PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Super Bowl isn't usually talked about in late July. But for the Philadelphia Eagles, it's part of a season of anticipation of what may be in February.
After winning the Super Bowl two years ago, the Eagles fell two wins shy of a return trip last season. With a healthy Carson Wentz and several key off-season acquisitions, the Eagles appear poised for another run at the Lombardi Trophy.
After just one day of training camp, the players and head coach Doug Pederson were asked about the possibility of a Super Bowl season.
Pederson has a simple approach that he hopes will keep his team focused with so much expected from them in 2019.
"I just tell them to focus on the day," said Pederson. "Let's get better today. Don't worry about the outside noise. Don't listen to the outside noise. That's obviously for the writers to write about and speculate upon. It's a long time for us before we play a game. A lot of things can happen between now and then."
Training Camp is underway....#Eagles #TrainjngCamp2019 pic.twitter.com/re8bNKpI2b
— Ed Benkin (@EdBenkin) July 25, 2019One thing that happened to the Eagles too often last season were injuries.
Several positions were hit by a wave of injuries throughout 2018. Carson Wentz also got a late start to the season after recovering from a knee injury only to have his season cut short by a fracture in his back.
This summer, Wentz is grateful to be back on the field for the start of camp.
"It's awesome," said Wentz. "Before the injury, it's something you take for granted. You come out here and it becomes almost monotonous. It becomes just the work, but when you kind of get a chance to step aside, unfortunately, due to the injury, you definitely appreciate it more. It was exciting to get out here on day one and get going right away."
Wentz also understands the expectations for the season. Much of the success of the Eagles will revolve around Wentz returning to his MVP form from two years ago.
However, the quarterback is taking the same approach as his head coach when it comes to not looking too far ahead and keeping the Super Bowl talk out of their heads throughout the summer.
"You just take it one day at a time," said Wentz. "I know it sounds cliche. First of all, training camp is a grind. You can't be thinking that far in advance or you're going to miss what's right in front of you and you're never going to get there. You're going to miss an opportunity every single day. For us, it's just come out one day at a time and get a little bit better not just on the field, but coming together as a team."
Even if the Eagles can keep their focus, it's hard not to wonder what might have been last season. Many believe the Eagles would have reached another Super Bowl if they had gotten past the Saints.
Defensive lineman Fletcher Cox believes he and his teammates still have a bad taste in their mouths from last year's loss in New Orleans and Cox believes it will serve as motivation for 2019.
"I think everybody has a chip on their shoulder," Cox said. "I think everybody's excited to get back. I think guys took advantage of the off-season and came back energized and ready to go. Everybody was flying around. We were excited for our first day."
