Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Small in stature, Covey catching on with Eagles fans
Punt returner in top 10 in his specialty
PHILADELPHIA >> You probably don’t want to say “small world” around Eagles punt returner Britain Covey, who lists at 5-foot-8, 173 pounds.
Taunting him for his compact frame won’t get you anywhere, either, for Covey turns it into fuel on his mission to return punts and back up at the receiver position.
Rewinding to Miami this past summer for the joint practices with the Dolphins, Covey was offended by the snide remarks of Christian Wilkins, Miami’s 6-4, 310-pound defensive tackle. Wilkins crossed the line with a wisecrack about Covey’s stature so nasty it would be in poor taste to print it. Just say Covey unleashed his “dawg” mentality.
“We were on the way to the bathroom,” Eagles tight end Jack Stoll recalled. “They were chirping to say the least. Covey being Covey, he said something back. Trust me he ended up going out and having a day. I think he takes stuff like that to heart. He’ll be around here with a smile on his face and act like that doesn’t affect him but he’s super competitive. He does it in his own unique way.”
Stoll politely intervened. But those practices and the preseason games, along with Covey’s versatility to return kicks and play receiver, weighed significantly in the Eagles’ decision to keep the undrafted free agent and move on from the established Jalen Reagor and Greg Ward.
In the karma department, Covey has a chance to contribute toward a Super Bowl and collect the $150,000 title prize while Wilkins, well, he was so unpopular among the voters he was snubbed in his bid for the Pro Bowl.
Make no mistake, that run-in near South Beach was a wake-up call for Covey, who for all the outside criticism of his wise decisions to make fair catches, ranks among the league’s top 10 punt returners despite playing in a scheme where the Eagles want him to go vertical, not east or west.
Good season or not, Covey still fumes over that cruel remark by Wilkins.
“At first I thought he was joking,” Covey said. “Then I realized he was serious. I
think he’s just got more of a sarcastic personality in general. But that’s not the first time things like that have happened to me. On the field, getting hit, just being so small … I know people make jokes about how hard I get hit, right? But as dumb and cheesy as it sounds, it’s kind of like the Rocky line. It’s not about how hard you
can hit it’s about how hard you can get hit. My goal is to be up off the ground before the guy that tackled me. So even if I get destroyed, I’m going to be up before the guy that tackles me. I’m not giving him the satisfaction that he hit me hard. It’s a mindset kind of thing.”
Chiefs punter Tommy
Townsend was voted AllPro, his high, booming punts typically pinning the opposition deep in its own territory.
If the roof is closed at State Farm Stadium, it could be next to impossible to get the best of Townsend. Then again, after studying the Chiefs, Covey has his fingers crossed he will get his chance.
“If you want to make a big special teams play,” Covey said, “this is the game you want to make it.”
Covey is popular with his teammates. With his wife expecting their first child, a son, in early March, linebacker Christian Ellis gifted him a Jolly Jumper, kidding that it would help the infant with his vertical jump. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata provided a baby monitor.
Covey has given a headsup to center Jason Kelce, who brought his expectant wife’s OB-GYN along just in case.
“He’s due at the beginning of March, so we are just hoping she does not go into labor at the Super Bowl,” Covey said of his spouse. “I think we’re just going to seat her by Kelce’s wife, just in case.”
Whatever happens this weekend, Covey will try to enjoy it. He enjoys listening to veterans with six years or more in the league talk about how crazy it is to get this far.
“You’ve got to cherish it,” Covey said. “But you can’t think about it too much. This is kind of one of those things where you want to try to appreciate it after the fact rather than psych yourself out.”