On An Eagle's Wing, And A Prayer

By James Estepp

Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 1 Samuel 17:49

Maybe if the backup quarterback weren’t playing for the Eagles, the pundits might call this one “the Cheesesteaks versus the Clam Chowdahs.”

But the backup quarterback is playing, so people see the lowly Eagles versus the mighty Patriots, and we get headlines featuring the underdog versus the unstoppable behemoth, David versus Goliath, and Balboa versus Creed. We are told an Eagles victory would be nothing shy of a Miracle on Turf the equivalent of Team USA taking out the unbeatable Soviet Union squad in Lake Placid on a late February evening in 1980.

Team USA coach Herb Brooks eschewed picking the most talented players for his squad, instead picking young men with as much heart as they had athletic gifts. He believed that the way to beat the Soviets was to outwork them, and to give them another enemy to combat, and that enemy was one Herb Brooks.

As a unifying exercise, it worked like a charm. Brooks may have inspired his men to hate him, but they were most assuredly inspired, enough so that they were able to beat the world’s best team in the biggest game of their lives.

So what does this have to do with the Eagles, a team assembled through drafts, trades and free agency?

Eight weeks ago, the Eagles lost someone who, with very little doubt, was their best player, quarterback Carson Wentz, frontrunner for league MVP at the time.

The Eagles have rallied together, not against their coach, but behind their journeyman quarterback Nick Foles, playing for his fourth club in the last four seasons, to stand on the precipice of history.

The Eagles have no doubt seen the Patriots work history and recognize the daunting task before them.

Perhaps they can take solace from the words of Herb Brooks, who, when inspiring his team before the game against the Soviet Union, uttered this sporting axiom: “If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight.”

One thing is for certain, a story that ends with Nick Foles holding the Lombardi Trophy is far more interesting than a sixth Super Bowl for New England. Someone should check with the Patriots and see if they’re interested in playing along with this underdog narrative.