GROWING INTO HIMSELF

In September, some Philadelphia Eagles fans called him a bust. Three months later, as he prepares for his first NFL playoff game, the real Miles Sanders has begun to come into view.

TEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. hree rows from the top of MetLife Stadium, under cover and shielded from the swirling rain, Marlene Sanders was fitted with an NFL Films microphone. The mother of Philadelphia Eagles rookie Miles Sanders would be chronicled throughout her son’s Week 17 tilt with the New York Giants, for a feature on the budding star.

Sanders’ mother found out about the NFL Films piece that morning on her five-and-a-half hour drive from Pittsburgh to New Jersey. Just another experience in Sanders’ sudden, and somewhat expected,

rise to prominence.

Sanders — a former Woodland Hills standout and Penn State tailback — is becoming a household name across the league.

The 2019 second-round pick has garnered rookie of the year buzz, especially as the focal point of Philadelphia’s NFC East Division title and playoff push. Sanders totaled 328 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in crucial Week 15 and 16 wins over the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, and led all first-year players (ranking 13th overall) with 1,327 scrimmage yards for the season.