PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast - Eagles 26: The FOREVER impact of No. 10 Nick Foles & No. 9 Malcolm Jenkins

Episode Date: July 23, 2026

How do you rank the player who broke through the glass ceiling that Philadelphia wondered might be unbreakable? Nick Foles and Malcolm Jenkins are the mirror engines of the most important team in Eagles history, the fairytale quarterback and the badass do-it-all. Fran Duffy and Bo Wulf celebrate their exploits, plus we hear from Jenkins himself.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What a day we've got coming up on the PHY Eagles podcast, celebrating two of the best ever do it for the Eagles this century. We are into the top 10. Brand Duffy's here. Stay with us. That's on a beautiful Thursday after. Presented by Ashley Bo Wolf. Brand Duffy.

Coming at you in Studio A. Eagles 26 finally progresses. It breaks through to the top 10. I get a friend. I don't know these on. I do. What a flex? What's that?

No, I'm excited. This is going to be, we're going to talk about two great players, two pillars of Eagles franchise history here in this episode. And it'll be good to be able to relive memories because these are two players that you and I got to be around a lot. Two players you were in the building with for quite some time. Before we get to that,

anything going on news-wise, anything more urgent that we should discuss. I don't think so. You know, this is, I think everybody's like trying to stay quiet because, you know, less than a week from now, we're going to be on the practice field. So I share your same feeling on the start of training camp where it's like, look, it's the best time of year.

Football is back. I'm very excited by that. Bittersweet for someone to be ending. But it's, but yeah. The best time of the year could still come a little bit later, but that's fine. No, so I'm excited. It'll be good. To be out in the field, get some new football to watch.

It'll be fun. The carryover from yesterday's conversation, is there anybody who, is there? Is there anyone or who comes to mind for you when you think of who you are most excited to see on the practice field next week? Cool. I mean, for me, it's always the rookies and the new guys, right? So I think seeing Mackay Lemon up close, I didn't get a chance to see him yet. You guys have, you got, what was one day, right, of OTAs where he was out of the first day? Yeah.

Yeah, so I'm excited to see him for the first time. I'm excited to see Stowers and Markell Bell, but Jonathan Grenard. I'm excited to see Grenard and see what he looks like up close. So those are always kind of front of mind for me. Okay. Do we get into it? Let's do it. I mean, there's a lot to chew on with both these players.

Oh, that's for sure. All right, let's start at number 10. How big is it? Oh, my God. How large is the legacy of the man who did what so many people worried could never be done? Maybe there have been more accomplished warriors along the way, more skilled technicians. But how do you rank the night? who pulled the sword from the stone.

How enormous is the impact of one unforgettable night? Nick Folles did more as an eagle than what he accomplished on a cold February evening in Minnesota, no doubt. He led a team to the playoffs as a precocious second-year starter, wrestling the job away from Michael Vick with 27 touchdown passes to only two interceptions, which remains the best statistical season by an Eagles quarterback this century

by quarterback rating an EPA per dropback, and also the second best individual touchdown to interception ratio for a starting quarterback in the NFL the entire century. He threw seven touchdowns in one game. He rescued the Eagles a second time in 2018, leading the upset of the Chicago Bears on the road before a painful razor-close loss to the Saints one year after he became a legend forever.

But of course, the reason we're talking about Nick Foles now, the reason his name will forever echo in the city is because of what he did in Super Bowl 52. There are some things we can measure about that night. 373 passing yards on 28 completions, three touchdowns, one interception, zero sacks, 0.47 EPA per dropback, the second best performance in a Super Bowl game by a winning quarterback this century and the very best for a quarterback who threw the ball at least 30 times. Still, parsing inches, feet, yards for what Nick Foles did that night feels wholly inadequate.

Over 26 seasons of reality, where do you slot? a fairy tale. Something like 117 billion human beings have lived over the course of Earth's history, they estimate. How many of them can understand the feeling

of knowing ahead of time they're about to have the most impactful night of their lives and then, on such a stage, performing at the very best level they ever have and ever will. That is the magic of Nick Foles. And Philadelphia needed magic to do the thing it had never done before.

57 years in the wilderness without a title. No Super Bowl to their name and the seeking suspicion that any earnest attempt to fill that void was folly. 57 years without a real football climax. Then Big Nick entered. In the wake of Carson Wentz torn ACL, some of the smartest people alive declared the season over. His first few games were bad enough to start whispers of a mini-quarterback controversy with Nick Nate Sudfeld. Maybe the lucky bounce of Keanu Neal's knee at the end of the first half of the divisional round game against the Falcons was the first sign this run was kissed by fate.

in the NFC championship game, with a little help from some of his friends, Bulls thrust the Eagles into the game of their dreams. Nightmares of the past be damned. On February 4th, 2018, Bowles transcended. The 34-yard touchdown passed to Alshan Jeffrey to get things going. The pinpoint touchdown to Corey Clement, the fourth and one conversion to Zach Irving, Earths through a window smaller than, well, the game winner to Earths later in the drive.

And for all the mythology surrounding something else, what we remember about Foles this night or his balls, you want Filly-Filly? Now that is a man who knows how to use everything he's been given. As a man for whom literal statues have been built, Foles is a curious figure. never boastful, but quietly confident. A man of faith, but secure enough in that faith, to refrain from proselytizing or judging. Not quite one of the boys in the locker room, and yet worthy of universal praise, literally, on occasion. Not exactly a superhero, but forever a legend.

Because he is the one who got it done. 57 years Philadelphia was barren There were highs and lows On that roller coaster ride But no apex Many tried to take the city there Some of them great

In the end they all failed Until the backup quarterback Of all people grabbed hold of the swords handle And calmly coolly unsheathed it from the rock for 57 years Philadelphia was on that ride of anticipation

for a destination that might never come. It took Nick Foles to get them off. Ladies and gentlemen, number 10 on the list, Eagles 26 best players of the century, Nick Fools. Well done. Well said, well written. And as you were reading that,

so many thoughts went through my mind of ways to start the conversation because there is so much to cover with Nick Fozzi. It's a career unlike any, like you're not going to find anything like in Philadelphia sports. It's the stuff of fairy tale. Yeah. There's nothing like in the NFL. No. In sports period, like you're not going to find something like this where a guy starts, you know, from modest pedigree, right? You know, a third round pick has a really successful. is traded away, looks like he's down and out,

is basically on the precipice of being out of the league, comes back, third string, then second string, now all of a sudden he's the starter and leads them to the first championship in team history and is idolized. So yeah,

it's a fairy tale story. I mean, the fact that he played the best game of his career. Yeah. On that stage, insane. But I just, you cannot overstate for you as a kid growing up in Eagles fan.

Working for the team, like how impossible this felt and how it just took such a magical thing that nobody could have expected. It took Nick Foles to do it. It's crazy. And all of the success sense, it is downstream of that. Yeah. And, you know, it's not like Nick Foles deserves credit for Jalen Hertz's Super Bowl, but like, you know, I don't know if they don't win that game or if they don't even get to that Super Bowl, how things play out after that, right?

Like, maybe Howie doesn't have the same confidence. The team doesn't have this, you know, it's just there are so many repercussions to know finally that it was possible to get there. And he is the one who made that happen. you know i look i i grew up as a fan right grew up a fan of the team and i was in high school for coy detmer and a j feely you know the eagles had under andy reed like having success with the backup quarterback i was in college for jeff garcia uh you know and and beating the giants in the playoffs and obviously that's what you're sputter short and working for the team and kind of like

removing the fan hat of it, right? And being there in the building, I remember the feeling after that Rams game where Carson gets hurt and, yeah, listening to a podcast on my way into the building that morning and the season's over. But in all seriousness, like the mood within that building, and I'm not going to speak for the locker room,

but within the building, like on the business side, it was like a funeral. It was like this team, it was a magical season and you had that unbelievable start and Carson's going to be the MVP, and now it's probably done. And for Nick Foles to lead them to the promised land, to lead them across the goal line there,

I was lucky enough where, you know, we weren't sure what we were going to do for coverage for the Super Bowl, right? So it was like, oh, like, you know, should we do post-game show, like from the field? They wanted everybody to be out there. So it was like, oh, we're not going to do a post-game show from the studio.

We want everybody to be there. So I got the privilege. I didn't have to work. I got to be in the stands and experience the game as a fan. Had a Dawkins jersey on. Like, it's like, yeah, like I get to be a fan today. Yeah. You know, I was there with my in-laws.

You know, Meg was next to me. And I'm in the stands. Philly Special happens. And it's just like, what in the world did we just see? Unbelievable. But then they, when they win, you know, there's a, guy next to me who drops to his knees and starts like praying to his mom like who had passed away like

you know people like sobbing real tears and Nick Foals like the performance of a lifetime unbelievable, unbelievable night on the biggest stage. I just I don't and I as far as this exercise I don't know how to quantify that. Right. Right like yeah. He could you could make a case for him as number one. Right. I mean you could. Yeah. Because he's, he's, he did the one thing that is the most important thing anybody can do. And it was the, and it was the most important one. I think,

you know, one is probably a little bit overstating it, right? You got to, you got to think about the larger picture. But in terms of, of singular impact, and yeah, like, there is more stuff. Right.

There is. There's a lot more. Right. You know, 2013, he's very good. Yep. And 2018, that stuff matters. Yep. But he's here on,

on the strength of that one thing. I honestly I don't you know Nick Foles versus A.J. Brown, right? Like, you know, AJ was obviously a better player for a longer time. He didn't do what Nick Foles did. You know, because there have been two other Super Bowl appearances in one Super Bowl wins since that one, it has taken, I don't say it's taken the shine off of it. But I remember like the debates in March of 2018, April of 2018, where it's like, if you were doing a Mount Rushmore of Eagles,

Nick Foles is on the Mount Rushmore. Yeah. And it had to be, you know, ahead of Donovan McNabb. Like you're saying like, it's Reggie White and Chuck Bednerick. Like Nick Foles is up there with those guys because he was the one who got them across the goal line. If you had to think what made him special, like what set him, what is the one quality in your mind that would say? Because I've got one. Yeah.

I he has and had the the level of self-confidence that but but so quiet yes and you know it's the the phrasing of like you know uh too stupid to know any better it's like that except it's not stupidity right it's like it's it's probably faith yeah for him and we can get to like you know his his version of faith is a very respectful one to me and respect to the one. It's just like, and he has talked about it. I think the being on the precipice of deciding to retire and sort of having the, well, why not, like, why not just give it a shot and the like just, I don't know, let's just do it. Let's just see how it goes.

What is the one thing that you want to say? But it's just, it's the quiet confidence, I feel. It's tangential to that. It's to me like he was unflappable. Yeah. And like he, whether it was in game, whether it was week to week, whether it, you know, and honestly, it leads into the fact that he's on the biggest stage and he never wavers. But like, he could make a bad throw.

He was very capable of making like just like a bad decision, a bad throw. It's like, oh man, like that one looked ugly. Like that was a duck. And then he'll come back and put one like on the numbers like exactly where he needed to be. I remember. And you're exactly right. I remember this is the first year that you and I, we did quarterbacks together.

This is a random Wednesday in the, we'll say like March of 2012. Yeah, and we're going through. And we're actually going to talk about some of these guys in the next segment. But yeah, we're watching Andrew Luck. We're watching Robert Griffin. We're watching Brock Osweiler and Ryan Tannehill.

Russell Wilson. We watch Nick Foles. And I remember from that, the thing that was so notable was he was getting destroyed. He was getting killed. at Arizona. At Arizona. In terms of like no offensive line protection,

he was taking shot after shot in the pocket. And unflappable is exactly the right word. He did not then shy away from contact. He got right back in. It was like it was crazy. And that has always been the case. No question. With him.

So I think you actually hit the nail on the head. I think that's the perfect word. It's the, it's without question, the thing that I'll always think about with him. I mean, but like you said, It's more than just the off season or the postseason of 2017. You go back to like 23rd. I remember the, you know, the seven touchdown performance against the Raiders

was just, it was an insane film to go back and watch. And some of them were like, you know, there was, there was something like crazy plays in there. It's a bad team. And yeah. No. But he was the same guy every single day. Unbelievable person to be around and to deal with no matter who you were in the building. I remember he came in and did a breakdown in the studio.

the day after. It was like Monday. And that's a long trip back. He came in Monday afternoon and did a breakdown in the studio without like that and didn't like complain about it. And it was just like,

oh yeah, like sure, like let's do it. But he was always that way. He was he was awesome. Yeah. I mean, the biblical nature of that

where it's like, okay, bad news. Okay, that's so now what? Something great happens. Okay. So now what?

Yep. Like, you know, stays very even keel. Yeah. It's an, It's an unbelievable story. Yeah. I liked the point you made as well where it's not like he was just one of the guys in the locker

room, but he was able to connect with every player in the locker room. Yeah, I think he had everyone's respect. No question. Yeah, but he was not buddy buddy. Yep. But yeah. And that is not an easy thing to do. Right.

Obviously. And it's been an issue for quarterback since I think that probably is an authenticity thing. Yeah. in a city for a team where that I would say it's not the case more often than it is for like when you think of the starting quarterbacks in the last two decades and I think that that's probably the case most place.

At position, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what I mean. Like it's very hard to accomplish that and he did that and he did that very, very well. And by the way, like he did that. It was also kind of like that when, like Michael Vick was the quarterback. Yeah, that's what, like did it with Michael Vick and then did it with Carson as well.

That's a good point. All right. Got to take a little break. We'll come back to a little bit more foals talk on the other side here on the PHA by Eagles podcast. Eagles 26 rolls on. Whether your favorite team wins or not, there is always another way to win on the Bet Parks Online Casino app. Check out brand new casino games like Huff and Fireblaze Sky Queen, a Bet Park's exclusive. The only app I ever used to play all my favorite casino games in the

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Not the summer. The spring. That's when there are all these free agents. Safeties available. And somebody in some building, like, I don't know. forget about Malcolm Jenkins let's sign let's sign Joris Byrd and give him a hundred

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Yeah. From the prison. 2012 NFL draft through the prism of the Handger-Delt, presented by our friends at Park's Casino. looking back, which of these three draft scenarios would you put your chips on? Okay? Where they went? This is the hand you're dealt.

Okay. First round, Andrew Luck. Third round, Nick Foles. Fourth round, Kirk Cousins. All right. What is my goal here as the person placing the chips? Do I want to be that player? Am I the team selecting that player?

I'm the team selecting that player. Yeah. I did not include third round Russell Wilson. Correct. Probably that would be the answer. Right. What's the best value here? I mean, the best value,

there's only one of those guys won a Super Bowl. Yeah. So it would be Foles. Obviously, he was not the player that Andrew Luck was from a, you know, in terms of like peak of their powers type of deal. So if I'm just saying, like, who's the best player individually, it would be luck.

But if I'm saying, like, which career would I have? and I'm sure all three of those guys would say, like if I could trade my career for theirs, they would want to be Nick Foles. To be able to be Super Bowl MVP and lead that magical run, a once in a lifetime moment,

yeah, I think they would all trade their career for Nick Foles. I think you're probably right. Kirk Cousins' bank account might. Well, that was, that's what I was going to say. I honestly, I don't know that Kirk Cousins would rather have Nick Foll's career. I, that's a good question. I bet Kirk Cousins would rather have Kirk Cousins career. Former teammates, if I remember right too.

At Michigan State, yeah. Former teammates of Michigan State. I don't know. That's a good question. I'm sure Kirk Cousin's wife would rather have her cousin's career. Right. I think he would. He doesn't strike me as Super Bowl is the only thing that matters kind of guy.

Not the only thing that matters, but I think guys, I think when you play that long, like trying to get to that point, I feel like that is a, that carries a big weight. But he's made a lot. I mean, he's like a plus in terms of, money.

Yeah, in terms of like handling contracts and like all that stuff. Like he's gotten to play longer. He's in the Hall of Fame. Oh, yeah, he's had a long's career ball. Yeah, if you care, just care about getting to play. Right. Valid point.

I bet Andrew Luck would rather have Andrew Luck's career too. No, I bet you I would, I'd be willing to bet He would trade, he would trade for Fals Green. Yeah, I think he would trade it. Okay, let's close the Handger Delta presented by Parks Casino. Um, okay.

Any other just sort of flashbulb Foles memories? Where were you, where were you sitting during the Super Bowl? We were, um, so the Alshan Jeffrey touchdown. Yeah. Happened, uh, catty corner from me. So like, I was, we were in the, Coming towards you?

Coming toward us. Yeah. So the BG SAC happened like basically right in front of us. We were like, up or quite, I forget the name of this. I forget the section, the number we were in,

but. So I think we were, the press box was the same side, except opposite, you were on the left side. You were on the left side. Correct. Exactly right.

So you were to my left. Yes, that is correct. So it was good seat. The best thing from that, from that game, I remember, I did not,

I did not drink one ounce of alcohol leading up to it. Yeah. eight, probably like 19 pounds of food that day. Like I was, I mean, it was just stress eating left and right. Meg got up and she was like, oh, I'm going to go get like one last beer. Like, do you want? I was like, no, I don't want anything.

Well, she was like, oh, she had to probably a few of future because there was like, you know, before the tailgate parties and stuff like that. You're going from one event to the other. And she's like, I'm going to go get a beer. And I was like, you're nuts. Like we're in the middle of the fourth quarter. Like you're getting up. she goes against beer she missed the BG play she missed the day

she came back and she saw it on TV like she saw it on the on the monitors and they probably yeah but it was uh yeah that was a good one oh that's tough yeah but i mean just a it was unbelievable you have a favorite nick throw from that game the fourth down yeah yeah the fourth down to earths i mean and then just going back and watching and just like how surgical he was. I mean, they ran mesh, like, I think it was 11 times. I think it was 11 times they ran it in the game,

if I remember right. And it was blitzed at a super high rate and like 57% of his dropback. Yeah. It was not set once. It was like seven on seven. Yeah. He was just,

like picking him apart. It was awesome. He was awesome. It was such a fun film to watch. It's crazy. What a thing. Eagles quarterback's performances in the Super Bowl,

like in the three Super Bowls since I've been like watching tape, between falls and then Hertz and Hurts and Hurts. I mean. Well, I said it's the second best APA for dropback by any quarter-downe. I know.

I was thinking that. In the Super Bowl. Yep. Healing hurts is number one. Right. Yep. Now he only threw 22 passes. So it's a little bit lower volume, but.

Well, because the game was over after a pick six. That's right. Yeah. Big Falls, man. It was unbelievable. I mean, unbelievable career. Very deserving of this list. I'm sure it was tough to not get him high.

fire. Yeah. Now, here's the other thing I will say. We have number nine coming up. After number nine, I really think you could make a true earnest case for any of the top eight as number one. Wow. Any of the top eight as number one? I think you could make that case. See, I thought there was a tear break. We had this discussion. I think it would make a stronger case for some. Yeah. But I am wondering if the best way to do the top eight is not in rank order. but to have them each make their case or number one. Will the vote?

And then see who's got the best case. That's possible. Okay. I mean, I've got the order. Right. Handed down to me by on high. You came down from the mountain. You've got the tablo.

And I have it. But I wonder if that is a better presentation or not. I don't know. Thinking that through. That'll be fun. I don't know. I don't have a lot of time left. Well, it doesn't have to get done

before training camp. Yeah. True. We got nothing but time. Still got shows to do. We got a show every day. Yeah. It's still got shows to do.

That's fair. All right. Nick Foles, number 10. Congratulations, no doubt. The greatest achievement of his career thus far. Taking another, uh, taking another break on the other side.

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So get it while you can. Hogi Fest is back at Wawa. Gotta have a Wawa. Back in the PHAWYGO's podcast, Bo and Fran, a super chat comes in from Charles Keso, Chucky Cheese, From a dynasty fantasy perspective, Fran, who has the best statistical next three seasons?

Devante Smith, A.J. Brown, or Mackay Lemon? Also, I love you all. Charles, we love you too. If I were ranking those three, I would go, for four Dynasty, the next three years, Dynasty football, fantasy, I would go, I would go Devante, A.J. Mackay. I think that's probably the chalk answer.

So would I. Yeah. or just this season? Just this year. Would you go AJ over Devante? I probably would. I think so. Yeah, I probably would.

I think that's probably the safer. It could very easily, could be Devante. Yeah. But I think AJ would probably be the same. This is, I mean, this is the issue with forecasting dynasty.

Yes. The issue with thinking that a 19-year-old is definitely going to continue improving over the course of 20 years. Right. But yeah, I think you would go,

AJ over Devante this year. Right. And then you would sort of expect them to be about the same next year and then Devante better in year three. You're more convinced that Devante is going to be good for three years than AJ is, but do you

overweight that? Like, you know, should you take the burden hand? I don't know. AJ is a tough one to project like, just like I'm starting to thinking like, let's say the injuries take their toll, right? And let's say like he starts to fall off

physically. I do think that his game is still built, that he will still be a very useful player for a long time. Like, you know, DeAndre Hopkins is a guy that played in the league for a long, long time, even though he was not like the, he was never an elite athlete, but was able to, you know, was able to create enough separation early. I feel like AJ could win that way and last that long in the NFL as well as Hopkins did. But, um, that's what I'd be like, Devante, he could be like a, like a fantasy football, like wide receiver won. this year. So yeah, that's a tough one.

Yeah, I think you probably go Devante. Yeah. Okay. All right. Let's move on. Yeah. This is a story of famous dogs. For the dog that chases its tail will be busy.

These are clapping dogs. Rhythmic dogs. Harmonic dogs. House dogs, street dogs. Dogs of the world unite. Dancing dogs. Counting dogs. Funky dogs?

Nasty. So begins the George Clinton classic atomic dogs. The song Malcolm Jenkins would dance to in the Eagles locker room, a nod to his Omega-Sye roots. And he was right. We weren't listening. Because if we had been, we would have heard the story of the 2017 Eagles. Street dogs, dancing dogs, funky dogs, nasty dogs, underdogs.

While Knit Falls may be the one who ultimately steered the Eagles to the promised land, and Brandon Graham is the one who made the play that mattered most, Malcolm Jenkins, no doubt. was the beating heart of that team. A man of contradictions, at once, contemplative and fierce, overbooked, but always on time, always passionate. Malcolm Jenkins made himself part of the fabric of the organization and the city, perhaps more so than any other imported eagle in franchise history. Over the course of six seasons with the Eagles, since signing as a friend,

free agent in 2014, Malcolm Jenkins played every single game. He earned his way to three Pro Bowls, a long-time captain, who led both by example and with eloquence, including the playoffs. He had 11 interceptions, six and a half sacks, four touchdowns. He could cover. He could shed blocks. And boy, could he hit. or Brandon Cooks. For a published author, Jenkins is probably the best reader the Eagles have had this century. On the field, diagnosing offenses and what was to come,

that was a specialty. Off the field, there was no better judge of a teammates' football character than Jenkins. Asked to Marco Murray's folding chair. Or ask how things turned out. once the Eagles became Carson's team. There are so many architects of success, without whom this golden era of Eagles football would not be possible, from Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner to Howie Roseman,

from Brian Dawkins and Donovan McNabb to Jason Kelsey, Nick Foles, and the like. But the best laid roster plans of executives, the power of the players, only means so much without someone to say, I am climbing this mountain and I am taking you with me. Mush, mush, mush.

Number nine, on the Eagles 26 is the Eagles top dog of the century. It's Malcolm Jenkins. I mean, just the ultimate pro the moment he walked into the building and you knew like literally left the first time you were around him,

you were like, okay, He's the guy. He's the Pied Piper in that locker room. So cool. Such a man in the sense of like everything that you would want. Yep. Right? Like very serious, very thoughtful, but also one of the guys, right?

Could come in and do a podcast about like, you know, about zombie apocalypse and laugh. Yeah, it was a very fun conversation. Like, he just more than anyone I remember covering, he had it all. Yeah. Right? Yep. Like every single thing that you would want a player to have,

like a true leader, a versatile player, yep, reliable, never missed time. Like, you know, as well-rounded of a, of a person I've ever been around. You said a few times this offseason at different moments, and even I think going back to last year too, about how your thoughts have changed on quarterback

with intangibles and how much you weigh them. A little bit. Malcolm is one of those defensive players that has the intangibles of the high end quarterback. Yeah. And they're like, you see that with middle linebackers and you like might see at the safety position. and like that was like Dawkins, right?

There aren't a lot of those guys and he was absolutely one of them. And the fact that he did everything, he did defensively on the field and wore all those hats and was a great run defender and played every single snap on special teams as well

and did like, you know, like was the captain and all that. Like the ultimate pro, the ultimate professional. Yeah, just, I mean, Malcolm was a plus. Now we talked to Malcolm a few months ago who will play that for you later in the show.

But first, I want to share with you. We talked to Danes before he went on his world journeys. And we're going to let you let him explain why Malcolm Jenkins is probably his favorite. Wow. Malcolm Jenkins might be when you consider the off-field stuff, like impact on the community. you know, ideals about certain things. He is probably my favorite eagle ever, I would say.

You know, I don't think he's the best eagle ever on the field. He didn't have the longevity that a lot of the other Eagles did. You know, he came from another team, so he had already had success with other team, you know, all those things. But in terms of just who Malcolm Jenkins is, the stuff he said, the stuff he stood for, the type of leader that he was for the team, like the way he was able to rally the team

when Carson Wentz got hurt and convince everybody else that, hey, they're still going to, they're still going to go win it. Like, who cares if he's injured? You know, some people were saying the season was over after that Rams game. But, you know, Malcolm Jenkins

seemed to be the guy who made sure that no one in the locker room was thinking that. And I thought that that kind of exemplified the type of leader he was. I think there were things going on with Chip Kelly that the players didn't seem to lay. and Malcolm Jenkins seemed to be the one guy who was publicly out there the most

saying like, you know, we need to be more, like people just need to be more accountable, right? Like an accountability was like a big part of what he was about. And I thought that a lot of things that Malcolm Jenkins said about football were things that you could apply

no matter what you do, right? Like me is just like in my regular life, I could listen to things that Malcolm Jenkins said about accountability, about professionalism, and then also in the bigger picture, like about social injustice and all these things like different things that you can do to make your life better, to make the world better. I thought Malcolm Jenkins was somebody who I, you know, you don't always, you know, I will listen to press conferences and things just because I'm an Eagles fan, but the reality is a lot of times, like, you know, they're saying something as they

have to say something. Malcolm Jenkins always thought about what he's saying. He always said it in a way that people, I think, could get the message without, and it's really hard to do this, without being polarizing in a way where you don't actually reach the people who need to hear it the most, right? Some people just aren't going to want to hear it no matter what, but there are a lot of people who you can get a message across to them if you say it in a certain way, and it's very hard to do that. without alienating them. And I thought Malcolm Jenkins was incredible at staying true to what he believed when he talked without, you know, saying it in a way that just made the other side not listen, right?

And I thought that was a big part of that team's personality too. Like, I mean, just like the bringing together of that team, the rallying around the injuries and all that kind of stuff. Like I think it had helped the team's success to have a guy like Malcolm Jenkins. kind of rally everybody and be a leader. So that's what I think of most with Malcolm Jenkins. I haven't even mentioned anything on the field, but obviously he was a very impactful player.

The Brandon Cook's thing is weird because it's like weird to say like, you know, like celebrate an like an injury. But I thought that that was that was a play where like it was like, Brandon Cooks is like dancing around like, you know, like he's out there in a preseason basketball game. Malcolm Jenkins was like, no, no, no, that's not how, that's not how this game's going to go. And you could argue, like, the Patriots offense did just fine without Brandon Cooks. But there's, like, just like something about sending that message, kind of rallying, rallying the team.

That was definitely an important play in that game. All right. Good stuff from the professor. Very well said. You can tell him speaking from the heart. Yep. On Malcolm. Why don't we take a little break?

We'll come back. We'll talk a little bit more about Malcolm as a player. and the things that made him special in terms of what he could do on the field. And then after that, we'll hear from Malcolm himself, so stay with us. Nobody likes spending money. But what you do like is getting a little back when you do spend money. Something that actually rewards you when you're spending that cash. And that's exactly what happens at TrueMark Credit Union with the everyday elite Visa credit card.

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Let's talk. I think of Malcolm as, and I think we talk about this in the discussion with Malcolm, but the pairing of him and Jim Schwartz was very special. Yep. And just the way that they, I think they brought the best out of each other. I think that's right.

You know, and I think both guys, there's the, the, like, it's like an academic aggression. It's like both guys like, had like very, like, you know, student of the game, but also like tough and we're going to like knock the crap out of you. Like that's, you know, so I think the, that pairing definitely works very well. I think that's right. Yeah, it's, it's, it's, you do all the work to get yourself in the position so that you can

knock the snout out of the game. Right. I mean, Malcolm, so Malcolm's a first round pick. out of Ohio State as a corner. So, like, had those coverage chops, right? And that's something that you see with so many of the top safeties. It's like, all right, like,

you maybe started a corner at some point and, like, made that switch over. And it's a matter of, like, when did you make that switch? With Malcolm, like, got drafted as a first round corner. So, like, you have that pedigree. But he was always known for his physicality and the instincts and the ability to kind of get, you know, get his nose dirty

and come down and play against the run. and so like yeah he had that ability to match up he had that ability to play in the box he had that ability to go up against tight ends he had that ability to play in the post and play as a split safety uh in today like you know it's not like he played that long ago but in today's game even like in you know not even uh you know the NFL of six years ago seven years ago but right now he'd be exactly what everybody's looking for um just because of that that versatile like multi-dimensional skill set. Well said.

We also have thoughts on him as a player from the professor who joins us once again. His thoughts on Malcolm on the field. So today we see like a lot of this kind of nickel safety flex, you know, stuff, players who can do a little bit of both. You know, you talk about, you know, Cooper DeGene, obviously. You have like Emin Worry on Seattle. I think going back to Brian Dawkins and then transitioning to Malcolm Jenkins

like just looking through Eagles history, Brian Dawkins was probably like the main pioneer of the safety who could do different things, right? Like you can blitz him, you can bring him down to the box, you can have him cover. Malcolm Jenkins was the slightly more modern version of that, right? Like he was a guy who was a very good nickel in the past and then he could also play safety,

and he was obviously mainly a safety with the Eagles, but the fact that you could bring him down to the box and play, you know, man coverage against the tight end, like was a very important feature with Jim Schwartz who loved to play, single high, like love to have the extra guy in the box, Malcolm Jenkins was the chess piece there, right? Like you had a more kind of straight-up safety in Rodney McLeod,

and then you had Malcolm Jenkins was the guy who you could use in a variety of ways. you could blitz him, you could have him play man coverage, you could have him, you know, play like, you know, in the flat or in the middle in a zone. And, you know, there was that after Jordan Hicks got injured that season, the Super Bowl winning season, Malcolm Jenkins talked a lot about how he was basically a linebacker, right, for the rest of that year. I mean, they played so much dime with Cory Graham on the field in that Super Bowl, which essentially meant that Nigel Bradham and Malcolm Jenkins were the two linebackers. And for a guy like Malcolm, to be able to play linebacker. And he even said, like, he and Nigel would, like, look at each other and quickly change roles. Like, one of them would be the mic and one of them would be the will. And they'd just, like, you know, the other team would motion.

And Malcolm would even say, like, instead of switching, we just, like, look at each other and be like, yeah, I got this, you got that. For a safety to be able to play both linebacker positions, to fully understand, like, the roles of everybody on the field just showed how smart he was. And you could tell how smart he was just like when you talked about anything, but you could really see it, how it reflected on the football field. And we talk so much now about like a rookie comes in. It takes him a while to learn where to line up, where to play.

I mean, Malcolm Jenkins was, it seemed like the way he played. He could play. You could put him at any position and he'd be just. What do you think Danes is doing right now? Sitting under an umbrella. Well, no. I guess it's not daytime where he is right now. So I would say he's reading a book by candlelight.

He's probably upset about something. I mean, yeah, he is awake. So yeah, he's upset about something. I got a text from Danae's yesterday. It was great to hear from him. Oh, yeah. I didn't get a text from him yesterday. I might have been a couple days ago now I think about it.

But either way, one of the best parts, I say this to him every year, one of the best parts about football season coming back is that Danes comes back because he's like away and he's out of our lives. for a good two months. So it is good to get him back into the fold. That's fair.

All right. Anything else on Malcolm before we do a couple other things? No, I think we've covered it. He's just, honestly, one of my favorite players I've been around. How do you think of Malcolm as a follower of Brian Dawkins as like a part of that legacy? is a sapling of those seeds. Here's why it's tough. Well, on one hand, Dawkins was in the building when Malcolm was,

so it was able to kind of impart some of that. If Malcolm had been drafted here, I probably feel a little bit stronger about that. But, yeah, I do think that there's definitely some synergy there. Now, I will tell you that as I pull up the list, Malcolm Jenkins is the highest rated free agent signing

I'm seeing where he was for me comes as no surprise second highest free agent signing in terms of the scope of the century Troy Vincent well free agent signing is big there because there was one other guy that was not drafted

yeah there's a trade trade yeah well Yeah. So just a... It's different. Yeah. It's different. But yeah.

Do you think it, would you agree that it is Howie's best for agent sign? Oh, there's all chip. So let me ask you this. I was thinking about this during... And do you think that's part of why they were willing to let him go that was... It was a chip setting out of Howie signed? No, I don't think that was it. I'm not so sure that that's not a calculation, but...

What was the bigger signing by Chip Kelly? Malcolm? Or Jeff Stoutland? I think you got to say Malcolm. Yeah, it's... To me, like, that was very hard. But if you're looking at what were the best things that Chip Kelly did for the organization,

like those guys are on the short list of three or four. Yeah. Obviously, the introduction of, like, a lot of the sports science stuff that stuck was big as well. I think that that Malcolm signing is a little bit more chipped than Howie. And I actually do kind of feel like if it was all Howie, he might want him to end his career with the team. Right.

That's just. Might be right. way he thinks sometimes. But, so free agent signings who made the list. Malcolm, Vincent, Sequin. Yep. Runyon. Runyon.

Zach Bonn. Right. That's it. Now, T.O. is a little funky one. Yeah, that was, yeah. But that's interesting. Ended up being a trade.

Five free agent signings. I guess that, I mean, that makes sense. Not getting guys in the beginning of their career. Yep. I'm looking at some of the other ones that I had, like, on my, because I had a, when I was going through, like, what my long list was. The only other free, I'm like, the only other free agents. I mean, Barwin, Brandon Brooks.

Brandon Brooks is a good, yeah. Hassan Reddick. Evan Mathis. Right, yeah. Mathis is a good one. Rolls, you wanted to make a case for Sprouls. Yep. That's it.

There's a couple trades on there with big, and there's one bill. That's actually interesting. There have been more impactful trade acquisitions for agent signings. Super chat in from Drip Sensei who says Fran thoughts on Bo Wolf saying he had a better draft also Jordan Whitehead

signing at safety an option for the Eagles now if Jordan Whitehead signs we can take a real victory lap because he won for agent quackatology like three years ago I was going to say

that you had like 2023 did I see that the surgeon that worked on him is like the Eagles yeah like it was like employed by Eagles. That doesn't always mean, that doesn't always mean much. You know, there's plenty of

examples of that. But here's what I would say, just because a doctor performed the surgery, that doesn't mean that, oh, yeah, that's who they're going to, what it does mean is that he's the most familiar with it. So they have more information. It's like when a team hires a coach from college and it's like, oh, like, they're definitely going to go and get all the guys that he worked with. No, not necessarily. They just have really good intel on that player. Yeah. They'll know a little something. Not a bad name, though, bring up. As for the other thing. Well, here's my, let me just ask you this.

If you were building a team, yeah, what positions would matter? Let's say you could pick four or five positions that matter the most. What would they be? Quarterback. Okay. I'd like to have one that's healthy

and not coming off torn ACL. Okay. I'd probably look at the offensive line. Left tackle, presumably. It's a weak link unit, so I'd probably look at the whole unit. You're not answering my question. If you can start a team, you probably go left tackle, you'd probably want an edge guy, you probably want a corner,

you know, I think it's pretty fair to say. And so who's the best edge rusher in the NFL? So, yeah, the best left tackle NFL. Who's the best corner of the NFL? Yeah, you got the best edge rusher, right? The more I look at it, the more it becomes clear that I have the best team. I will say I sent this to three different scouts

just blind but you put your name's on top no no I cropped it out interesting what do you got I went three for a lot of them now a lot of them I should say

two of the three said that it was very close between our two teams um the one of them said if I was splitting up let's say like turkeys 50 for me 48 for you and two for ej yeah um that was that was one person's opinion okay uh but three scouts all three came back is mine um let me ask you this i think truly

looking at it again the only place that you have an edge right you have you have better skill talent yeah you did a better job building your group of running backs wide receivers and tight ends I think my offensive line is better and my defense is so much better especially the back seven so there was something I think I think you I forget if you said it in the show or if you said it yesterday

or the day before whatever it's all much together but you said that the coaches don't matter as much when you're dealing with talent this much I actually think that when you have all the talent when you have all this when everybody's

talent level is A plus, which for the most part, that's what we're dealing with, aside from some of VJ's roster. I think what you're looking at these teams and everybody's got A plus talent, the fact that I've got Ben Johnson running the offensive Brian Flores running the defense, I feel very good about that. Well, I don't think that Brian Flores is giving you that much. Oh, I disagree. And I also don't think that Ben Johnson as an offensive coach is that much of a differentiator

from Matt LaFleur as an offensive coach. I don't know. I feel like their offense is the last, like, if we were to look at like the last three years, I haven't done a comparison, but my guess is that Ben Johnson will be like, oh, I don't know if that's clear. I don't know if that's true.

I don't know if that's true. Take a look and see. I mean, Howie Roseman is basically moving mountains to try to get a piece of the Packers offense here. They talked with a person that came from Ben Johnson before they talked with. wanted to back his offense. Declan Doyle got an interview before Mannion did.

I don't know that he got one before. I think so, didn't he? No, I think Mannion already had. Manion had his first one before. I think that's, I think that's right. Yeah, I mean, listen, you did an adequate job. No, I mean, no, you did a, you did a real. It's a valiant effort.

It's a valiant effort. What's that? No, it was a valiant effort. You did well. Yeah, no, I thought you did. Yeah, it was the best performance, yeah. All right. Before we get to Malcolm,

We are also going to bring you a little bit of E.J. Smith. Sprinkle a little E.J. on the show today because Philly week, City State Week, rolls on on P.H.L.Y. A little treat for Mr. Smith. All right. Travel Guide, E.J. is back for part two here. Obviously, yesterday. I wanted to show you guys kind of like the surrounding area of the art museum. But obviously now we are at the main attraction. You know, the art museum steps, the Rocky statue right behind me. And again, like, if you brought your family here, you know, visiting Philadelphia as an Eagles fan from out of town, I feel like you tell your family about all the famous speeches that happened behind me. First and foremost, again, Jason Kelsey's being the most notable. But obviously, some memorable ones in 2024 as well, you know, AJ Brown's, whether or not you have fond memories of it or positive memories or negative memories. I feel like that's a memorable one. Cooper to Gene and Reed Blankenship had a memorable one. Brandon Graham had a memorable one in 2024 as well.

And, you know, obviously the Rocky statue has its own kind of twist on Eagles history, which is fun with the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington commanders both putting their jerseys on the Rocky statue very infamously. And both of those teams obviously really struggled in the NFC championship game against the Eagles as a result possibly of the bad karma of taking over the Rocky statue. So, again, you know, the thing that when I stand here, I think about a lot is just what it must have been like or what it was like. to look out here and just see us like a sea of Eagles fans you know you know just like what a visual that must must have been each of time each of those times obviously you know I've covered two parades but not at the art museum but it definitely is like a a really special place in Philadelphia and in Eagles history so I think it lives up to the hype you know I obviously if you're coming to Philadelphia you're probably

coming here but I think it has enough of an Eagles twist that it's not only one of my favorite places to go on the city in general but even as a you know an Eagles beat reporter someone who talks about the team for a living it's fun to come here and explain and tell some of the stories that this you know place has really had as a part of Eagles history so if you're in town for a game this is the place I would tell you to go you know I think you should go to Angelo's for a cheese steak even though it's not the closest to here but you know go for a nice walk around the art museum and then go get yourself a cheese steak go get yourself

maybe a roast pork sandwich from Redding Terminal. You know, you have a lot of good options nearby. So, and, you know, maybe you can try and triangulate the P.H.O.I. Studios because they are not too, too far away from here. But anyway, my travel, uh, travel influencer days are officially over. Thank you for being a part of City State Week. And thank you for being a part of the P.H.O.I. Community. Good stuff, E.J.

He does say museum weird. Uh, we talked about this. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Says it like the, I wouldn't say the great, but the adequate Noah Becker. Hmm. I think that's fair.

Yeah. Meg's got a couple of those. She does the, uh, I'm trying to think of, so instead of saying crayon, crown. She does crown and she does,

uh, tail or towel. Tail? It's like, it's basically towel. Tail. Yeah. That's tough.

Yeah. All those, all those Super Bowl beers. Right. No, it was before the Super Bowl. bowl beers. Yeah, she's got a couple of those.

You know, any of the life situation things to discuss before we hear from Malcolm Jenkins? No, here's what I'll say. Okay. If you're not a diehard, you want to become a diehard. Yeah, I should have pubbed this earlier in the show. I'm working hard for this, the draft guide to be up and running for football season, for college football season. the draft guide that you're going to get this year is leagues ahead of last year

like I was happy with last years or proud of last years this thing is going to be awesome I'm very very excited about what we're going to roll out here next month also if you're a diehard you get a good chance come to the Ospreys baby August 26th

at the Fittler Club sure the pub did in the A block but we're going to have a good time EJ's birthday. Brand might be naked. What kinds of good stuff. Special guests. Maybe some music.

I don't know. I really, I think it's cute by E.J. That he's like worried about the birthday, but not worried about what could possibly happen if it was a baby shower, as if there was like nothing inappropriate or like awkward that you could do for a baby shower

as opposed to a birthday gift. I don't know if I'm not going to mess with babies. Well, you wouldn't do it for. for the baby, but for him you can do. There's plenty that you could do. Yes, that's right. All right, here's what we're going to do. We're going to close our portion of the show,

and then we're going to play for you, the Malcolm Jenkins interview from the day that he was going into the Eagles Hall of Fame. So enjoy that interview. Stay with it. And then for the rest of us, Ethan and Fran, myself, thank you for watching. We'll do tomorrow at 2 o'clock. Fran's got a special guest joining him. We have a fun one.

someone who I will not be there for. And as always, we love you. And a very exciting moment here. We've got on the day that he goes into the Eagles Hall of Fame, Hall of Famer, Malcolm Jenkins, thanks for joining us, Malcolm. I appreciate you having me. Congratulations. Thank you.

What an honor. Yeah, it's been, it's a humbling, to say the least, for sure. Now, I know you wrote about this for the Eagles website, just the importance that you have always placed on, legacy. So how much do you feel like this cements that legacy? And what do you feel like your legacy is as an eagle? Honestly, I think the exciting part about legacies that is ongoing.

And I think that's the reason for, you know, today is that the legacy extended beyond what we did on the field, you know, what happened years ago. But the fact that it still has meaning to a fan base to the city, you know, now. And that continues, you know, and that legacy continues to be built upon, I think is the most important thing. So to me, it's really not like a,

it's not like the finish line. Sure. It is very much kind of like a intermission. Okay. Take the moment to see how far we've come, how much we've done, and then, you know, where we're going, taking a look ahead at what's to come.

Well, I've been thinking a lot of, lot about this with doing the show with BG this year about, you know, the, the issues that some guys might have in terms of finding their identity after football, right? And he's, you know, going back and forth. How have you navigated that as you talk about this as an intermission, sort of finding out who you are post football? Oh, it's difficult. And even somebody like me who has so much going on. Always. You still find that identity crisis, you know, and what I've been forced to do what i forced myself to do is to stay away from the game a little bit um and what that you know painfully forced me to figure out was like how do i apply all of the experiences

and knowledge that i've you know built up over a career um in this sport it's like what does that matter outside of this sport um and i've had to you know come to terms with that and at first there it doesn't seem to me much correlation but after a couple years of exploration really diving deep you see that it's connected to everything and that all that I was able to

you know accomplish as an athlete are was because of these principles these core principles of myself and it would be the same things that make me a great father

a great member of the community you know etc those things don't just stop on the football field. Sure. Yeah. And so it takes time and it's scary for us to imagine being a rookie at another place and to do some of that soul searching, especially when, you know, it's so comfortable to be praised

and to be looked at in that uniform. But the reality is it dies for all of us. And I think, you know, some of us take a little longer to come to terms with that than others. Well, yeah, it's interesting from you, as you say, someone who even when you were playing had so much else going on that you're still going through that, but you find that the attention to detail, the care, they're like wanting to be a part of a team, all of that stuff, it does translate.

Yeah, 100%. And you realize that the world wants those things. Yeah. Amen. The world is searching for people who, you know, are dedicated, who understand what discipline is, who understand, you know, that things are bigger, who understand chasing things that are bigger than themselves, leadership, conflict, all of these things that we've been trained to do since we were six, seven years old.

Yeah. You find are at a premium and we are experts at doing it. And so it just, it takes a little reframing. That's exactly right. Yeah, it takes a little reframing. But I think even I had to stop using the word retired because it really doesn't accurately say what the situation. It's the meme of like, you know, this 35 year old football player.

What a miracle that he's on the field. Meanwhile, everybody else is like, oh, what a young man. Exactly. Yeah. And there's so much more to do, too. And there's so much to explore, so much time that we've given to the game that I think, you know, we almost are afraid to take that time back and turn it inward. But hopefully, you know, my journey has been an example in multiple ways, not only how to do more than just play ball while you're kind of in it and still play at a high level, but how to transition.

transition out of it and continue to have a sense of identity, continue to build upon the things that you built while you weren't playing and just, you know, an example of a curious life.

So in wanting to give yourself space from football, was the photography like the first like taste that you would give yourself to go back? No, honestly, it was really the writing was first. So even like jumping into post

my career with the launch of my memoir so I wrote a book Tell the people so they can Yeah it's called What Winners Won't Tell You As my memoir goes through Kind of like my upbringing all the way through My retirement and just really

What I realized was most important To my story The ups and downs, etc. It's really really vulnerable stories So definitely check it out But I think that really started my journey And I left that end of that book ended like opening it. There was no hard clothes.

It was kind of like I know I'm done with football and let's see what I do next. Yeah. And so in the storytelling, I dove into my love for art and just kind of spend a lot of time with different people. And that perspective has really helped me dive into some of these other things that I enjoy like photography, which I thought was like the perfect example of how to show up in the same space. with a different perspective. Yeah. So just that practice alone is giving me the, you know, that those, just waking up the muscle memory of being a rookie, you know, having to be prepared,

having to think ahead and learn some things, be curious, all of which I think are very natural once we put ourselves back in that mindset. But yeah, you got to start doing something. You can't, you know, otherwise I'll be in the house watching film all day. Right, right. Well, it's funny. I mean, I love those clips of you from NFL films when you're, you know, photographing the game and you're calling out what play is coming next. Like, obviously it helps you because you know where the ball is coming. But are you like, are able to turn that off ever?

Or like if you have a football game on, it's like you all of a sudden are into a beautiful mind. Yeah, I'm, yeah, I can't watch football just for the sake of the game. I'm always like, oh, this is a four by one situation. They're going to throw this backside X-lan or, okay, zone reads coming. But, you know, all that stuff is fun. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. Right, right. But I'm like, it's like that Tom Brady commercial

when it's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Once you have all the knowledge of Tom Brady, it's like, it could be a curse. So as you watch this Eagles defense, do you find like, oh man, I would love to play for Vic Fangio. What sort of jumps out to as you watch this group? No, you know what?

They play really well. I love this defense. But I was really happy in Schwartz's defense, to be honest. I love this simplicity. I love that it let the front four get after. after it and then let me play a thousand different positions. So, you know, it took care of my ADHD.

Well, it's interesting because we, from the outside, we talk about how VIX defense is more built back to front, right? A little bit, but you prefer it the other way because then it gives you more freedom to, you have to play multiple roles. Yeah, well, when you go, when you start, you know, back to front, the, if you have an injury on the back end, which they have had, which they have had, suddenly,

it's felt so much more than if you start front to back, if you can continue to get pressure with your front four. You're rotating guys anyway. You're rotating guys anyway, and you can actually generate pressure with that. No matter who you have on the back end, you can get away with it. And which we dealt with many times while I was there.

You know, we had a decimated secondary where like I'm the only healthy guy. But because we got a front forward, I can get after it, you know, we can simplify the coverage. But that's just my philosophy. personally, but I think when you do go back end to the front, it's usually a little bit more cerebral of a defense

that allows you to do a little bit more to trick quarterbacks, puts guys in the right position, which I've been in that type of defense. Not the same style, but with Rob Ryan, is very much a back-in to front type of mindset, and we did all kind of stuff in the secondary, and I enjoyed that too. So a thousand ways of skin to cat, but they're doing well.

When you watch this defense, do you in the same way of like you can't turn it off? Do you recognize someone on the defense who's like, oh, they've got the same sickness? Like they see it. They have an incredible football IQ as well. No, I think the, like off the top of the, that jump off the tape is Cooper DeGine. Yeah. And, um. Well, I want to ask you about Zach Bond because what a weird thing for you.

Like, he wasn't a linebacker. in the two years when you guys play together at New Orleans. Yeah, but when you're a young guy, you play, you know, you play all of them. So he was behind, he just happened to be behind two really good linebackers in New Orleans. And I know, I can tell he's soaked up a lot of information on just how to study, how to prepare, how to replays, where to put your eyes before to snap, and then how to, when you see it, trust it, and go get it. So not surprised at how he's playing, but,

surprised at how quickly he took that, he took it and ran with it. Because you, you think that the middle of the field, right? You know, the linebackers and the safety is the reps matter so much. And for him to have stepped in in his first year as a linebacker last year,

that's what's so surprising to me. Well, not really. I think, I feel like the mic is easier. Okay. Then, like, as long as you understand the defense and the calls, the mic is easier to which he did.

And he was always somebody who was in charge of kind of making calls. That makes sense. So I don't think that part of the game is heavy. So now all you've got to do is stand in the middle, play inside out, run and hit if you're free. Yeah. It's like, hey, your coverage skills are less, you know,

you're not challenged as much as the mic in coverage, even though he can cover tight ends, et cetera. So I think he's built for it where physically the demands come down for his ability. And he's allowed to take over mentally. And then Coup is just a, I think he's just a smart player. Yeah. He's just really smart.

Puts itself in the right position most of the time. Tackles well, understands what's coming from a leverage standpoint. You do that most of the time you're going to win. I'm going to ask you about this in a second, this awesome piece of artwork behind you and Spectresportsart.com, the card you have coming out. The other thing I want to ask you about, though, is, you know, we heard reports when you left, right? It was a lot about, okay, this team needs to become Carson. team. The quarterback needs to take over as a leader.

And so I'm curious now as we hear this stuff about Jalen in the locker room, what your perspective is on a quarterback and the role of the leadership in the locker room and all of those dynamics. You know, I think there are different makeups of locker rooms. I think what made our locker room so strong in 2017 was that the quarterback was not the leader at all. Right. Like at all.

Right. So I'm not the person who's standing. So it's not a necessity, obviously. It's not a necessity. I think, but there is a leadership can come from anywhere. And so for us, our leadership on that team came from veterans like myself, the Chris Lawrence, the guys who had been to championships were the voices that could settle the locker room. I actually haven't been on any good teams in which the quarterback's voice was like the one that carried everything.

Even when Drew Brees, you know, is the leader, you had a Jonathan Vilma, you had Scott Fugitas, you had all of these other really strong voices that would have probably said something before it even got to Drew. If the quarterback gets taken over, it's like we are in trouble. And I think that's one thing that I'm always looking for in a team is, you know, long before it gets to the point where the quarterback or the coach has to, you know, address some. and take the bull by the horns. It's like, where are the other voices and leaders? Probably a bigger indication of the depth of leadership on the team. Okay. Is that, do you feel like because the quarterback has so many other things

to be concerned about or just, you know, there's more to a football team than just a quarterback? I think there's more to a football team than just a quarterback. Yeah, to be honest. and it's the willingness it also shows the willingness for like how much ownership does everybody have

sure like everybody expects the quarterback to say something he touches the ball every play he's the guy has to do the the podium and all these things yeah yeah yeah so we expect the quarterback he actually almost has no choice but to face it but you look to see like who are the other guys that

jump into the fire you know on behalf of the team because that those are usually the voices that you'll see when shit hits the fan in a game in a season that will also feel compelled to, you know, like it's their responsibility like they have ownership. All right. Tell me about this card. The Immortals election here.

We're speaking about legacy. I mean, first of all, it looks awesome. Yeah, it's awesome. Yeah. The artwork is phenomenal. Two great, you know, moments. Obviously, the Super Bowl hit. But yeah, it's a partnership with Immortals.

I don't do many cards. So we're doing this. This is our first collaboration on a collection card. And the attention to detail to make sure you see that this is a legal hit. It's a legal hit. There's no head contact there. You're leading with the shoulder. Great stuff.

He's got the score in the helmets and small details. The city is on fire. It's supposed to represent the passion of the city, the passion in which I played. And so, yeah, it's a phenomenal card. It's a small collection. So, you know, for those collectors out there. Definitely want to get your hands on it. Spector Sportsart.com.

Yep. That's where people can go. Yeah, man. All right, last thing I got to get you on the record on because we have Vinny Curry who does the postgame show with us. He wants everybody to know, we all we got, we all we need. Is it true that that that is Vinny's?

No, that was mine. I'm joking. I'm completely joking. And I'm going to go on the record. Vinny Curry started, we all we got, we all we need. I think he started it maybe the season before we actually won the football. Doug's first, right.

I think so. And, you know, because he was the one that did the majority of the pregame breaks. That was his. I'll go on the record. All right. I like that. I like that. And then, you know, I will ask you about BG because, you know, I was watching the clip of you on the Eagles website,

breaking down all of your high IQ moments, those awesome things. And on so many of them, it's like the ball comes out because BG is about to get to the quarterback. Is it funny to watch him still be out there? I mean, not funny, but, like, impressive. It is. Every time I see him, it looks like his back hurts. I'm like at this. Yeah, he looks out like how I feel.

Yeah, at this age, I'm like, it's more respect to you because, yeah, I think I, like, ran into something the wrong way the other day and ruined my week. A sneeze can ruin your day. So I'm like, hey, more power to you. Ten snaps a game. I don't got it. Yeah, all right. Well, awesome.

Malcolm, congratulations again. Have fun today. Soak it all up. I appreciate it. And go to Spectre SportsArts.com to check out that Immortals card. awesome stuff back with more here on the PHA Y Eagles show