Green Light with Chris Long - SAQUON BARKLEY! Madden 26, Philadelphia Eagles & Defending the Super Bowl Crown!

Episode Date: June 3, 2025

SAQUON BARKLEY! The cover athlete for Madden 26 video game joins Chris Long on the Green Light Podcast, recorded from Geno's Steaks in South Philly. Saquon, the newest member of the Madden cover athlete family, goes through the process of becoming the Madden cover star, his excitement on being selected and what Madden (the videogame) means to him. Saquon also dives into the Eagles 2024 season, winning Super Bowl LIX and the tall order that the Eagles are now tasked as defending Super Bowl Champions, playing for Nick Sirianni, breaking down the running back position and how excited he is as a Philadelphia Eagle. Chris Long and Beau Allen (and a VERY SPECIAL GUEST) open the show from Geno's. Enjoy the episode AND make sure to pre-order madden at the link below: (00:00) Intro (2:35) Chris and Beau (and a cannoli-eating guest) in Geno's kitchen (9:10) SAQUON BARKLEY, THE MADDEN 26 COVER ATHLETE! (11:30) The Running Back Position (18:45) Eagles Offensive Line (25:03) Week 18 of the 2024 NFL Season (27:18) Winning Super Bowl LIX (38:05) What Does It Take To Repeat As SB Champions? (40:30) Eagles Confidence & Nick Sirianni Make sure to pre-order Madden 26 at the link below. Madden 26 will be available on July 7th! https://www.ea.com/games/bundles/mvp-bundle/buy Have some interesting takes, some codebreaks or just want to talk to the Green Light Crew? We want to hear from you. Call into the Green Light Hotline and give us your hottest takes, your biggest gripes and general thoughts. Day and night, this hotline is open. Green Light Hotline: ‪[phone]‬ In need of sweet threads to vibe like Chris and the fellas? Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for everything merch wise and enjoy for 25% off your entire order in celebration of the 2025 NFL Draft! sitewide! Also, check out our paddling partners at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Appomattox River Company ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get your canoes, kayaks and paddleboards so you're set to hit the river this summer. Green Light's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you can catch all the latest GL action: Green Light with Chris Long: Subscribe and enjoy weekly content including podcasts, documentaries, live chats, celebrity interviews and more including hot news items, trending discussions from the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA are just a small part of what we will be sharing with you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Full circle, here you are, man, on the cover of Madden. Congratulations. I think if you ask any kid that plays football or anybody that's in the NFL right now, you know, what's a dream of yours? Outside of winning a student wall, you know, awards, everyone would say Madden. Is it an adjustment running behind guards so big that you can't see the three technique? No, it kind of helps me. Yeah, it kind of helps because you can't see me either, right?

People forget. I went to Penn State. I went to college. I got to reach Mount Everest, and I did it with, the men and woman in the field of the Eagles organization who believed in me and everyone who had my back and my family and my friends. That was great. Welcome to the Greenlight podcast presented by BetMGM.

If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code Greenlight and you'll get up to a $1,500 first beth beth offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Here's how it works. Download the BetMGM app and sign up using Bonus Code Greenlight. Deposit at least $10 and place your first wage. on any game. If that bet loses, you will receive up to $1,500 in bonus bets. Just make sure you use bonus code Greenlight when you sign up. Welcome to the Greenlight podcast. Calvotei! Seiquot Parkley! We had a blast and a half in Gino's. Sequin is your Madden 26 cover athlete.

You all know the image. We have a great episode with him. He talks all things, Eagles, Super Bowl, a little Penn State, and how much fun one can have in the city of Philadelphia. Chris and Bo kicked things off. And this is all recorded from Gino's. We had a little setup in the back of the restaurant. So you'll hear the fine folks in Gino's making some sandwiches, answering phones, and doing restaurant things. It's a great episode. We've got some great content. Make sure you pop over to Greenlight's YouTube channel. Watch the full episode. And you'll even see a very special guest in the open. He doesn't make a sound, but you'll see him.

All right, we're here at Gino's, which is a fine establishment. Excellent establishment. We took over the back room. Yep. Dude, there's something about, like, winning the Super Bowl here was cool, but like walking in here with all this fucking signage. Yeah. It's well done, man.

Steakwans. You see him hurtling the Gino's out front? He's hurtling his cheese steak. That's sick. Is there anybody that, like, that ingratiated themselves more quickly in a major U.S. city? No. than Sequan Barkley. Maybe Cooper to Jean.

No. In a different way. Shout out to Exciting mics. Exciting mics is a good podcast. Yeah. So anyways, we're here because we are announcing that Sequan Barclay is on the cover of Madden. Yeah. It's a big deal.

I heard helicopters overhead earlier. There's a buzz. There are lines outside the door for like blocks on end. I had like security detail to get in here. Not because they cared who I was. because it's so crowded. Yeah. And lines out the door, they're slang and cheese sticks.

We've done a lot of live podcasts and podcasts in different areas, Chris, but this is a pretty unique experience. This is incredible. And honestly, the best part about it is probably it's a blocker to away from our favorite bar, the birthday bar. Yeah. Where we got absolutely just like piss your pants drunk. Yep.

After what game was that? I think it was the... NFC championship. I think it was a divisional round, maybe? Divisional round? See, we don't even remember. Yeah, that's a problem. Yeah.

So we are having a blast here. Yeah. We interviewed Sequin. That's going to run right now. I got to tell you, like, I don't get nervous, but like, it is a little nerve wracking interviewing a player that great. But he makes it easy because he's so humble. He's probably one of the most humble people I've ever interviewed.

Every question was like, yeah, well, this other person did this well. Yeah. Like, he just deflects everything and makes it about somebody else in the best way possible. Yeah. To be that good of a player and that humble and that normal of a guy. It's really special, man. That's why everyone here loves him. So Seguan's awesome. We got about 30 minutes with him that you're going to hear right now. Later in the week, you're going to hear a double feature between two of the greatest receivers of our generation. Chad, Ochosenko, personal friend. Not as humble of a guy. He's humble. He's humble. He's hilarious. He's hilarious. Inside the NFL guy. We had the whole fall together. Like every day is like that with him.

And then Deshawn Jackson, who's a legend here as well. And Deshawn's one of the best receivers of our generation. And I think what's really cool about Deshawn, and this will come up in the interview later in the week. You'll see it is he's grown a lot. Like he told you, he's like, man, I made some mistakes when I played. Like now I'm a head coach in college. Like I get to kind of teach the younger guys, like how not to make those. mistakes and you know i could tell them hey if i could have done it differently how would i had done it

i think it was really cool to talk to him as draft classmates from way back in the day a guy like him coaching college football i just i wouldn't have drawn it up like that get this man of water so i mean listen there's not much else to say i want to get the fuck out of the way and and have you enjoy the sayquan interview um what a guy why don't 13 year old me would be so crowd. You know? Like we're kind of a big part of the Madden cover release, at least here at Gino's. Hell yeah. So. And Chris is a big Madden guy. So I have a live kitchen so you might hear some people. Yeah, there's people in the kitchen. I'm like trying to interview Sequin and they're like slinging cheese steaks, which phones are ringing. Yeah. French fries are

getting fried up. Is there anything I need to know about what's going on in your life? Just a little check in here? I'm doing great, man. Sister at her bachelor at a bachelor's party in Tampa. Over weekend killed a lot of brain cells but happy to be in Philly being accommodated by some of Philly's finest wait you you hosted her bachelor at party I just crashed it yeah it was a good time but that's I don't know code break yeah definitely okay yeah I'm coaching little league baseball um we got a kid who's left-handed and we didn't know it until the second of last game and and and that kid kid handed me his tooth in pregame the other day coach chris here's my tooth make sure you get this

to the tooth fairy yeah right like like that's the type of shit but we made the playoffs last night it was incredible um wayland had um this is a proud dad moment 12 12 10 last inning one runner on like in this this league it's hard to even get people out yeah he he does a willie may's thing second base final out of the game it was it was truly like a proud dad moment so shout out to Whalen. The boys came up here and they were, how cool is it for them to see their pops interviewing Saquan Barkley, cover Madden? That's pretty special too, man.

Man, I could fuck up a lot. But as long as I show them that picture. You're good. I'm good. Yeah, save that one. So enjoy Seekwan. We will be back later in the week. And we'll do some content and pair with a couple good interviews that we banked here in

at Gino's. And one more thing. Remember to pre-order Madden 26. The link in the description is there for you. The full Madden 26 trailer will be released on Wednesday, June 4th. That's tomorrow for you at home. And the game will be released July 7th. So I'm going to go ahead and block my calendar off for the entire month of July.

My wife knows our relationship will change. She won't see me after 10 p.m. I'll be in the lab. It sounds like you gotta do some training if you want to beat Ocho. Oh, fuck. I beat Ocho already. He's a liar, dude. I was so nervous I had to rip a McAllen 12.

Yeah, I've never seen a shooter of McAllen. That's incredible. Yeah, it was like Denzel in flight. Hit the mini bar upon arrival. All right, so that's that. Enjoy Sequin Barkley and come back later in the week. I'm all right. It's a little late at night for chocolate.

But damn, where did those go? All right, so this is pretty funny because this is the closest, I think I've been to you since 2018 at MetLife. When you broke that screen pass off for about 200 yards, it felt like. And there was no good angle. And I felt like I was in a video game for Madden. I was one of the fucking extras. So full circle, here you are, man, on the cover of Madden.

Congratulations. How does it feel? Thank you. I mean, it's amazing. I think if you ask any kid that plays football or anybody that's in the NFL right now, you know, what's a dream of yours? And outside of winning a Super Bowl or, you know, awards, everyone would say Madden. Yeah.

There's so many great players that's been on a cover of Madden. And now to have my name attached to those guys, just words can't really describe how it makes me feel. And I'm super excited for it. And I'm excited that everyone, you can see the people that came out today. they're pumped up about it too. Dude, incredible. They got you on top of the damn building. Yeah, right.

It's like one of the most iconic buildings in Philly. You got here less than a year ago. Here you are. I think it's the first Madden cover where there's like the player and a prop. And you know what I'm talking about when I say the prop, the guy you're jumping over. Do you know that guy's name? Yeah, I do. You do?

Yeah, but like a main focus that we had to, like obviously, you know, you could see some type of player, but we made sure and, I want to give credit to Madden here to have a conversation with them, making sure that the play's been showed enough. You know, he probably took enough jabs out of it. And we don't need to try to bring any more attention to that. So obviously, we know what the play was, but Madden did a really good job. I felt like of really focusing on the moment and the play itself rather against the individual

was. Well, yeah, and I think what's cool about that play is, like, you shook a pretty good linebacker right before you jumped over that DB. Yeah. I think you beat him with a spin move. You jumped over the defensive back. And I think what's so cool about the play being on the cover is, I think it perfectly encapsulates what it means to be a running back because you get the glory. But after that hurdle, you got tagged.

Probably the hardest hit I took all years. And nobody remembers that. And that's the thankless part about being a running back. And so I wonder, like, for you in one of the biggest years, in recent memory, maybe in this era for running back value, you know, with Jacobs changing teams, with you changing teams, there's a few more other guys, you're kind of the headliner and you made it work. Does it feel good to be that guy and does it feel good to know that you might get some of these guys paid in the future? because the value of the running back is directly tied to how this year went, I felt like. Yeah, I think, you know, obviously the value of the running back went down prior to the contract or the, you know, the new deal I had.

But to be a great football team, you have to be able to play great defense and be able to run the ball, especially when it gets later in the season, colder games, playoffs. You've got to have someone that can run the rock. And, you know, Christian had an amazing year the year before, obviously being a madden cover. And then the year I had this year. And that's what's all about. It's a brotherhood. And Christian got paid.

And, you know, in a competitive way, you want to go beat Christian and set the new market. And now I was able to set the new market. And now it's up to the guys like Bejohn and Jammir and those guys to go out there and have a hell of a year and beat me. And that's what it's all about. And I'm just happy that, you know, the running back position is getting a love that it deserves. And to be complete honest, my deal was amazing. And shout out to my agent and shout out to Howie and the Philadelphia Eagles organization for blessing me with opportunity. But what Derek Henry did is even more because, you know, they say when a running back is 30 years old, he's done.

And Derek Henry went out there and got 15 a year. So I think that's going to do more for the running back position for guys like myself and Josh and all these guys who are trying to get a second or third contract. But that's what football is about. You go out there and you perform at a high level and you should get rewarded. But be honest here and be detailed if you can. What's it feel like the morning after you take 30 carries? Yes. You know, a lot of people ask me that question.

And it's kind of weird, right? Some games, you can have 30 carries and wake up the next day and feel nothing. I might go golf on Monday for active recovery. And there will be some games. You have 10 to 15 touches. Right. And you feel like I can't do nothing to Wednesday or Thursday. Right.

I think it's more of like the team you play against and the physicality of the game that he was just a part of. It's not so much necessary to touches because a lot of time the touches, you know, could be caught. You got five catches in the flats, and it's a tackle by DB, and only 15 carries, you know, inside zone,

and you have another 10 outside zone. So they're all different kind of hits, in my opinion. But, yeah, all depends on the game and the team we just played. Is there a portion of the year that's harder for running backs? Like, I think a lot of people probably assume later in the year you're most beat up, But I remember as a defensive end, I used to feel like shit coming out of camp. And then I get, you know, when we start taking the pads off late in the season,

I feel a little bit better. Is there a time of the year that it ebbs and flows for you? I would say late season. Yeah. And not more so of how your body feels. Just when you get week one to week four, the tackling is not great. Yes. The sloppy.

The angles aren't great. Now when you get to week 13 and on, everything's on. film. You really can't hide. You're going against a guy like Lou Keeckley. He knows when you're running duo. You got to dress up in so many different ways. So later in the season, it gets harder because just the angles is better, the tackling is better, not so much for wear and tear. I had 60-yard touchdowns. I had like six or seven, and three or four of them came in the postseason. So it's late in the season for me. So not really so much I have to do with the wear to your body, just the schemes and going against defenses and how they attack you.

You mentioned some of those longer runs. I got a chance to ask you a question to the Super Bowl. I asked you if you look at the Jumbotron when you break one, do me a favor and run that back for me for the listeners of this pod. When you break a long run, do you peek at the Jumbotron to actually get an idea of where the defender is behind you or just to be in the moment and say, man, this looks pretty fucking cool, doesn't it? Yeah, I learned that actually from Adrian Peterson. Really? I don't do it all the time.

I have done it in my career. AP was, like, amazing at it. And it is pretty cool when you're breaking a long run and you look up. But if you look for me this year, my first long run in the season was against the Saints in the third quarter, late third. And there was no looking at a Jumbotron. I haven't broke a long run like that in two to three years. And I just kept looking back. to make sure I was getting caught.

And then later in the season, I just continue to work on my speed with Eddie and Dee Wood and Nando and the strength to have. And later on the season, as I got to break longer runs, I trust my speed so much that once I knew it was there, I feel like there was nobody catching me.

Yeah, I remember the run. You were in the alley and somebody had a one-on-one with you and you made a cut at like 20 miles an hour. Yeah. I mean, it was a beautiful, beautiful run. And that wasn't one of the games where I felt like you had,

had the 25 carry workload. You know, there was a point in the season, maybe three through seven, where most of your totals and carries were in the teens. Is that intentional? Was that intentional in that part of the season? No, I think we started off two and two. And our old line, Wayne Johnson, Lannon, kind of had a conversation with coach and so like that, we feel like we want to lean on the run.

Yeah. And for me, that's a challenge, right? Right. It's a challenge that you want. And I accepted it. And, you know, we have, in my. my opinion the best albums of line in football. Or none.

And I don't think a lot of people disagree with that. But when, you know, where their mindset is, you got to be ready for it. You got to be ready to answer the call. And I think from that moment on, you've seen just how in sync we were. And that's what really make the year so special. Like you get, trust me, I love the Madden cover, the accolades, the deal. But like, if you really just go into a lot of those runs and just break down what those guys was doing up front for me.

And going to the quote that Nick always say, you can't be great without the greatness of others. It just goes to show you just how special that group really was. And like I said, I'm the guy that gets to love, but I could do none of it without those guys. And, you know, Dallas and the tight ends and AJ and Smitty selling out on blocks and even Jalen making the right calls and putting in a position to be successful in the play. And Jalen being a part of the run game definitely helps.

Like you can see it in the Washington game. A lot of people don't know that. Yeah. A lot of people who don't recognize how, like, realize how, you know, how much it helps to have a running threat. Right. And not just a running quarterback or running threat where teams have to key on him and make sure. And it puts him in a bind, you know, if you want to attack me or if you want to attack Jalen.

And if you're indecisive at all, that split second could be a big play. Yeah. It could be the difference. And I think a prime example of that was playoffs game, Jalen's long run. He was reading the guy. The guy kind of was indecisive and came up to it with me and you see what he was able to do with his legs. Yeah. numbers game.

Yeah. When it comes to that offensive line, I think, like, you said it best in the league. I don't see how anybody could think it's even, like, no disrespect to anybody else. I don't think it's particularly close. No. What did they do that surprise you at a high level? Like, what's something that you had to run behind them to know, man, Stout has these guys doing this little thing better than what I'm used to? Yeah, no diss to any off the line I played before.

But there's nothing they can't do. Right. Like, there's not any scheme that they can't block. Right. Like, some O-Lyman or some guys are better at different schemes. Right. Some guys are better at gap schemes. Some guys are better at zone. Some guys are better at zone. Some guys are better at toss.

Like, they can do it all. If you look at all of our long runs and all of our big plays in a run game, we've hit it in so many different ways. We did it in counter. We did it in the power. We did it in duo. We did it in Y zone. Like, they can do completely everything.

Right. And they're, you know, one of the best, I think. statistically the best pass blocking O line too. So it's just like when you have an O line that's so versatile it puts the challenge on you that like I gotta be where I need to be yeah to make sure this play works because I know no matter what it is or if they load the box or whatever they bring in the opportunity is gonna present itself for me to make a big play and I got to be ready for it and I take pride and being a back that can do it all and you know there's some

backs that you know can't run every single scheme and I want to make sure I'm that back that can do every single scheme. and it just aligned up and it was a match made of heaven. Like it was a perfect match in my opinion. Do you have a favorite scheme? Do you prefer Gap scheme or zone or is it just whatever it is? I think zone, inside zone and duo is probably more natural because that's something that you do since you're a little kid.

Yes. The one I had to adapt to the most is outside zone, Y zone, however you want to look at it. Yeah. Because I never ran out in college. Yeah. You know, running under center. I never was under center in college.

Yeah. And then that's when you go and watch, you know, guys like Arian Forster, who's, was tremendous running back, but really good in Y-Zone. He was pressing. He would press the edge and then it was over. Exactly. And, you know, just there's so many guys,

and, like, you have to learn the steps and have to learn to read and to get a feel for it. And you see a lot of guys, like, when they come in from the league, coming from college to the league, they struggle with that. Yeah. Unless you've done it in college.

So Y-Zone probably was the one I probably struggle with the most adapting to, but now I'll say probably is one of my favorite. Like, that one has more of a chance to break 70, than others. Right. But inside zone just comes so much natural because I've been doing it for every long time and I can dictate and play with the linebackers a little bit more on that play in my opinion. So are corners now kind of like, and not, I don't want you to say something that every corner

now is going to try to kill you, but are they kind of like traffic cones for the most part? Like, does it make the good tackler stand out a little bit? Yeah, it's for sure. But I think, you know, duo when I first came into the league in 18, I feel like I could have bounce it every single time. Right. Because once I bounce it, the corners didn't replace well enough. Right.

And I had a touchdown my second year where I kind of just bounce it and it's just cut right inside the corner. But now that that play's been run a lot, corners replaced so much. And Slay was a really good job of it. So did a really good job of the last year. And you could see guys like Quignon learning from that on our team. But even if the corner is not that great of a tackler, if you replace well enough, you know, it's all about space.

It's all about leverage. And if I don't have nowhere where I can really make a move, you could shoot your shot. You're going to slow me down or you're going to make the play. So, yeah, I'd definitely rather be one-on-one with a corner or safety. But the league is developing at a, you know, rapid rate where those guys are, you have to. You have to be able to make tackles.

You have to be able to come up to tackle a guy like Chris McCaffrey, a guy like Derek Henry, where you won't be in the league long. So, yeah, I don't think there's, There's definitely no slouch right now that comes to my mind. Yeah. How about when you get a loaded box? I remember like the end of the Rams game. Love it.

Right? Love it. We said that. We were sitting there. I go, I'm sitting at home like, dude, all right, load the box. Like, he's going for 70. Love it. You know, like talk to me about the challenge you feel when you see all those hats in the

run game and the reward at the end of it. I mean, yeah, it definitely makes it harder. Don't get me wrong. But for me, I kind of got back to this mindset. this year of every time I touch the ball, I feel like that I could break a long one. And when you load the box, you have an extra defender in there, but if he don't fit the right gap, there's no one back there. And when you get through, there's only one person. And that's when, you know, we get paid a lot of money to run a football and I'm supposed to make that guy miss.

I think if you go to the Rams, the last one, was it the greatest play? No. But they all fit in a wrong spot and I kind of just hit behind our big lineman and I just made a cut inside and there was no one there. So yeah, it's a challenge. But that's when you got to learn that take the two, take the three, take the three, and just keep leaning on them. And then when you get a chance, you got to make a path. Is it an adjustment running behind guards so big that you can't see the three technique? No, it kind of helps me. It's kind of a nice thing. It kind of helps because you can't see me right here. You can't see me. Yeah. And I think that that it actually does help. because I'm able to manipulate the linebackers.

Right. And when you have guys that are so big, and not only that they're big, they can move and they're moving you. Yeah. Like, they're moving you. Like, if you play the Philadelphia Eagles, you do not want to get double team.

So they try to do all different things to split our double team or to make sure that we're not getting double team. Right. Because when our double teams and they get on our guys, they're driving them down the field. And there's no chance.

Like, just brace and pray. But when you have those big guys, I'm able to manipulate the linebackers, the defenders easier. And it was, I'm smiling because it was so fun. It was so fun, you know, like I don't, you know, we're so focused on the next year. But when I see clips and just see how in sync we were together and how great the officer in the law was and the year that we had, like, it's, it was special.

Let me tell you, they love you too. When I talk to those guys, they love you too, man. So I'm glad I get to sit with you because on my show, I sat there for a whole week and I had people motherfucking me because I said sit him week 18 now I wanted you get the record as bad as anybody I also didn't want to see you get teed off on by 11 dudes who were pissed off that you were playing behind a number two offensive line trying to trying to get the record you go for about 500 yards in the playoffs you look fresh as can be when people like me were saying hey sitem how did you really feel I knew what you had to say in the moment but how did you really feel about

that whole thing. Yeah, I try to be authentic as much as I can. So when I answer a question in the media, it's how I really feel. You really? More time than not, unless I'm trying to save face for the sake of the team or not trying to cause drama. But like for me, like I said exactly what happened. Nick called me, asked me what I would like to do. Right. And going into the last, going into the game before the last game, I didn't care for the record. Right. At all, to be complete honest. And then when I rushed for 2000 and we still had eight minutes left to go in the game, but we were up by 40 points or whatever. And I saw Lannon Dickerson and Jordan Malada wanted to go back in the game so we can go get the record. Then it made me realize it's like,

oh, like, no, like it's a team record. It's a team record. Like, it's not just me. And then also having a conversation with my father, like, your last name is everything. And to beat a record that I've been there for 20, for 40 years, and have our last name attached at our record. Then I made in my mind that I was like, I won it. I want the record. And I told him I want the record. I would love to go for it. But at the same time, I get it.

Like, we just lost to Washington the week prior. And we don't get Rick to be Mondays. We did it win that game. And I talked to coach and was like, listen, I think the team needs a day off. I can't go from, I think the team need a day off to burn the ship. When it's time for me to get a record, oh, listen, let's do it. And I'm a big believer. You don't force anything.

If it was meant to be, it was meant to be. I can go back and show you five clips right now that if I would did this or did that, the record would have been shattered. And, you know, it's always next year. Fun thing for this year. Yeah. I've seen you talk about this. You wanted your first Super Bowl that you would attend to be when you played in.

Yeah. So you had the experience. You got the win. I know that when we won the Super Bowl, it changed my life forever. Like, it changed me as a person. It changed my entire reality. And I wonder, and it's hard to describe for me, but for you, I'm sure it changed you the person.

How has it changed you to be a world champion? Yeah. It's kind of different for me. It changed me, of course, but I kind of like anything alike, you know, when you are passionate about this game, and I've been playing this game for a long time, and I'm big into, you know, imagining and creative and, you know, putting it out there in existence. So, like, in my mind, I won the Super Bowl a hundred times already. I just never really won it in real life. So when it happened, and it happened on my birthday, me and Coot's birthday, and I was able to celebrate, you know,

with all my loved ones and my friends and family, it was special. It was so special. And then you get home the next night, and you're laying in. bed and then like reality hits you is like oh like I got I got to try to do this again yeah and like you just worked so hard to get to Mount Everest the top of my Everest and then it's like everyone thinks you just stay there no like it's like you literally just go all way back down and start from scratch and the beauty of that like you know the recipe you know what it takes to get there now it's not blind faith like before you're training and working and doing everything to win and compete for

Super Bowl. Now you know what it takes. But it's something that you dream about since you're a little kid, but at the same time, it's like I feel like when I'm done playing, I would be able to reflect on it more. You have your moments, like your parade. I let loose. I have fun. That was special. You know your way around a beer can. Yeah, exactly, right? I definitely do. People forget. I went to Penn State. People forget. I went to college. Like at one point, I remember I would meet guys in the league and we'll go out and like have a couple of drinks and I'll drink with them and like they would

think that I'd never drink before. Yeah. And I'm like, I don't know. Man, I drink Natty Light. Yeah, it's like, I don't know what, I don't know what you guys thought. But like, I definitely had my fun in college to say the least. You drink with the O-Lyman, I could tell. I drink. So I'm versatile. Like, you got to be able to switch it up. Yeah. It's, you know, I think they call it code switching or whatever. Like, whatever you want to call it now. Drink switching. Like, I think we just made up a new thing. Like, I can do it too. Like, I could do it too. Like, I could do it too. In New York, I can go with the O-line. I can go do a little country scene or I can go to New York.

I can go and do the club scene. I can do it both. But I learned that from my mom. My mom will go from, you know, cursing this out, saying this and that to pick him the phone saying, hello, Tanya Johnson. And I'm just like, how did you switch up with that? Like, how did that just happen? That's called being a parent, right?

You know how that is now. But, yeah, you got to be versatile. But yeah, people forget that I went to Penn State and I have fun. You know, another thing is your daughter's old enough now to where she's going to remember that game. Yeah. You know, and that's so cool. Like, my two boys are here and you met him earlier, and Waylon, who's nine, like, I think he remembers it a little bit, and that was cool for me. How special is that to think, like, she's going to remember that forever? Yeah, that was probably the coolest thing. Yeah. I think that's, like, the biggest part outside of winning the

football and having that moment with your teammates. And for me, it was just so different because, like, you know, I'm the new guy. You know, there's a lot of guys that they were there and they lost to the Chiefs. They experienced that heartbreak. But for me, like, I was just so thankful because I was like, you know, I'm sitting there in free agency, you know, I'm going to go test the market. The running back market is supposed to be trash. I don't know what I'm going to get. I don't know what it's going to be. And my agent worked his ass off for me, got me a great deal. I came here and then just see how, you know, I came here and this team and people on this team believed in me more than I believed in myself. Yeah. So that sparked.

me and then we were able to win a soup ball together. So that was super special, but then the thing that made it more special was that Anna was there. Jada was there. Sequin Jr. was there. My mom, my dad, my brothers and sisters, everyone that when I tore my knee

and I'm sitting on the couch crying, and my daughter is putting a band-a-on-a-on-a-brace. You know, everyone that I love was there besides my boy, he tore's Achilles. Damn, dude. He couldn't make it. Pickleball? Boxing. It wasn't a fight though

He was training He was training Okay But like he knows Like he knows that What I'm saying Yeah People were with me

And like They saw the down They saw me down to myself They saw me pick myself back up And they all had my back And it was just like damn Like okay like I got to reach Mount Everest

And I did it with The man and woman In the Philadelphia Eagles organization Who believed in me And everyone who had my back And my family and my friends Was there I mean you said

I've won this thing a hundred times in my head, you know, you believe in yourself, like, and not in a bad way. Like, you're one of the most humble people, by all accounts, to be this great. But was there a time where, you know, you did doubt yourself? I mean, you know, I played for a team for eight years. We, we, most games we ever won with seven. We won one, two, one, two, seven, six. And I thought it was never going to happen. And I got hurt. I got ard and I got cut. Didn't quite happen like that for you, but were there times where you were doubting yourself a little bit. Yeah, definitely. You doubt yourself. And the doubt creeped in from outside factors that I couldn't control. Right. You know,

and like up to when I tore my knee, my third year, I was under the impression and firmly believe you work for it. Right. And you put your mind to it, it's going to happen. Right. Things are fair. It happened in high school. It worked for me. It happened in college. Didn't win a natural championship. didn't win a husband but it had a great career and i feel like i felt like if i put the work in everything else going to take care of itself and then when i tore my knee but when i hurt my ankle like it start realized that dang like it doesn't work like that life is just not that simple yeah and it had to shape me into the man i am today and the mindset that i have today but then as in this year fall more into my faith realizing that like you know i'm ready for that

moment if it does come again right and i'm not going to question myself if I'm not going to question the man upstairs. Like, everything happens for a reason. So, like, that doubt happens when you don't have trust in other things. And I feel like I've been growing more into that, so I'm ready for whatever. What's the best advice you got from somebody leading up to the Super Bowl that had been there? That's a great question. I wouldn't say it was just for the Super Bowl, just a season in general.

Like, I'm a big believer in a quote, I think it's Michael Jackson quote, study the greats and become greater. And I think one of the coolest things in my life is that, like, I could reach out to pretty much any great running back, and they're going to respond. And that cool.

And, like, to me, like, as a kid, that is crazy. And throughout the season, I'm having conversations with various handers, Marshall Falk, editor and James. And, all right, after a 30K or a game, like, what was your mindset? Like, editor James gave me tips.

And Marshall Fox gave me tips. Like, for me, that's the coolest thing. So it wasn't like just more so of the Super Bowl, just throughout the year and I'm having this great year and I'm having these unbelievable backs, Hall of Fame backs, you know, chairing for me and helping me throughout the whole process. I still, I get chills thinking about that. I think it's crazy still. And I think what's real cool about you is, listen, the Super Bowl wasn't the most spectacular

game for you personally because they decided, hey, we're going to do everything in our power. I had a rough day that game. Yeah, but like I was going to say like the best. running back of all the time couldn't but you're you're in that category to me like that just goes to show you when the defense wants to take somebody out of the game they were going to pick their poison and they they picked there was no right answer right yeah at what point in the game did you realize like hey this might not be my day and i can tell by just talking to you that's not what's important to you it's about getting the win but at what point in the game were you like all right this might not be

my day. Yeah. Early and often. Listen, I'm a big believer in showing love and giving respect. And I'm super excited we get to play them again this year. But Spags and all those guys over there on that defense, my hat is off to them. Yeah. That was, I played a game in my second year where I had one yard, rushing yard on 14 carries.

Jets. That game in the Super Bowl was harder for me than that game. And they just did a really good job. And it took me to understand the beginning of the game, like, where their mindset was. But of course, like, I'm under the pressure now. I'm going to make something to shake. I'm going to make something to pop. But it wasn't my day. It wasn't my time. And I feel like, you know, the success I had leading up to that game opened up a lot of stuff. And that's team football. And the success that, you know, Jalen and AJ and Smitty had years prior help me out through this year because it's like you know it's hard to load the box it's hard to bring that extra defender because now you have a j brown and smitty on the island like yeah good luck with that

so but it was your time yeah because you're you're a lot of the reason that y'all were able to do that you know so i know you wouldn't say that but also it's a motivational like i i take motivation out too is like like they did a great job in that game and we blew them out yeah but like as a leader as a leader on the team and the player that I think I am. Like, I didn't play to the level I wanted to play in that game. Right. So it's like, that's another thing. Like I said, two days later, you're like, you're excited that you won and you like,

I got my ring, but you're like, all right, like, what I'm going to do next time in that game? I'm going to approach that game next time. Like, why, like, what did I do in the week of practice? Like, why didn't I have the game that I wanted to have? But that's your human nature. Like, I'm not like mad that I didn't play great. Like, I got a ring.

But at the same time, like, next time I'm there, like, I'm going to be ready for the opportunity. But again, I just want to push back. It's not that you didn't play great, it's that they decided there was no way in hell you were going to play great. Yeah, but still. I know, I know, I know. You did go for 10 yards a pop one game this year. You know which game that was?

It got to be the Rams. It's the Giants. Oh, yeah. That is true. Yep, that is true. What did I go for the other Rams then? Close to 10. You had a bunch of eights.

Yeah. You had a bunch of eights. What's it going to take to repeat? Because I think that's one of the deepest experience. as a player in the National Football League is getting a chance to not only win, but go through being the hunted. And, you know, it's like that day when they raise the banner, you're not even going to get to enjoy it. You know, it's just going to be about the future, right? It's about what's in front of you. What's it going to take? You don't have to have defended it before to have

a feeling. What do you think it's going to take as a team? It's a great question. You know, I had like this, I was talking to my family one time, and I was like, you know, everyone has this idea of us being defending champions. And in the NFL, it's not like that. Yeah. We're not boxers. It's not like Mike Tyson's defending the heavyweight championship. Like, you get it?

Yeah, there's no belt. You have the belt. Yeah. And then now you move on. I thought it had it. I thought it was a bar, but come to find out somewhere I said that before me. That's a bar, dude. I hadn't heard it.

Yeah, I thought it was a bar, but Nick was talking to us. And I think Patricia or someone, I think it was one of those coaches. Mattie P. Yeah, I think one of those coaches said it already. How do you repeat? I think the way you repeat is by completely forgetting what happened the year prior. You won a Super Bowl, great. It's amazing.

You're going to have that forever. No one can ever change that. 2024 Super Bowl champs. 2025 season has nothing to do with the 2014 season. And I think that's the hardest thing, right? Like I say getting to the top of the mountain is hard, but staying up there is even harder. and how do you have sustained success? And you just focus on the things that got you there.

Like I said, you know the recipe, but it doesn't matter what happened a year prior. It's a totally new year. It's going to look different. It might not require a 2,000-yard season from me. It might require me getting my yards in a different way. It might be Jalen having an MVP season. It might be A.J. Brown having MVP season.

It might be, we might need to score more points and the defense is not playing to the level they played last year, or vice versa. It's just like the way we do it, if we continue to have the mindset we had the year prior, where we've really submitted to you can't be great without the greatest of others, not caring how it looked. And the talent that we have, we're going to put ourselves in a great position. And you've got to have that mindset and have a little luck, too.

You got to stay healthy. And I think if we do that, we would have an opportunity. Two more for you, man. The confidence, I heard you on exciting mics with shout out to exciting mites. It's good to have more Eagles podcasters out there. these guys are doing a great job. But I heard you talking about, you know, you're one of the best Super Bowl teams probably ever to win it.

And I would agree with you. I think y'all would beat the breaks off us in 17. You don't have to say anything. But I think you're one of the most confident teams to ever do it. Like, I just got to tell you, you haven't been on some teams. Being in that locker room in the NFC, after the OSE championship game,

me and Bo went down there. Dude smoking cigars. There were shots of fireball. The dudes were walking around. And not in a cocky way, but in a, like, we know what it takes and we know we got this if we are who we are every week right like that kind of mentality and i felt like in being in that locker room it comes from nick like at least partially

like he allows you guys to be that group he he's got the confidence about him to where it shows you guys it's okay to have that little bit of that little edge yeah um what does he add is it is it is he a great communicator like what's his see you guys he's he a great communicator like what's his secret sauce? I think it's a lot that I can give credit to to Nick to what he does and what he brings. I think the swagger and the energy definitely helps. I think the biggest thing I would say, even right now, just no incident right now, like you're never going to leave a meeting room with Nick Tariani and question what he wants from you.

He's going to let you know exactly what's required for us to win a football game. what he expects from the office side of the ball what he expects from the defense side of the ball i was having a conversation with zach bonnadee you know i'm in the meetings and like it don't matter who you are by the way like you'll get called out and he's showing us clips and how you know defender's supposed to attack us and vice tackling and like the way that helps me and i'm in the same meeting hearing that out like i'm thinking about how do i counter that like i know how they're going attack me and what is getting taught over there, like, what can I do to get better or to attack this guy leverage or make this guy make this guy make so I can get more yards out of it.

Like, he doesn't get enough credit for how great of a coach he is. Overall. Overall, exactly. But definitely the confidence and the swagger helps. You got to back him up. We're team. That's the coach. You know, in Cleveland, when he's over there and chatting or whatever, having a conversation

with the fans from Philly. Or even when I still remember the coach. I hated it. I hated it. I couldn't stand next to the time. At the time. Yeah. And like he was like going like this. The little, the, the head bob into the camera. And to make you sick. Yeah, exactly. So like, you know, now being a part of it before I couldn't stand it. Now being a part of it, you like, you can't, you love it. You love that approach. And it makes you want to buy in. And you got to, you got to go out there and, and before my high level because, you know, you know where your coach mindset is and you got to match that.

Last question. So fast forward to however long you want to play. You're one of the best ever, maybe the best ever. Do you want to be like an Aaron Donald where AD says, hey, I want to get out of here playing at the highest level? I want to leave a little early. Or do you imagine yourself as one of these guys that wants to do it until the wheels fall off? That's a great question. I'll probably one of those guys that it would be out of nowhere.

I'll probably just wake up one day, whether it's next year or two years or four years. And it would be like, yeah, it's over. I don't think I will ever lose that passion. I'm just a competitor. If you come to house and we play cards or we play the, what's that game when you put it in your head and you got to imitate it and heads up? Like we almost get into brawls in my house over game like that. So it's like, yeah, the competitive nature is always going to be there.

But I like, one of my favorite plays of all times is probably my favorite play all time is Barry Sanders. So probably similar to that, maybe one day. Like, it'll be out of nowhere. I'll probably be bawling and just be like, yeah, call it quits. You are the second coming to Barry Sanders, bro. I appreciate that. I have a long way to go. You're the man, dude.

Congratulations on everything. I appreciate the way you carry yourself, ma'am. Thank you. Hell of a player, hell of a guy. Appreciate you. Much love. Congrats. Oh, that was great, right?