Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Hicks ready to pick off role as a leader
PHILADELPHIA >> He plays what can be the most important and storied position on a football field. He is young. He is a leader. He just had a strong season for the Eagles.
And he is ready to be a face of a franchise prepared to grow into Super Bowl contention. “Absolutely,” he said. “Absolutely.”
He is not Carson Wentz, the 24-year-old quarterback, the player the Birds will build an offense around, a developing star.
He is Jordan Hicks, the 24-year-old middle linebacker, the player the Birds will build a defense around. And a developing star, too.
As the Birds lingered around their NewsControl Compound locker room for the last time Monday before scattering into a too-early offseason, they had a consciousness of the NFL reality that not all would return. After ending a remarkable season with two interceptions in a 27-13 victory Sunday over the Dallas Cowboys, Hicks hardly needed to be so concerned.
In just his second NFL season, and his first full one after his promising rookie season ended after eight games due to a torn pectoral muscle, Hicks collected five interceptions, tying Bill Bergey for fourth place on the Birds’ all-time single-season list. He also mixed in three fumble recoveries and 94 tackles, enough to land in discussion about the Pro Bowl.
It also left him trending as another young Eagle whose replica jersey – that would be No. 58 – will be pushed to the front of the souvenir shelves.
“They’ve slowly put me into that role, going into this year, putting me on the podium,” said Hicks, who was a regular in the more formal Eagles-arranged press settings. “I was doing a little more of that stuff. And it is not something I am afraid of at all. It is something I want to embrace. It is something I want to do.”
The son of an Indiana high school basketball coach, a product of the University of Texas, Hicks is as comfortable around cameras as he is covering ground in the gut of a defense. And to be a symbol of a franchise, both skills are required.
The Eagles had an idea last season that Hicks was about to gain popularity among a fan base devoted to play-making linebackers since Chuck Bednarik sat on that Green Bay Packer. But despite Hicks’ two interceptions and then-teamhigh 54 tackles in eight games, including five starts, they could not be sure. Neither, given the severity of his season-ending injury, could the third-round draft choice. While Hicks was certain he would recover, he was aware that his offseason weight training could be compromised. More, the Birds were changing coaches and defensive schemes.
So, there was mystery. Could he do it again? Could he match the early production that yielded two interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries in his first eight NFL games? Would he fit into Jim Schwartz’s 4-3 defense? Might he be lost in that swirl, playing next to more veteran linebackers who would go on to produce disappointing seasons? Those were the questions Hicks was fighting off, just a year ago.
“Absolutely,” he acknowledged. “We didn’t know who was going to be our defensive coordinator. We didn’t know what defense we would be in or who our head coach would be. It was all up for grabs at that point. I was coming off an injury. I was having a great year. But who knows what Year 2 is going to look like?
“For me, I just focused on what I could control, and that was getting better each day, constantly working on my craft, studying tape. And I was able to bounce back, stay healthy and pull out this season.”
Injured in college, injured as a rookie, Hicks did have to prove durability this season. So he did, making 16 starts, playing in almost every configuration. His contract still good for two years, the Eagles do not necessarily have to further enrich the linebacker at once. Soon, though, they will need to pay Hicks like a franchise pillar, given that he is just the fourth linebacker in NFL history with seven or more interceptions in his first two seasons.
A five-game, midseason losing streak slowed any rampage of Eagles to the Pro Bowl, though Jason Peters and Fletcher Cox rolled in, mostly on reputation. Young players need time to earn that accommodation. Hicks is on that path.
“It’s a goal of mine, obviously,” he said. “I think it should be a goal for everybody. Everybody is in this game to be great. But first and foremost is production of this team, wins for this team, and playing my part and the role that this team needs me to play.”
The role would be middle linebacker. The part would be the face of a defense. Jordan Hicks just completed a season that showed he was ready for both.
To contact Jack McCaffery, email him at jmccaffery@21stcenturymedia.com; follow him on Twitter @JackMcCaffery.