couple of reality shows on the cusp of being picked up and it's exciting. Fans are still into wrestling, and I will do some autographs at Comic Con and some Legends of Wrestling events that are very popular.
Wherever I go, I keep the Eagles as close as I can. I'm excited to see how this grows and how long it takes us to be a winning team again.
