With a playoff game just 55 hours away, the Eagles players bounded into the NovaCare Complex after their practice laughing, whooping, and filled with energy. It was a normal Friday feel (Thursday in real time, Friday in a football week with a Saturday game) for a 14-3 team that has been remarkably consistent and deserving of the No. 1 seed in the NFC postseason.
The mood of the team? It's better to have them tell you, so that's exactly what this is – a trip around the Eagles locker room with the question posed: How would you describe the vibe for this football team?
Brandon Graham, DE
"The vibe is real good right now. Everybody knows what they put in this week. Coach (Nick Sirianni) was happy. Whenever you see the head coach is happy at the end of the work week, you know you're headed in the right direction. We've just got to go out there and execute because I know this game is about the little things that tend to creep up when you look back at games. We have to make sure we stay on top of them. I've seen teams that are a little bit tight – coaches start to critique you on certain little things and you're like, 'You scared? Are you alright?' That hasn't been the case here. We all have that feeling that we have to take care of business. We know they ain't scared of us. Any given Sunday, you never know what can happen. They asked for us after the game we played two weeks ago. So, here we are, for real. Make sure we're prepared and that we're ready to go and I know we are. We control what we can control and we will give ourselves a good shot."
Zach Pascal, WR
"I ain't gonna lie, I would say we're hungry. You would think, like, a No. 1 team would be a little lackadaisical or something, but no. We're hungry, confident, and I feel like we're ready to go out there and get this done. I feel that around the whole building. There is no tightness in our room, with this team. I feel like we've all been waiting to get to this point, so now it's like, 'Let's go do it.' The regular season is over. This team was in the playoffs last year, now it's time to run it back again and get things done."
Linval Joseph, DT
"The mood of the team? Everybody's great, man. Everybody is happy to be in this situation and everybody just wants to make the best of it. Different teams handle situations in different ways and if you feel you have it, well, you go out and do what you do. We're a well-rounded team and we have been preparing for this moment. I came in here in the middle of the season and since then I've seen the guys' energy, the guys' attitude, and the will and want to. There is no better place to be than where we are right now. We work hard and go hard and it's been that way since I've been here. It's a good vibe. Everybody is ready to go."
Miles Sanders, RB
"As we ease toward gameday, everybody is getting more antsy and excited to get out there. We talk about how we have to be focused and execute and that's where we are. We're itching to get to Saturday. Today is a Friday for us, so there's a lot of dancing and good vibes for us. This is when we try to create touchdown dances every week. Fridays and Saturdays, they're the best days of the week before the game. That's when we feel a bit more relaxed, we have the game plan in, and we're ready to get to gameday."
Britain Covey, PR/WR
"How would I describe the vibe of this team? Almost like, there's something holding back the floodgates, you know what I mean? It's like, guys are itching to get out there. This week has gone by slower than any week of the season because everybody is ready to play. Honestly, what I love about this is, once the Giants won on Sunday, within two seconds there were 12 texts in the receivers' group message saying, 'Let's go.' It was like, we have a face now for our opponent and it's time to prepare. I think that's a good example of the mood around here."
Marcus Epps, S
"We're focused and hungry. I feel like we've had a really good week of practice and last week I felt like we practiced really well and had good energy. You can feel the sense of urgency and the focus and the hungry. It's been that way consistently throughout the year, but there is a different energy with the playoffs. We know the Giants are going to come with a different level of energy, so we have to step it up in the playoffs and I'm confident that we'll do that."
Dallas Goedert, TE
"I would say hungry. I think we're all chomping at the bit, ready to get out there, ready to play. Obviously, we're in an incredible situation where the playoffs come through Philly and we're just hungry to defend the Linc. We know we have to go out and have a great game plan and execute and come out on top. That's our mission."
James Bradberry, CB
"Everyone's ready. We've had a good week of preparation and we are excited to get out there and play our best football."
Landon Dickerson, OG
"I think it's the same mood we've had all year. Just take things one day at a time and try to keep getting better day by day. When you find something that you're succeeding at, why change it if it ain't broken? That's kind of what we've done here."
DeVonta Smith, WR
"The mood of this football team? Energetic."
Isaac Seumalo, OG
"I can't speak for anybody else, but I think we're treating it like any other week. One day at a time, everything that Coach (Nick) Sirianni preaches. Dawg mentality. Don't let the circumstances change the process. That's about it."
