How the Eagles leaped from collapse to championship
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Eagles celebrate after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX. Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
After winning the Super Bowl, the Eagles smoked Plasencia cigars, sprayed each other with "Ace of Spades," and bumped Lil Baby's "Yes, Indeed" in the locker room.
Why it matters: Athletic reporter Zach Berman, in his 14th year covering the team, had a Birds-eye view of that moment and all the between-the-hash-marks gems that make his new book, "Leap Year," more than just a greatest-hits recap of last season's championship run.
What they're saying: The title of his book — out this week — is intentional, Berman tells Axios, signifying how the Eagles overcame a nosediving 2024 season, when they started 10-1 before flaming out against the Buccaneers in the playoffs — the same opponent they face Sunday.
- "I show how they took that leap," Berman says. "Obviously, 2024 was a literal leap year. And then Saquon Barkley's leap was an iconic moment in the season."
State of play: From the Linc to the locker room to the luxe Breakers Palm Beach, Berman dutifully tracked everyone in the Eagles organization throughout the season, at their best, worst and everything in between.
- Between chapters, he features cutaway profiles of the organization's most notable figures, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni.
Case in point: Sometimes, all fans see from Sirianni is the rabid, hungry-dogs energy. But Berman shows beyond the sidelines.
- Like a heart-tugging convo with now-former defensive end Milton Williams, when Sirianni learned Williams' mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sirianni's dad is a three-time cancer survivor.
The intrigue: Want to know the thread between Hurts and Michael Jordan?
- When he was Alabama's starting quarterback, Hurts was benched during the National Championship, and he responded in a way reminiscent of how Jordan reacted to getting cut from his high school basketball team.
- Simply put: That "maniacal approach to winning is Jalen's superpower," Berman says.
Flashback: The 39-year-old Berman, who has written two other books on the Eagles, shares the same obsession to his craft as the team he covers.
- He remembers his first days on the Eagles beat as an Inquirer reporter. He met a young Fletcher Cox at training camp and introduced himself to Nick Foles, then a third-string quarterback who'd later lead the team to its first championship.
The bottom line: Berman says he's covering "the greatest era of Eagles history." And it could get better.
- Berman predicts the Birds return to the NFC Championship game — and if the game is at the Linc, there's a good chance they're headed to Santa Clara.
- "I think I'll be covering football late into January and potentially into February."