For the first big chunk of the 21st century, heartbreak defined the Philadelphia Eagles. The Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb era taught this city that things would not work out no matter how glorious they appeared on their television screens on Sundays in the fall. Winter was always coming.
That was a better outcome for fans than those of older generations, who suffered through some massively lean years, but for Philadelphians of my rough age group, that's all we knew.
Then 2017 happened…
The Eagles went from last place in the NFC East to Super Bowl champions, a miraculous campaign that saw the team bounce back from catastrophic injury after catastrophic injury and go on an all-time underdog run to that first-ever Lombardi Trophy. That year's Super Bowl parade was a relief as much as it was pure jubilation. "I can now die in peace" became a refrain. The Eagles weren't supposed to get there despite being the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The fact that they did so in such unlikely fashion with a backup quarterback going nuclear against Bill Belichick and Tom Brady only made things more surreal. Nick Foles' resurgence was a plot twist that M. Night Shyamalan himself wouldn't have concocted.
The "Got ringz?" jokes from idiot Cowboys fans went by the wayside, but a discourse persisted among the football world at large that the 2017 Birds Super Bowl run was a fluky one, which only received greater credence with the way the Doug Pederson/Carson Wentz tandem flamed out.
The Eagles were heroes just for one day on Feb. 4, 2018, and that was more than enough to bring salvation to the Delaware Valley, but the feeling that this was a franchise built upon disappointment remained to a degree.
That can no longer be considered the case.
34-0. 40-6. 40-22. Whatever score you want to use to define the Eagles' shellacking of Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX, it culminated in an embarrassing beatdown either way. The Eagles dethroned Reid and Patrick Mahomes, quelling any attempt for a three-peat. Between as dominant of a defensive performance in the Big Game that you'll ever see, plus some big-game chops from MVP Jalen Hurts, the Eagles finally elevated from any consideration that they are a franchise that made its name on crushed hopes. The Eagles are the ones who knock now.
- MORE EAGLES
- The Eagles' first Super Bowl parade changed my life and another one brings things full circle
- The Eagles, the Super Bowl wins, the parades, they just matter more to Philly
- Grading the Eagles Super Bowl parade speeches
This Eagles roster is young, talented and ferocious. They have all their key cogs under contract. A Chiefs three-peat? Maybe last Sunday was a set-up for a Birds three-peat all along.
What about snowballs and Santa Claus and all the other nonsense that comes from outsiders? That's all crap to me and always has been, but, sure, people will continue to say that Eagles fans are ruthless. They care too much. They get too riled up. Who cares? People need this type of outlet in the world. The communal bonds in Philly that are unparalleled when it comes to the Birds have only been heightened after another parade celebration. The haters will forever say that Eagles fans are crass, but with the way this team is poised to compete for titles for the foreseeable future, maybe pick your battles better going forward, everyone. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith await.
Could Philadelphia actually be the city of champions? Perhaps. Two Super Bowl wins this recently are undeniably impressive and, really, life-altering for people. There are kids who are in eighth grade who probably have concrete memories of multiple parades. That's wild! Good for them! It's the reality that Philly deserves.
Eagles fans are no longer loathed losers to the opposition out there. They are champions. They come together to celebrate this city and this team in spectacular fashion. It's a whole new world for Philadelphia. It's about time.
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