PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The owner beamed. The general manager danced. The head coach kept the celebration going back at the hotel. A handful of players stayed up into the early hours of the morning, cherishing the night’s vibes.
For six hours and then some, the Philadelphia Eagles partied.
After they tore through the regular season by winning 12 of their last 13 games, and saved arguably their two best performances of the year to not only get to the Super Bowl but win it, who could blame them?
By the time the Eagles had disposed of the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, Sunday in New Orleans, there was little doubt: The Eagles were indeed the cream of the crop in the NFL this year.
The title run was not a fluke, far from an accident or Cinderella story. The Eagles had an iron-clad identity, and rode it all the way to another Vince Lombardi Trophy, the second in franchise history.
They ran the ball at will, and relied on their offensive and defensive fronts to control the line of scrimmage.
While effective, this formula alone was not the sole reason the Eagles got back to the promised land.
Underpinning their excellence on the ground and in the trenches was perhaps the team’s most important trait of all: its knack for finding ways to win, regardless of circumstance.
A season-saving touchdown run in the snow?
Saquon Barkley had the Eagles covered.
How about a timely sack or quarterback pressure?
Just ask Jalen Carter, or one of the half dozen other defensive linemen who benefited from the constant double-teams he saw.
What about a turnover?
Zack Baun always seemed to be there, whether with a “Peanut Punch” or pick. The breakout free agent star was a menace at linebacker.
Whenever the Eagles needed a big play, they delivered, routinely rising to meet the moment.
“You’ve got to be resilient,” said owner Jeffrey Lurie on a new episode of the unCovering the Birds podcast. “You’ve got to have the core values, got to build the rosters right, and you’ve got to have the culture be terrific.”
This year, the Eagles checked all the boxes.
Lurie tipped his cap to general manager Howie Roseman, who first got his foot in the door with the Eagles in 2000.
After the Eagles’ bid to return to the Super Bowl last year failed in painful fashion, Roseman signed Barkley, Baun, and several crucial role players.
Top picks from this year’s draft and prior ones panned out.
Roseman didn’t miss on much.
“I've known for years he's the best GM in football,” Lurie said. “He's always thinking [about] what could improve the team 365 days a year. He's not risk averse. He's aggressive. That's what I want. We've collaborated for 20 something years. He's incredibly good, and a future Hall of Fame GM.”
Getting raw, in-the-moment reaction from Lurie to his team’s lopsided Super Bowl 59 victory was one of many memorable behind-the-scenes highlights The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane captured as he made the rounds during the Eagles’ post-game festivities.
To hear the others, check out the latest edition of unCovering the Birds.
“unCovering the Birds” is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes each week during the regular season. Follow on the free Audacy app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you listen to podcasts.