Coach Steve's Corner

I can't claim to be a lifelong Eagles fan having been born and raised in New York. In fact, I can pinpoint the exact day that I swore my allegiance to Philadelphia football. It was April 17, 1999, the day Philadelphia took Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick in the draft. Being a 12 year old without a true favorite team I decided to follow the best player to come out of my favorite college program, Syracuse, on his NFL journey. Shortly after the draft I harassed my mother into ordering me a forest green #5 jersey when it first appeared in an Eastbay catalog and my allegiance was complete. Donovan McNabb has come and gone after a fairly noteworthy career. Yet, I have remained steadfastly loyal through the last 19 seasons. Through the years I have stuck with the team through the ups and downs and learned what it means to suffer like a Philadelphian. My high school years were filled with some great seasons. However, they all ended in heartbreak. Three straight NFC title ga...

Greatness. Everyone wants it but few ever achieve it. Those on the outside looking in either admire or envy those who are able to achieve it. There is often little middle ground when it comes to the public opinion of greats. I find this to be especially true in sports. I grew up in an era of dynasties in the 1990's. The Chicago Bulls in the NBA. The Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. The New York Yankees in MLB. I despised the Michael Jordan led Bulls and Troy Aikman led Cowboys. To me they were the ultimate villains who stirred up loathing within my young heart. I rooted against them at every turn only to be disappointed every time they lifted another NBA Finals or Super Bowl trophy. Looking back, my youth along with my envy and loathing of these teams took away from appreciation of what they were actually accomplishing. On the flip side growing up a Yankees fan in New York during the late 90's was glorious. I fell more and more in love with my favorite sports franchise as my ...