Reddick hopes for a warm reception back in Philly
PHILADELPHIA » Any greeting that Haason Reddick gets from the Philly crowd Sunday will be appreciated.
The Temple University product is accustomed to cheers as he played home games at the Linc and grew up in Camden, N.J.
Now part of the Cardinals, who picked him 13th overall in the draft, Reddick is indebted to Phillyarea football fans for the incredible welcome he received during the draft held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
“Once my name got called the response, it was crazy,” Reddick said on a conference call. “Even though I didn’t end up in Philly, the response was crazy. I think the crowd will be welcoming but like I said you never know. We’ll see what happens once game time comes.”
Reddick was selected one pick before the Eagles drafted defensive end Derek Barnett, widely considered the best pure pass rusher in the draft. Barnett has had a tough time adjusting at end.
Reddick, on the other hand, showed a level of position versatility that served him well at Temple, as he started at middle linebacker in the opener.
It was just another reason for Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians to be pleased with Reddick, who set school and American Athletic Conference records with 22 tackles for loss, including 10.5 sacks in his last year on Broad Street.
Arians knows Temple tough as a coach of the Owls in the 1980s.
“Unbelievable, to draft a kid that never played inside linebacker and throw him out there and start him,” Arians said. “He played extremely well for us. With the other inside linebacker back, he’s probably going to play a little more outside. We knew he was tough. He came up the right way. Great mom and pop. Nothing handed to him, had to work for everything and he’s brought that work ethic with him.
“Temple kids are very, very proud.”
With outside linebacker Markus Golden sidelined by injury, Reddick is going to get a chance to show his pass rush. He’s fourth on the Cardinals with 18 tackles, including 1.5 for losses.
The Cardinals must minimize the Eagles’ run game to get into pass-rush mode. And the Eagles offense is on a roll.
“It’s something that we definitely took notice to,” Reddick said. “(LeGarrette) Blount, he’s been running the ball hard. I think he’s averaging like 6 yards per carry right now. We definitely have taken notice and we understand that stopping the run is part of the plan.
“It’s part of any plan when you’re playing defense. Stop the run, get them to throw the ball and see what happens.”
Reddick is among 11 Owls in the NFL. He’s faced two of them in cornerback Nate Hairston and defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis (Washington). He and Ionanidis are the only ones who will play at their old college digs this season.
“Just because of my history there in Philly, with the things I went through there as far as being a walk-on all the way up to getting drafted in Philly, it’s a beautiful thing,” Reddick said. “It’s home for me. I live 15 minutes away. Or I did live 15 minutes away when I lived in Camden. Philly was always right there, so it’s a really beautiful thing.” *** The Eagles’ injury didn’t change. Held out of practice Thursday were defensive
report tackle Fletcher Cox (calf), running back Wendell Smallwood (knee) and cornerback Ronald Darby (ankle).
Don’t expect any of them to play Sunday. Don’t expect Cox to play next Thursday, either.
*** The Eagles are 22-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, according to Bovada, an improvement from 33-1 before the season.
The Eagles also are just 10-1 to win the NFC championshiop. Only the Packers (7-2), Falcons (5-1), Seahawks (11-2) and Cowboys (13-2) have better odds.
The Eagles are 10-11 to win the NFC East. The Cowboys (11-5), Redskins (15-4) and Giants (13-2) follow.
In other words, the Vegas people think the Eagles are just good enough to win the division but not a playoff game.
Something like that.