Fans turn out to toast Eagles
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl parade provided catharsis Thursday for hundreds of thousands of Eagles fans.
The crowds were deliriously joyful after decades without a league title for their favorite franchise, and they relished the national spotlight on a team few outside the city believed could win it all after starting quarterback Carson Wentz was injured late in the regular season.
Clad in green, spectators jammed the streets from dawn near the stadium to an afternoon rally at the city’s famed “Rocky” steps, lining up 20 deep in spots to catch a glimpse of the champions. The Eagles rode in open-top double decker buses to the art museum Sylvester Stallone made famous, participating there in a rally nearly 60 years in the making.
Center Jason Kelce gave voice to every frustrated Eagles fan with a remarkable, impassioned and profane speech in which he defended the team’s general manager, its coach and a litany of players who supposedly weren’t smart enough, big enough or talented enough to win a title.
“We were a bunch of underdogs,” shouted Kelce, channeling Rocky Balboa. “Bottom line is we wanted it more!”
And so did football-crazed Philly — desperately. Until Sunday’s 41-33 victory over the favored New England Patriots, the Eagles remained the only team in their division, the NFC East, without a Super Bowl title. It was an ongoing humiliation that gave Philly an inferiority complex and made Eagles fans an easy target for fans of other teams, especially the rival Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.
“This Super Bowl championship is for you,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told the vast crowd. “You are the most passionate and deserving sports fans on the planet. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
Added Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles: “We finally did it. We’re Super Bowl champs!”
The Eagles did win three NFL titles — in 1948, ’49 and ’60 — before the AFL-NFL merger. But the city that has celebrated Stanley Cup championships for the Flyers (1975, 1976), NBA crowns for the 76ers (1967, 1983) and World Series titles for the Phillies (1980, 2008) in the decades since now has a Super Bowl prize.
The parade began at the Eagles’ stadium complex and slowly made its way up Broad Street past the cheering throngs. Carrying the Vince Lombardi Trophy, coach Doug Pederson walked part of the route — allowing fans to touch the gleaming hardware — while Lurie held a sign that thanked fans.
Dan Tarvin, 29, was pumped after high-fiving Pederson and general manager Howie Roseman, who was instrumental in putting together a squad expected to compete for championships for years to come.
“They are more than heroes. They’re legends,” Tarvin said. “They’re immortal in this city forever.”
Colts searching
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press the Indianapolis Colts have sought permission to interview Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier as they search again for a head coach.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Thursday because neither team has revealed the development, first reported by NFL.com.
The Colts were forced to resume their coaching search after New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reneged Tuesday on an agreement to accept the job, stunning the league when he decided at the last minute to remain with the Patriots.
The 58-year-old Frazier recently completed his first season in Buffalo, where he served as a mentor to firstyear coach Sean McDermott. Frazier has spent the past 19 seasons coaching in the NFL, including a stint of more than three years as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jackson’s funeral
ATLANTA — Funeral services have been arranged for Edwin Jackson, the Colts linebacker killed Sunday.
Jackson’s funeral is Monday at Big Bethel AME Church in his hometown of Atlanta. He played at Westlake High School and Georgia Southern University before going on to the NFL, where he spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis.
The 26-year-old Jackson’s family said the Colts and the NFL “have lost a young and rising star — one who truly loved the game of football and played it with a passion.”
Authorities said Jackson and Jeffrey Monroe of Avon, Ind., a 54-year-old-old Uber driver, were struck by 37-yearold Manuel Orrego-Savala’s vehicle as they stood along Interstate 70 in Indianapolis. Authorities also said Orrego-Savala was living illegally in the United States, was drunk when he hit the victims and doesn’t have a license. On Wednesday, he was charged with four felony counts.
Monroe’s funeral is today in Indianapolis.