From the beginnin’ to the end, losers lose, winners win
This is real we ain’t got to pretend
The cold world that we in, is full of pressure and pain
I thought it would change, it’s stayin’ the same

~ Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson

an excerpt from “Hate it or Love it”

Hate em or love em, the reigning (and defending) Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles pulled out a victory (albeit via less than electrifying performance) over the Atlanta Falcons, last night at home. To be fair, the play action wasn’t all Philly’s fault, the evening was plagued with terrible weather as Tropical storm Gordon’s fallout reached Pennsylvania just in time to cause a delay of game; and true, Atlanta’s bane of being their own worst adversary forecasted what their season might look like. But it’s was apparent that despite their shortcomings, this 2018 Eagles team is committed to defending their title, by any means necessary – beauty be damned.

The definite highlight of the game came when QB Nick Foles decided (against the better wishes of his head coach Doug Pederson) to dust off a trick play to shift the momentum and get them back in the game. It’s not that Pederson didn’t agree with Foles’ wanting to try the “Philly Special,” but as it would be reported later, the well-experienced, battle-tested coach was nervous that this could be a risk too early in the seasoned and could be a failure that would dictate the tone of the season. It’s in moments like these where we all know high risk yields even higher rewards but in the back of our mind, our fear receptors warn that hindsight always brings clarity after you need it…Foles called the snap, Pederson looked away and awaited the audience reaction as he was so unnerved he couldn’t even look – and after a moment that seemed to long, the cheers rained down like the precipitation that had just drenched the turf…It was going to be a good night in Philly.

The Eagles would go on to edge out the Falcons 18-12 with some significant clock management and by the book offense in the 4th quarter.

This morning, to celebrate the moment of a successful “Philly Special” coronating the season opener for the championship Eagles, the NFL released the following documentary short on the path that lead Doug Pederson, Nick Foles and the whole underdog of a franchise to realize victory. I’m not a fan of the Eagles, but even I know when I’m watching history being made…and it’s not a boring show to watch.