He’s only a rookie, but defensive tackle Jordan Davis knows what the Super Bowl means.
Surely, Jason Kelce has told him this story about Brent Celek talking to the team in 2018, the last time the Eagles were in the Super Bowl.
“He had gone to the NFC championship (in 2008-09) his second year and how he thought he’d just be back there every year,” said the Eagles center. “We’ll get 'em next time. And it took him another eight years after that … or nine years to get back there.
“So, I think there’s a sense of urgency here. We have a really good team. We have a great roster. You’re only going to get so many chances to do something special in this league. (Celek) realized it very early on that year that we had a chance to do something great.
“I think you go into every year quite honestly thinking you’re going to go to the Super Bowl. It’s hard to go into the year not expecting to be great. It just doesn’t happen often.”
It didn’t happen for Linval Joseph.
He was 22 when the New York Giants went and won the Super Bowl, toppling the then-undefeated New England Patriots.
He’s 34 now.
“I feel like this is more special,” he said on Saturday. “I was 22 years old last time. I was so young, and it happened so fast, I felt like it was expected. To have a second chance 11 years later, God is good.”
Davis just turned 23 on Jan. 12.
He seemingly understands the stakes and the urgency.
“I’m trying to learn some information to help us back to this point and hopefully I’m not like 30,” he said on Saturday. “Hopefully, I’m 24 or 25 or 26 playing, shoot, 23, playing for a Super Bowl.
“…Just going through this journey has been an awesome rookie year, an amazing rookie year, filled with accomplishments and a little adversity, too. But at the end of the day, I’m just grateful for these guys and I’m ready to go to war.”
Davis won a national title with the University of Georgia last year, but this is a whole other level.
“The national championship was great, but I’ve yet to hold a Lombardi Trophy, so hopefully when I hold that Lombardi Trophy it will have more weight,” he said. “This is the top of our profession. You come from college to get to the NFL and you’re playing for a championship in the NFL.
"That means a lot more. We’re excited. Everybody is watching. The whole world is going to be watching."
A big part of dealing with the Super Bowl isn’t always the game.
It’s the build-up.
Joseph has talked to the rookie, and other first-timers, about the hype.
“It comes with it,” said Joseph. “It’s part of being the best at it. You have to embrace it and enjoy it.”
Again, Davis seems to get it.
He’s one that always enjoys the moment and tries to soak in everything.
“There’s going to be a lot of distractions in Arizona,” he said “There have been a lot of distractions even leading up to this point, but just know what we’re going there for and we have a mission to do. But also enjoying the moment.
“You don’t want to be a robot the whole week then you’re burned out by the time the game comes. So, just enjoying the moment. Getting out there, enjoying Arizona. It’s warm weather.
“I’m ready to get to the warm weather. I love Philly but I hate the weather. So, enjoy the moment, be grateful, and just live. This is just the next game, the last game, and, obviously, we want to win it all.”
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