Footballstories The Magazine Issue #169 by Footballstories

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ALL SIGNS POINT TO ANOTHER SUPER RUN FOR THE BIRDS

The Eagles went a perfect 4-0 in the post season culminating with a commanding Super Bowl LIX performance whipping the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. The score never felt that close. With 34 seconds left in the 3rd quarter the Birds were leading 34-0. The Chiefs never crossed midﬁeld in their ﬁrst 9 possessions.

During the 4-0 postseason blitz the Birds took the ball away 13 times, a +12 turnover ratio. One team in NFL history had a better postseason ratio.

I could wax on about how dominant the Birds were on their path to earning their 2nd Lombardi Trophy but that’s what the whole world has done to this proud organization and to all the players and coaches since the evening of February 9 as the victory confetti fell from the sky inside the Superdome.

The obligatory parade was well attended, players have left town to have their own small town celebrations with family and friends. O ensive coordinator and mastermind, Kellen Moore has left to become the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

As expected, the Birds were hit with a bounty of free agent defections on both sides of the ball. Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Darius Slay, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell, Mekhi Becton among others have departed, leaving holes in the roster and severely a ecting the roster’s depth.

And if you listen closely, last year’s prize free agent, Bryce Hu , can be had for the right draft pick.

So what are the challenges to an organization that would love to “run it back’ ? They always start with the main issue that every Super Bowl winning team faces. That monster is known as complacency.

Nothing is as urgent as it once was after you hoist the Lombardi Trophy and spend much of the next ﬁve months celebrating the victory.

In addition, you now are the target for every team out there on the schedule. Recall after the Birds won their ﬁrst Super Bowl Trophy seven years ago and what happened the following season. Carson started on the injury report and ﬁnished the season on the injury report and the Eagles did not qualify for the playo s with a 9-7 record.

I think things will be drastically di erent in 2025. Although you never return to the same team, the Birds will bring back 10 starters on o ense. Most of the 10 ﬁnished the season healthy and in no need of o season surgery.

The biggest loss is Kellen Moore. Kevin Patullo was elevated from the passing game coordinator to the new OC. He has never been an OC nor a play caller before so he will begin the season under the microscope.

He did come from Indianapolis with head coach Nick Sirianni. He should know exactly what Nick wants and how to get it done having worked side by side with him for a half dozen seasons. It should be a seamless transition of ideas but not always.

BRIAN BALDINGER ON THE EAGLES

SIMPLY PUT…SIRIANNI IS ON TOP OF THE FOOTBALL WORLD

If it were just about wins and losses, then Nick Sirianni would have never been a “head coach on the hot seat,” as his job security was described in national (and even local) conversation one year ago.

If he were judged on the success he had with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 2024 season, Nick Sirianni wouldn’t have been cast as a logical “next coach to go,” by USA Today as recently as last October, shortly after the New York Jets ﬁred Robert Saleh.

BY DAVE SPADARO EAGLES INSIDER

But it hasn’t been about that for Sirianni, now one of the most “secure” coaches in the NFL following the Eagles’ dominating run through the NFC postseason and the whupping they put on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

It’s been about his sideline emotions,

his faces, the things he says to referees and fans and opposing players and, well, those outside of Philadelphia just don’t like the guy.

Around here, the man is among the best there has ever been.

“All I know is that we are the Super Bowl champions and we’ve won a helluva lot of games with Nick as our head coach,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said after the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Chiefs on February 9. “We love him. There has never been any doubt.”

The numbers say this about Sirianni: He is the ﬁrst head coach in the Super Bowl Era to make the postseason in each of his ﬁrst four seasons while reaching the Super Bowl multiple times – after the 2022 regular season and following the 2024 regular season.

His 48-20 regular season record, a winning percentage of more than 70 percent, is third-best among EVERY head coach in the Super Bowl era and those 48 wins are second-most among ALL coaches in the same time period.

For Sirianni, of course, there is no conversation to be had about this. He did talk about his job security last spring, just before the team broke after Organized Team Activities, and Sirianni spoke about the level of conﬁdence that Eagles’

Chairman/CEO Je rey Lurie had in him and the trust shown by retaining Sirianni after Philadelphia lost six of its last seven games, including a WildCard Playo loss at Tampa Bay.

“All I really took from this is that I had Mr. Lurie’s trust. Howie’s trust. And they said, Hey, let’s go back and let’s do it again. So that’s all I thought about,” Sirianni said. “Everything else is, I think it’s really tricky to think about things that you can’t control, and so control what you can control. And that’s what I tried to do, and try to lead this team like I’ve

always tried to lead this team, try to lead the culture, because I know they’re looking at me and looking at our leaders to lead that culture.

“And that’s what I’ve tried to do since, you know, at the end of Tampa last year, and I’m really pleased in the direction. I’m really pleased with our o season.”

As well as he should have been. The Eagles were dominating throughout 2024 and their four wins in the postseason were achieved in so many di erent ways – a defensive masterpieces in the win over Green Bay, a hang-on-until-the-end win over Los Angeles and blowout victories over Washington and Kansas City.

Now, nobody is talking about Sirianni being on any kind of “hot seat.” In fact, they are talking about Sirianni and the Eagles and their chances to repeat their Super Bowl victory in February.

“My job doesn’t change,” Sirianni said. “No matter the season, no matter what happened before, the task is to win football games.”

PHOTOS BY ANDY LEWIS

Nick Sirianni does not look like he’s done with winning Super Bowls.

Nick Sirianni is the ﬁrst NFL head coach in the Super Bowl Era to make the postseason in each of his ﬁrst four seasons while reaching the Super Bowl multiple times.

EAGLES FREE AGENCY AND UPCOMING DRAFT PLANS

This o season, the Eagles have lost a number of key players who were free agents, especially on the defensive side of the football.

Top defensive players that they’ve said goodbye to are Milton Williams (New England), Josh Sweat (Arizona), Darius Slay (Pittsburgh), Oren Burks (Cincinnati), and Isaiah Rodgers (Minnesota).

BY GARRY 'G' COBB

The o ensive players they have lost are Mekhi Becton (Chargers) and (Kenneth Gainwell (Steelers).

Despite losing those players, the Birds have been active in signing numerous lower level free agents.

Prior to the 2024 season, Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman helped the Birds win a Super Bowl by signing a lower level free agent, Birds linebacker Zack Baun, who shocked the NFL with an AllPro performance.

By the way, Roseman and his crew have re-signed Baun with a three-year $51 million dollar contract.

Clearly during this oseason the Eagles front o ce is trying to sign other players like Baun, who won’t cost very much but may wind up being other “Diamonds in the rough”.

Let’s start with Adoree’ Jackson, who is a former Titans and Giants cornerback. He is entering the ninth year of his career.

Jackson doesn’t have the blazing speed and quickness that he had previously, but his experience gives him the ability to anticipate routes and plays before they happen.

I expect him to compete for a starting spot, but he’s not a favorite to be a starter. Quinyon Mitchell and Kelee Ringo are expected to start as the outside cornerbacks with Cooper DeJean at the nickel back position.

The Birds also signed A.J. Dillon, who is a big powerful former Packers running back, with some of the same skills and qualities as Saquon Barkley.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a big running back with good speed, but not the game

breaking speed of Barkley.

Dillon was sidelined for the entire season a year ago with a neck injury and he’s going into his sixth season. They’ll be counting on him to share some of the rushing load because I don’t expect them to ask Barkley to carry the ball as much as he did a year ago.

Avery Williams was signed by the Birds and he is a former Falcons punt and kick returner, who is trying to recapture the explosiveness, which made him one of the top punt and kick returners in the NFL.

In 2022, he led the league as a punt returner with an amazing 16.9 yard average, but he su ered a severe knee injury prior to the 2023 season.

Williams returned to action in 2024 and averaged a little over 10 yards a punt return.

He will be trying to return to that elite level for the Eagles in the upcoming season.

The Birds have released long time snapper Rick Lovato, who had been with the team since the 2016 season and had been a snapper in three Super Bowls. In his place, they have signed former Cleveland Browns snapper, Charley Hughlett.

He had been in Cleveland for 10 years, but going forward he will be taking over here in Philadelphia on punts and ﬁeld

goals.

The Birds are clearly looking at making changes at the tight end position, which means the NFL future of Dallas Goedert is uncertain.

They’ve signed former Colts tight end Kylen Granson, who is an outstanding run blocker.

Granson will ﬁt in well with the Birds strong running game.

In addition to Granson, they have signed former Browns and Raiders tight end Harrison Bryant, who is a better pass receiver than a run blocker.

Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari has signed a one-year deal with the Birds. He has shown himself to be an outstanding pass rusher, when he’s healthy.

The former Georgia pass rusher, who will be joining numerous former Bulldogs on the roster had a promising rookie season in 2021 with 8 sacks in 17 games, but leg injuries have limited his availability and production since then.

The Eagles signed another edge rusher, who has shown potential.

I’m talking about Joshua Uche, who has played for both the Patriots and the Chiefs.

The Birds are hoping he can get back

PHOTO FROM PHILADELPHIAEAGLES.COM

Eagles signed former Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson to help ﬁll the void of losing Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

PHOTO FROLEMISSSPORTS.COM

Garry Cobb believes Walter Nolen would be a good ﬁt for the Eagles after losing Milton Williams.

BAUN SAYS HE ALWAYS WANTED TO STAY AN EAGLE – WILL WALK THE SAME WALK

BY AL THOMPSON

One of the most pleasant surprises of the Philadelphia Eagles championship season was the outstanding play of linebacker Zack Baun.

Baun had toiled in relative anonymity for four years in New Orleans, mostly playing on special teams.

The story on Baun coming to the Eagles is after newly-signed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was asked by General Manager Howie Roseman to look at ﬁlm of Baun to see if he was a ﬁt, perhaps as a backup at one of the linebacker positions, and of course on special teams.

Roseman and Fangio Baun would be a value contract-wise.

Fangio told Roseman to grab the then 27-year-old because he thought he saw something in Baun he could use.

According to spotrac.com Baun, who was drafted in the third round by the Saints out of Wisconsin, signed a rookie contract worth $4,811,188.

Opting to look for a new home, Baun

looked for the right ﬁt, not for the money right away.

Most media outlets report Baun was signed to a $1.6 million one-year contract with the Birds.

But spotrac.com reported the deal was for one years at $3,500,000. Regardless, it was a value for the Birds.

Baun was asked about a slew of players who signed one-year, make good deals including linebacker Azeez Ojulari, tight end Kylen Granson, long snapper Charley Hughlett, linebacker Patrick Johnson, punt returner Avery Williams, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, tight end Harrison Bryant, linebacker Joshua Uche, fullback/LB Ben VanSumeren and running back A.J. Dillon.

“Yeah, it was what was going through my mind last o season and free agency was solely fit,” Baun said during a video press conference recently. “Very little of it was about money or being about money essentially, but it was all about fit and fit scheme wise and fit team wise.

“[I wanted to be in a place] where you feel comfortable is very key,” He contin-

ued. “And I feel like this, this team and this place is very good for that, and guys that want to sign that one year proof prove it deal and do what they can. So, I think, for the guys that we brought in, I think the ﬁt could be really good for them, and I’m excited, really excited.”

Certainly these look at what Baun accomplished last season and looked at his season as a way to reinvent themselves and get a big contract.

After his breakout season, where he was named a Pro Bowler and a first-team AllPro, finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Baun signed a three-year, $51,000,000 contract with the Eagles, including $34,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $17,000,000.

BAUN WAS SILENT ABOUT HIS DESIRE TO STAY AN EAGLE

If you covered the team, you saw how many times, after he had an incredible game, reporters, including myself, would ask Baun about signing an extension.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder never budged. He would just say how much he

wanted to enjoy the win blah, blah, blah…

At his press conference he revealed he was set on staying.

“Yeah, I mean, I really had, really, really, actually, didn’t want to leave,” Baun said.”Just what the what we built here, the culture here, and honestly, now that I’m thinking about I was just a piece of of the puzzle that was put into a great culture already established, the people that work here, the systems in place, just everything I felt here this past year just felt right for me and my family as well.

“So really didn’t want to leave, and just appreciated everything we built.”

Baun was asked what it was like dealing with Roseman and Fangio as contract talks heated up.

“Yeah, it’s not dealing with, it’s more of working with because in this situation,” Baun said. “They knew I wanted to be here, and I knew they wanted me to be here, so it was just working with them to ﬁgure something out that made sense for both parties.”

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Zack Baun said he always intended to remain an Eagle.

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Zack Baun went from an unknown special teams player to a ﬁrst team All Pro his ﬁrst season in Philadelphia.

FROM PAGE 7

Baun was asked if he felt the expectations for 2025 were changing with his role increasing.

“I just think about what we did in one year with so many new pieces, coaches and players included,” He said. “And I think about my own personal development in that same sense, where if I can move o the ball and play inside linebacker and do what I did for and that was kind of my starting point.

“I’m excited for this team and this defense moving forward, I’m really excited to continue to build on what we did last year.”

Baun was asked that since Brandon Graham had moved on and players like Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Slay and Gardner-Johnson were also not coming back for various reasons, did he feel he needed to take on a bigger leadership role?

“Now, I feel like that’s something I’ve wanted to do myself, and not just because BG is leaving or other guys are leaving, but because I want to grow it as myself,” Baun said, “as a leader and as a guy on this team that can have a voice and be impactful to the guys on this defense and this team.”

BAUN SAYS HIS ATTITUDE WILL REMAIN THE SAME

Baun said he will remain the same per-

fectionist he was playing special teams for the Saints and starring for the Birds.

“I look at my highlights sometimes, and it’s hard for me and my football mind to look at the highlights but not think about the plays that I missed during that game or after a game,” Baun said. “I’m we won the game by 30 points, and all I can think about is are the two plays that I let up or the three plays I had bad coverage.

“So I’m a perfectionist in that way, and I felt like towards the end of the season, I was playing so confidently that I knew I was going to make a play, and I just couldn’t tell you what it was going to be or when or where. But I’m excited to build o that confidence and continue to find myself in this scheme.”

Now that the football world knows what level of player Baun truly is - making ﬁrst team All Prop makes it hard to hide from that fact – teams will be looking even more for a way to keep him from having the impact he had in 2024.

O ensive coordinators will scheme against him. Baun was asked how he will deal with his new reality.

“I’ve never really thought about team scheming against me, because it’s never really something I’ve had to worry about in my career,” Baun said with a slight chuckle. “But I’m excited for new challenges.

“I mean, I was playing really well at the beginning of the season, and I think teams had an opportunity to scheme me,

but I feel like I can still make plays. I don’t know. I’m excited for all the new challenges.”

Is Baun looking at what other teams in the in the NFC East and what they’re doing, draft wise and free agent wise”

“I don’t really pay attention to too much of what other teams are doing,” Baun said. “Honestly, it doesn’t really matter

what they’re doing at the end of the day, it’s about us and well we can build and what we could do here.”

Rest assured, teams will be looking at what he does. ••

Some information in this article is from wikipedia.com, pro-football-reference. com, philadelphiaeagles.com.

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Zack Baun (53) always had a knack for being near the ball and the play.

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Zack Baun intercepts Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. This play had a major impact on the Eagles winning the Super Bowl.

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Zack Baun after he intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.

FIELD

With

FUTURE OF DALLAS GOEDERT IS STILL UP IN THE AIR...OR IN THE DRAFT

BY PAUL DOMOWITCH

There aren’t many uncertainties about the Eagles o ense right now. There is the identity of Mekhi Becton’s replacement at right guard. Will it be 2023 third-round pick Tyler Steen, or will it be new addition Kenyon Green, who was acquired in a trade with Houston earlier this month?

There is the third wide receiver spot. Has Jahan Dotson ﬁnally earned Jalen Hurts’ trust or will 6-6 Johnny Wilson start hanging on to balls and make a big second-year move?

But the biggest roster mystery right now is at tight end. Will Dallas Goedert be back for an eighth season with the team or will he be traded or be a postJune 1 release?

On the surface, getting rid of Goedert might seem absurd. He is one of the most complete tight ends in the league.

He has averaged nearly four catches and 44 receiving yards per game in his career and is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, which is a pretty big deal on an o ense that had the league’s highest run-play percentage (56.9) and ﬁnished second in rushing (179.3) last season on the way to their second Super Bowl title in eight years.

But there are a number of extenuating circumstances that are behind the 30-year-old Goedert’s uncertain future with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft.

For starters, there’s his contract status.

He is entering the ﬁnal year of the fouryear, $51 million extension he signed in November of 2021 and will be an unrestricted free agent after the ’25 season.

His $11.8 million salary-cap number this season is the ﬁfth highest on the team, behind quarterback Jalen Hurts ($21.9M), wide receiver AJ Brown ($17.6M), right tackle Lane Johnson ($17.4M) and left tackle Jordan Mailata ($15.3M).

He doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his deal, but he’ll be paid $15.5 million in base salary and bonuses this season if he is on the Eagles’ roster.

Goedert’s 2025 cap number hardly is

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

an absurd one for a player of his caliber.

The team also could lower that number by restructuring his deal or signing him to another extension.

But there are a couple of reasons they don’t seem anxious to want to do that.

One is the age factor. He turned 30 in January and it’s not a young 30.

Goedert plays the game hard and with a certain amount of recklessness, and has taken his share of punishment.

The kind that speeds up the athletic aging process.

The other is his availability and production.

Since 2020, Goedert has missed 22 of 84 regular-season games because of injury.

That’s 4.4 missed games per season over that period. Over the last three seasons, he has missed 15 games, including seven last season because of knee and hamstring injuries, three in 2023 because of a fractured forearm and ﬁve in 2022 because of a shoulder injury.

The question of whether his value to the Eagles’ o ense has dipped depends on what numbers you – and the Eagles -- look at.

Last season, the o ense averaged 28.6 points per game in the 13 regular-season and playo games that Goedert participated in, and 33.7 in the seven games without him.

After averaging 14.8 and 12.8 yards per catch in 2021 and 2022, he has averaged just 10.0 and 11.8 yards per catch the last two seasons.

His ﬁrst-down percentage on receptions has fallen steadily, from 75.0 in 2021 to 72.7 in 2022 to 55.9 in 2023 to 47.6 last year.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles averaged an impressive 6.3 yards per designed run with Goedert last season and just 4.7 without him.

But Pro Football Focus gave him a 57.1 run-blocking grade, which was one of the lowest grades of his career and one of the lowest among the NFL’s starting tight ends.

A year earlier, they gave him a 74.1 grade, which was the ﬁfth highest among NFL tight ends.

The Eagles haven’t exactly been shopping Goedert, but they’ve put the word out to other teams that they’re willing to listen to o ers for him.

They almost certainly wouldn’t be able to get a pick in the ﬁrst three – and probably four -- rounds of next month’s draft for Goedert right now.

But teams have historically been more generous giving away future picks, which might appeal to general manager Howie Roseman.

The Eagles are going to be reloading their roster with younger, less expensive players in 2026. Including the projected picks they’re going to be getting for this year’s lost free agents.

They currently have 12 tentative picks in the ’26 draft, including three third-, two fourth- and three ﬁfth-round picks.

There is no doubt Dallas Goedert would love to come back for another chance for a second ring.

That’s the truth, and the sheen from Super Bowl LIX will soon wear o . The Eagles have been active in this o season, shedding some older, high-priced talent in favor of low-risk, high-reward contracts in free agency.

They extended star players like running back Saquon Barkley, right tackle Lane Johnson and linebacker Zack Baun. They loaded up on draft picks – Philadelphia expects to 20 of them in the 2025 and 2026 NFL Drafts.

The present is promising. The future is bright.

The Philadelphia Eagles, winners of two Super Bowls in the last seven NFL seasons, are as formidable as any team in the league, led by a head coach who is hot – but not anywhere close to being on a “hot seat.”

In fact, Sirianni is likely lined up for a long-term contract extension at some point and should be in the conversation for NFL Coach of the Year.

He has evolved from the time he started his career here in 2021 – giving up control of the o ense to his o ensive coordinator at that time and not taking

it back in any season, becoming more of a CEO-type head coach of the football team.

Sirianni has changed out key pieces of his coaching sta every season – this oseason he lost o ensive coordinator Kel-

len Moore, who became head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and promoted Kevin Patullo from passing-game coordinator to o ensive coordinator – and the team has continued winning.

Sirianni is among the most successful

head coaches in the NFL and he deserves his ﬂowers.

His success speaks for itself in every way as the Eagles, coming o a Super Bowl LIX victory, push for more history to be made. ••

Nick Sirianni greets former Eagles head coach and 3X Super Bowl Champion Andy of the Kansas City Chiefs after the Eagles dominated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

PHOTOS BY ANDY LEWIS

Nick Sirianni with Brandon Graham after winning Super Bowl LIX.

If they could get, say, a fourth thirdround pick next year for Goedert, they would have a lot of ﬂexibility as far as moving up in the ﬁrst two rounds.

The question, of course, is how much would the Eagles miss Goedert this season if they traded or released him.

His backup, Grant Calcaterra, has developed into a reliable receiving tight end.

He had 24 catches last year – 15 for ﬁrst downs – had an 80.0 catch rate and averaged 12.4 yards per catch.

As far as his blocking, he’s graduated to the can-get-in-people’s-way level, which isn’t all that bad (see: Ertz, Zach).

The Eagles also signed two tight ends in the second phase of free agency – former Brown and Raider Harrison Bryant and former Colt Kylen Granson.

Bryant is a solid blocker. Not as good as Goedert but better than Calcaterra.

Granson is an undersized H-back type, who had 62 receptions in 2022-23 for the Colts.

Next month’s draft has what is considered by NFL personnel people to be a very deep tight end crop.

When he plays, Dallas Goedert is as good as any tight end in the league. But since 2020, the 30-year-old has missed 22 of 84 regular-season games because of injury.

The Eagles would kill to get their hands on the draft’s top tight end – Penn State’s Tyler Warren – whose versatility and toughness would be a godsend to their o ense.

They could line him up in a hundred di erent places.

But I have yet to see a mock draft that has Warren slipping any further than

14th or 15th.

Dallas Goedert has always had great hands. But

rises

with his blocking skills. Goedert has been a big part of the success of the “Tush Push,” the Eagles unstoppable quarterback sneak.

Even if they included Goedert in a deal, Roseman and the Eagles don’t really have the trade ammunition to move up into the top 12 or 13 spots this year.

The second best tight end in the draft, Michigan’s Colston Loveland, could slide into the bottom of the ﬁrst round. Loveland is a tall (6-5) target with nat-

ural hands, but isn’t a particularly good blocker.

All of that said, it’s very possible the Eagles will just stand pat, hang on to Goedert for one last season and deal with his $11.8M cap number and hope that he stays healthier at 30 than he did at 29 and 28 and 27.

Stay tuned. ••

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

to the top

BONNER/PRENDIE WINS FIRST PIAA TITLE IN SCHOOL HISTORY… WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT

BY AL THOMPSON

UPPER DARBY: Teams that win championships regardless of the sport, almost always have an aura of conﬁdence about them.

Ask any coach how hard it is to get his or her team to capture that feeling of conﬁdence, it’s tough.

Former Eagles standout cornerback, NFL and college head coach and current television commentator Herman Edwards once said that when a team is on a role, it’s because it captured the ‘it” factor.

Paraphrasing here…Edwards said, “Once you get ‘it,’ you don’t want to let ‘it’ go. You want to hold on to ‘it’ for as long as you can.”

Bonner & Prendie Catholic High School head football coach Jack Muldoon was able to grab “it” in 2024 and ran with it all the way to a PIAA 4A Championship defeating Lampeter-Strasburg in the ﬁnal in convincing fashion, 40-14.

The Friars earned the ﬁrst PIAA state title in school history in any sport.

Bonner/Prendie posted a 12-2 record losing only to nationally ranked 6A Catholic League programs LaSalle College High School and St. Joe’s Prep. In 2023, the Friar’s went 9-3 and lost to the Dallas High School Mountaineers 28-27 in the second round of the playo s.

Friars standout quarterback Noel Campbell Jr. said after the loss, he and his returning teammates started to feel like they could do better in 2024, much better.

Campbell, who led the Friars to their ﬁrst state title in just his sophomore season, talked about how the new conﬁdence unfolded.

“I had a feeling since last year, when we kind of fell short,” Campbell said at a recent sit down talk on the Bonner/ Prendie campus. “The seniors this year gave us a boost to be able to take it that

far. We had the hope this was going to be the group to make it happen.”

Campbell was awarded ﬁrst team 4A All-State honors after his historic season. For the season, he completed 180 of 283 passes for 2,685 yards and 27 touchdown passes. He threw eight interceptions.

Also named to the 4A All State Team

from Bonner/Prendie were senior running back Mick Johnson, Coach of the Year Jack Muldoon, senior wide receiver Jeremiah Coleman, senior o ensive lineman Chaz Ingram and senior defensive lineman Jalil Hall.

At what point did Campbell feel like this was his team?

“It really started the year before,”

Campbell said. “When we fell short, I started getting that feeling as we were coming into this season. I know I had to mature...get more connected with the guys. I got that not the ﬁrst game, but in the o season, in the scrimmages...I felt like it was my team. I knew I had to be a leader for the guys for us to do what we wanted to do.”

Returning underclassmen include running back Saalem Frink, kick returner/RB

Tarif Nixon, WR/SB Tymir Morris, TE/ DE Cj Amobi, DE/LB Cole Romano, CB/ WR Josiah Adams, RB/SS/MLB Mekhi Martin, CB/WR Musa Bradford, WR/CB Jameer Frink, CB, WR Brian Welsh, WR/ SS Mohamed Ismail, MLB Kyziiah Barratt, RB/CB Trevon Scurry, MLB Amir Williams, DE/TD Elijah Daniels, MLB Moranuoluwa Adeyemi, DT/G Jaysaan Allen, T/G Caleb Tesema,DT Naﬁz Bostick, G/OLB Manny Livingston, G Kevin Hunter, G/DT Gabe Mooney, DT Darnell Duret, T Julius Johnson, T/DT Frank Simon, T/DT Terence Jones jr, C/G/DT James Shallow, G/T/LS Collin Murray and TE/DE Camryn Lundy and CB Dylon Abrams.

Campbell did all this while being listed at 5-foot-5, 130 pounds as a sophomore.

He says his size is always a question. He said on this day he is now 5-6, 145 pounds.

His genetics are there...Campbell is an athlete. He is just not a tall player. But Campbell is a football player.

Eagles fans saw how Jalen Hurts – also considered an undersized signal caller –would internalize criticism and use it to motivate himself.

How does Campbell process the remarks about his height?

He sees the game through a unique lens. His football world is a bit di erent than most other quarterbacks playing today.

Campbell put on a dazzling display this season of how to make his perceived drawback work to his and his team’s beneﬁt.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY BONNER/PRENDIE Noel Campbell Jr. in action this season.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY BONNER/PRENDIE

Noel Campbell Jr. and Mick Johnson celebrate after a big play.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY BONNER/PRENDIE

Mick Johnson is taking his talents to West Chester University next year.

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PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

STEVE HONICK LOOKS TO REVITALIZE ARCHBISHOP JOHN CARROLL FOOTBALL

BY MATT SANTOLERI

Famed Japanese poet and master of the Haiku, Matsuo Bashō once wrote; “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

While these words were written centuries before even the concept of football would materialize, they ring true for the many men and women who undertake the act of coaching.

The dream is to ﬁnd that happy place, that organization or situation that promises stability, while also stimulating that creative side of you that is necessary to excel at the highest level.

The reality is you are more likely to ﬁnd yourself bouncing around from stop-to-stop trying to soak in as much from those gifted enough themselves to

teach the game while trying to parley each opportunity up the ladder.

For new Head Coach of Archbishop John Carroll High School, Steve Honick, he can do what many wishes they could, by melding both the journey and home into one.

Honick was the Patriots quarterback from 2013-2016 putting together some incredible performances as Carroll’s single-season passing leader but also saw ﬁrsthand how hard it’s been as the team went 9-32 during those years.

What makes Coach Honick so conﬁdent that he’s the man who give a rebirth to a school that has only seen 1 winning season since 2007?

“Does it mean that I’m the best guy for the job because I went to Carroll? No. I think being from Carroll and having a lot of connections with the alumni and anybody that I had played with can

conﬁdently say that I pour my heart and soul into that school, and I do think that goes a long way.”

He talked about what it meant to coach under another legendary Carroll QB in Bill Zwaan, who led the Patriots to a 1971 Philadelphia City Championship, and who was the Head Coach of West Chester, where Honick got his coaching start.

“He gave me an opportunity to be a student assistant. I left Ursinus after two years and I went to West Chester, and I wanted to get into coaching. I reached out to Coach Zwaan over email asking to come over and be a student assistant, and he said “Sure, swing by”.

Honick would go on to reference back to his stops along the way since leaving Carroll as a senior in 2017 as guiding

PHOTO BY AL THOMPSON

New Carroll head coach Steve Honick with his players training in the Dom D'Alicandro Memorial weight room.

PHOTO BY AL THOMPSON

Steve Honick takes over a storied program that has had just one winning season since 2007.

When he was asked the question, he didn’t pause for a second.

“Advantage,” Campbell said without hesitation. “As a smaller quarterback, it’s not the easiest, but I deﬁnitely hear it a lot. I deﬁnitely use that as motivation to put more work in. People are going to say what they say.”

Campbell, who lists Hurts as his favorite NFL player, has two more seasons of high school football left to play at the Upper Darby school.

Campbell, like Hurts, seems mature beyond his years. He knows you can’t eat a pizza all at once.

It takes time, one piece at a time.

“I’m not trying to look too much in the future, I just take it day by day, play by play as the year goes on, practice by practice,” Campbell said. “I want more chemistry with the guys as the younger guys are coming up.

“But yeah, I just take it day by day. I don’t skip to...’Dang I wish we could just skip to the state championship.’ I take it day by day, practice to practice.”

Campbell said this o season he is fo-

cused on “weightlifting, eating, working out with my mechanics.” Where does Campbell train? “I stay here mostly.”

BONNER/PRENDIE IS LOSING ITS OFFENSIVE BACKBONETO THE RAMS

In the 4A championship game against

Lampeter-Strasburg; at Chapman Stadium on the campus of Cumberland Valley High School, senior Mick Johnson had a swan song most high school players dream of.

The 5-10, 172-pound senior rushed 24 times for a net 111 yards and four touchdowns against the Pioneers.

For the season, public records show

Johnson rushed 159 times for 1,322 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Johnson was asked about his thoughts on the season and when they knew it could be special.

“From the beginning of the season, or probably since last year, my junior year… after last year’s loss in the playo s, I just

Friars coaches and sta celebrate winning the 4A State title.

Bonner/Prendie State Championship Team.

knew we had to come back,” Johnson said. “I really didn’t want to feel that feeling anymore. We had to put in the work. We had to put in as much work as we could to get to that point and win the championship.”

Eagles all-everything running back Saquon Barkley, who played high school football for Whitehall High School in Whitehall Township, PA has been known to talk to his teammates about what different moves he is working on and when he wants to try new moves in a game.

In many cases, Barkley admitted he emulated moves he’s seen from other pro running backs.

Does Johnson build his rolodex of moves in the same way?

“Yes, I watch a lot of backs like (Detroit Lions) Jahmyr Gibbs, Barry Sanders (Detroit), Saquon Barkley and a lot of other backs,” Johnson said. “I like to take their moves and input it into my game to the best of my ability. Because I know it’s not going to look the same as when they did it, but I can try my best to do it and put a spin on it.”

Johnson played well in a championship game and helped Bonner/Prendie hang a banner. How has that resonated with college scouts and coaches Johnson is talking to?

“They do say a lot,” Johnson said. “They’re looking for winners who know

how to get it done and lead the team. I feel like I did a good job doing that this year and put a good example out.”

Johnson revealed he is taking his talents to the heralded West Chester Univer-

sity football program.

Johnson said he has talked to head coach Duke Greco about where he ﬁts in. Will Johnson get consideration to play right away?

“We’re going to see how I develop over the o season,” Johnson said. “The coaches have said I have a chance of playing as a freshman.”

It was interesting to see who Johnson admired the most as an NFL player growing up…Michael Vick, a quarterback. Who also happens to be one of the greatest running QB1s in NFL history.

“I’ve been watching Michael Vick since I was like ﬁve years old.” Johnson said. “All the moves I do are inspired by Michael Vick.”

In the near future, players coming to Bonner/Prendie will look up to the championship feats of Campbell, Johnson and the rest of the Friars because they grabbed “it” and never let go. ••

Some information in this article is from easternpafootball.com, piaa.org and MaxPreps.com

PHOTO BY AL THOMPSON

First team 4A All State running back Mick Johnson plans to play college football for West Chester University.

PHOTO BY AL THOMPSON

First team 4A All State quarterback Noel Campbell Jr. still has lofty goals to accomplish over the next two seasons at Bonner/Prendie.

FOLLOW AL THOMPSON ON TWITTER @thompsoniii

Kellen did a terriﬁc job of becoming a run ﬁrst team in an organization the doesn’t believe that that is the best way to win championships. Let’s just say that that is not what the analytics say.

The other concern is the pounding that Saquon took. He accumulated nearly 500 touches in 20 starts last season. Not many running backs have ever had that kind of work load and played the following season without any kind of negative impact.

They very much need to watch him far more closely than they did in 2024. Hopefully newly signed free agent AJ Dillon could really help as Saquon can’t be expected to perform as Superman two years in a row.

Defensively I think the Birds are going to be just ﬁne. Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith are both playing at an elite level and the free agent acquisitions of Josh Uche and Azees Ojulari are both young and have had some success. They should add depth the the defensive line rotation. The re-signing of Zach Baun to a mega-deal was earned while Nakobe Dean will return from injury.

It’s not needed to go position by position and the aggregate of losses. Vic Fangio was already ticked o the the Birds surrendering 22 points in a little over a quarter of the Super Bowl so he will start the o season on his own vitriolic warpath.

The biggest reason for my optimism next season, despite a large number of defections, is the Birds ability to draft and develop talent. This is the deepest defensive line draft that I have seen in a long long time. I feel like the Eagles can draft 2 eventual starters from this college crop.

Perhaps the biggest reason why I believe this defense can be great again is Jordan Davis. To this point he has been a disappointment.

But I believe he has everything it takes to be dominant. It’s more mental than physical. If he can ﬁght to stay on the ﬁeld up to 60 percent of the snaps instead of 35 percent it will make this defense that much more di cult to run on.

The o ensive and defensive lines in totality should be the best in the NFL. That philosophy of the Eagles, that you win Championships in the trenches should keep them highly competitive this season and beyond.

The biggest fear is still complacency, but if you have the right leaders like Lane Johnson, Jalen Hurts, Saquon, and Zach Baun then they have a great chance to overcome that common hurdle

The Birds are my prediction to represent the NFC in SB LX next season. ••

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Baldy predicts the Eagles will return to the Super Bowl next season.

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Baldy hopes newly signed free agent AJ Dillon can be a big help as Saquon can’t be expected to perform as Superman two years in a row.

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Baldy believes Jordan Davis (90) can ﬁll at least some of the void left after the departure of Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and the retirement of Brandon Graham.

lights that have helped him prepare for coming home.

“Being around Coach Devlin (Ursinus), Coach Zwaan (West Chester) and all those coaches at Temple, Coach Drayton (Temple), unbelievable guy, you pick certain things from certain coaches and try to apply that to yourself. What do you think makes the most sense ﬁrst for yourself because everyone has di erent personalities, but also the situation in which you’re in.”

Honick knows this turnaround of the program won’t just come from him, but also the people he empowers to journey with him and the program.

“The biggest thing in being a head coach is surrounding yourself with very good people. A lot of coaches know X’s and O’s and what not, but I want to surround myself with good people that the kids will respond to and can get the most out of the kids.

In terms of our sta , it’s unbelievable. Yesterday we had nine coaches at our after-school weightlifting workout and I

don’t know of anybody else who is doing that.”

He was asked how much seeing the game from the QB’s perspective matters in getting Carroll back on track.

“I do think it’s important because when you’re the QB you have to wear all the hats on the o ense. You have to understand what the O-line is doing on every single play vs a certain kind of front. You have to understand a reciever’s depth on routes vs a certain kind of alignment, everyone is looking at you for what to do.”

Carroll has one winning record season since 2007 (7-6) and many think Honick is starting from ground-zero, he begs to di er.

“I don’t want to say that we’re starting from nothing because there are a lot of talented kids in this program right now and truly mean that. There are kids here that if they put the work in, we can’t do it for them, they will be very, very, very popular recruits.”

This job won’t be easy for Honick,

but the coach’s messaging is one that seems perfect for what is being asked of him.

“Our motto is H.A.R.D. Everything is going to be H.A.R.D. If we want to go from here to there, we can’t keep doing the same things expecting di erent results. We have to master the H.A.R.D. and so what does that mean? To us, it means Honesty, Accountability, Respect, and Discipline. If we can master those four aspects of the H.A.R.D., we’re going to win a lot of football games and produce a lot of well-rounded young men.”

Can Honick, just the second alumni head coach since the school opened in 1967, make Carroll competitive again? He certainly seems conﬁdent enough to do just that. ••

Find the full interview with Head Coach of Archbishop Carroll, Steve Honick, on the February 26th Episode of Footballstories Live on the Footballstories Magazine Facebook page.

PHOTO BY AL THOMPSON

Carroll football players train after school in the Dom D'Alicandro memorial Weight Room.

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Like Williams, Nolen will make it impossible to single-block him as they double team Jalen Carter. This is probably the number one asset the Birds need to acquire before they begin the 2025 season.

Michigan’s Kenneth Grant is deﬁnitely next in line behind Nolen. Grant has a combination of size, power and athleticism that make it nearly impossible to single block him with success.

South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders has also shown the potential to be an outstanding inside pass rusher.

Like Nolen he has the quickness and power to create problems when singled-blocked.

Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams may be the best athlete at the defensive tackle spot in this draft, but he’s going to need to be developed over time as a pass rusher.

He’s not ready to dominate right now, but the Birds may be overwhelmed by his potential.

to the 11.5 sacks he had in 2022 for New England.

You hope that the Birds quality coaching can help Uche reach double-digit sacks again.

The Birds also signed a familiar edge rusher, Patrick Johnson, who had been a backup for the Eagles for three years before signing with the Giants in 2024 and spending a year up I-95.

You know he has to be shaking his head because he left for a year and missed a Super Bowl title.

In the trading away of Birds safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Birds have acquired the Texans 2022 ﬁrst round draft pick, former Texas A&M o ensive guard Kenyon Green, who seems to be a great candidate to enroll in Stoutland University.

He has tremendous potential and now he will be in a great atmosphere for development.

In the trade for backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, the Birds have acquired Browns backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who shares a similar skill-set with Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts. Like Hurts, he’s an outstanding athlete, who is always a threat to run.

The Birds have re-signed Ben VanSumeren, who is a young backup linebacker and a good special team player.

He’s such a versatile athlete, that the

Copper DeJean will be handling even more responsibilities next season in the secondary.

Birds had him play some fullback a year ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if they utilized him again at that position.

EAGLES DRAFT NEEDS AND TARGETS

When it comes to the draft, the Eagles have eight picks: a one, a two, a three, a four and four ﬁfth-round picks.

They are likely to address their o ensive or defensive lines in the ﬁrst round. Roseman believes you can’t have enough talent upfront and he’s been proven right, time and time again.

In the second round, many expect the Birds to draft a tight end. Dallas Goedert is not expected to remain on the roster because of his inability to stay healthy.

He’s a very good tight end when he’s well, but he’s been missing quite a few games the last couple of years.

The trading away of safety Gardner-Johnson has given many draft experts around the NFL the impression that the Birds could address the safety position at some point early in this draft.

Sidney Brown is expected to get a shot at the starting strong safety position, but he’s got to prove he can be a steady, sure-tackling safety. Brown will need to change from his all out attack on every play mind-set. Vic Fangio wants safeties that prevent big plays.

We will see if Brown can be that type of player.

In the middle to later rounds, I could

Eagles hope linebacker Zack Baun (background) will help the Eagles hoist another Lombardi Trophy.

see the Birds addressing their needs at the linebacker position with Burks leaving and Nakobe Dean not expected to return to action until the middle of the season.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. will likely get the chance to start, but I expect the Birds to try to add to the depth at the position.

The top o ensive tackles in this year’s draft starts with Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas, then you have Will Campbell of LSU, next is Josh Simmons of Ohio State, Armand Membou of Missouri.

Simmons is probably going to be on the board when the Birds draft in the ﬁrst round because of an injury he su ered.

The torn patella tendon that he injured during the Buckeyes 2024 season could give the Birds a chance to draft him.

He is the type of selection that Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman might see as a great deal.

The Birds don’t have the need at the o ensive tackle position right now with starters Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata in place, but in a couple of years the need will be there and Simmons could be ready to play.

I could see the Birds grabbing this top of the ﬁrst round pick at the 32nd spot.

If the Birds want to address their defensive tackle needs, Mississippi State defensive tackle Walter Nolen would be a great replacement for Milton Williams.

He’s got the power and quickness to get penetration in order to force the quarterback to move.

The Eagles may want to try to replace edge rusher Josh Sweat, who left in free agency by signing with the Arizona Cardinals.

As I said earlier, Roseman believes you can never have enough quality players on your o ensive and defensive lines.

They might ﬁnd that Texas A&M’s big, athletic pass rusher, Shemar Stewart could be up to the challenge of replacing Sweat. Stewart blazes around the corner at the snap of the ball, while standing 6-foot-5 and weighing about 270 pounds.

The young man has the long arms and quickness that you like to see in a pass rusher. He may be there when the Birds pick in the ﬁrst round.

Could they have the nerve to draft yet another Georgia Bulldog? A bevy of NFL scouts are excited about Mykel Williams.

He’s got the speed around the corner with power to be physical with o ensive tackles.

He plays the run and the pass with passion. Did I mention that he gets to the quarterback?

Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer also has the speed, the power and the passion to pressure that guy throwing the football.

Princely Umanmielen from Ole Mississippi is a player that many scouts are very excited about because he knows how to get to the quarterback.

The Eagles may think that he is the guy to grab with that 32nd pick.

I doubt Roseman and his crew will keep all four of the team’s ﬁfth round picks. I expect the Birds to be aggressive in the early rounds if they see a player they’re very high on dropping. ••

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

Quinon Mitchell should be able to handle a larger role next season.

PHOTO BY ANDY LEWIS

PHOTO BY TERENCE LEWIS

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive end Brandon Graham do interviews after winning the Super Bowl.