Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hello everyone, it's Adam Kaplan here again for SportsCritic at Super Bowl 59, and the
00:04man to my right is a native Philadelphian like myself.
00:08He's a diehard Philly fan.
00:10He's from ESPN.
00:11It's Kevin Nagani.
00:12Kevin, great to see you.
00:13Good to see you, Adam.
00:14All right, so let's get to it, man.
00:15I want to start before the season for you, because I have my own expectations for the
00:19Eagles.
00:20Where were you at with this football team to start September?
00:22I was like, I have no idea, because remember where we were, right?
00:26Seven and one, and then you lose six to seven, the greatest historical collapse in Philadelphia
00:31Eagles history.
00:32So you had no idea.
00:34I think every week was, we're going to learn something.
00:36We're going to learn something.
00:38And it felt like the team was learning a lot about themselves in the first four weeks,
00:42right?
00:43Especially, you can make a case that the first four weeks when they were two and two, it
00:47was preseason.
00:48They looked sloppy.
00:49They were trying to understand Fangio's defense.
00:51They weren't in sync.
00:53And they were just going off of talent, right?
00:55And then you got that by, then they started figuring things out.
00:58So to me, every week was a learning experience.
01:02And then after that Ravens game was the first time I was like, okay, they could have a deep
01:06run.
01:07So Kevin, you know, as a big time fan, you know the team very, very well.
01:10So let's talk about the defense.
01:12Yeah.
01:13How do you explain guys like Zach Bonnick come out of nowhere and become the best inside
01:16backer in football?
01:17Vic Fangio.
01:19That's how I described it.
01:20This is coaching.
01:21This comes down to understanding your talent and roster, and then being able to move it
01:25around to the benefit of your strengths.
01:27And Fangio has been a godsend for this team because he's ignited Jalen Carter.
01:32The talent was always there.
01:34It's just understanding the motivation to play.
01:36I think they've done an incredible job of realizing that with Nolan Smith.
01:40I think they've done an incredible job of making sure Quinion is not a rookie.
01:44Cooper Dejean is not a rookie.
01:46And they hit, man.
01:47It is fantastic to watch an Eagles team that actually hits, that is around the football,
01:53that tackles really well.
01:55We haven't seen a team that tackles this well.
01:57I'm going to go all the way back to those early 90s Bud Carson, old Buddy Ryan teams.
02:03And that's what makes me feel really good about Sunday.
02:05All right.
02:06Offensively, obviously the biggest story in the National Football League is number 26,
02:09A'Quan Barkley.
02:10Yeah.
02:11Look, he was obviously in a better space here, but it's been really remarkable.
02:15You're old enough to remember Wilbert Montgomery.
02:17Yeah.
02:18Who was one of the best backs in Eagles history.
02:19But now we're having one of the best, and probably will be the best by the end of Sunday,
02:22the best season in NFL history for a running back.
02:25Your thoughts on Saquon, what you've seen.
02:27He's perfect for this team.
02:29It's amazing when you have the greatest offensive line in Eagles history.
02:33Sorry, Jason.
02:35I know Jason's not a part of it, Kelsey.
02:37But you have the greatest offensive line in Eagles history.
02:39And it's the best in the NFL.
02:41And then you put a back.
02:43We were just, I was talking to somebody about this the other day.
02:47When Saquon has the football, it feels like I'm watching Bo Jackson.
02:53And by the way, no one's a bigger Bo Jackson fan than me.
02:55I thought he was the greatest athlete ever, before the injury.
02:58Bo Jackson had speed and power.
03:01And Saquon has the same thing.
03:02He has speed and power.
03:05Because when he gets in that open space, there's a different level.
03:08So when you combine all of that, and the patience that he has, and the ability to understand
03:13that, hey, just give it a little beat here on this pull, I'm going to have the opening
03:18one-on-one, and then hit the hole differently.
03:21I think he's been perfect for this team.
03:24It was the best signing in all of football.
03:27And Howie has hit every single thing out of the park this offseason.
03:32Very similar to the 2017 offseason, right?
03:34Where he nailed every single piece.
03:36This is almost historic, Kevin.
03:37Absolutely.
03:38You're absolutely right.
03:39And by the way, one thing I do want to add before we get out of here is that he reminds
03:43me of Allen Iverson as a football player.
03:45You never know when it's going to come.
03:47That big run.
03:48But when it does, it's electric and it's special.
03:50And it's so humiliating for the defense.
03:53They're chasing him down the field, and then you see him wait.
03:56Sometimes Barkley looks back and he's just like, wow.
03:58Totally.
03:59I'm blown away by what we're seeing here.
04:00To your point, too, I'll add one other thing.
04:03These are the best of the best at their position in the entire world.
04:06To see his teammates come up to him and say, you're Superman, or you're the greatest player
04:12on the planet, that to me is the greatest compliment you could ever give an NFL athlete.
04:19When the teammates are saying that to you.
04:21Because they've all seen it.
04:23They've all crushed their high school teams in college, and they've been the one of ones.
04:27And then all the one of ones on that team are saying, no, this is the guy.
04:32That's the greatest compliment you could ever give a player in the NFL.
04:35Kevin, I'm going to put you on the spot here as a guy who grew up in the area like I did.
04:39Is this the best professional sports team you've seen at Baltimore?
04:41Oh, not yet.
04:42Can't say that until they win.
04:44But OK, up to this point.
04:45But from a talent standpoint, is it right up there for you?
04:48Yeah.
04:49Absolutely.
04:50They're more talented than 2017.
04:51More talented than 2021.
04:55I should say 2023.
04:56So yeah, you can make that case that they're the most talented team.
05:03But the best teams are the ones that win it.
05:05No matter what.
05:06Because listen, if you're in Philadelphia, you know that 2010-2011 Phillies team was
05:13unbelievable, right?
05:15They didn't win it.
05:16Right?
05:17Phillies, yes.
05:19But 2008, that Phillies team completely, they won it.
05:21So you have to say that.
05:22That 83 Sixers team is the most talented team that I've ever witnessed, right?
05:26So they've got to seal the deal on Sunday.
05:29All right.
05:30Give us the score for Sunday.
05:3131-27 Eagles.
05:32Wow.
05:33Mahomes will have the football in the final five minutes.
05:39And this year, they've got Vic Fangio.
05:41They don't have Jonathan Gannon.
05:43So my biggest concern...
05:46You couldn't help it.
05:47I couldn't help myself.
05:48My biggest concern, Adam, is the middle of the field.
05:51Because, listen, Zach Ertz is an Eagles legend.
05:56Travis Kelsey is a completely different tight end to Zach Ertz right now.
06:01And Ertz ate us alive across the middle.
06:04And they're going to extend drives in the middle, because 87 always knows where 15 is
06:09and vice versa.
06:11And they're going to find a way to extend drives.
06:13And the minute they have that covered, 3rd and 7, Mahomes is going to run and extend
06:17a drive.
06:18So that's my concern there more than anything else.
06:20All right.
06:21You got it from this guy right here.
06:23He's got it.
06:24The Eagles winning 31-27.
06:25For Kevin Negande, I'm Adam Kaplan.