Theyre going to look across the line of scrimmage and see a Hall of Famer, a living legend, a guy they watched toting around the Vince Lombardi Trophy on a regular basis when they were kids.
Theyre going to look across the line of scrimmage and see one of only five QBs in history to play in four Super Bowls, one of only four to win three of them.
Theres Montana and Aikman and Elway and Bradshaw and Bart Starr, and then theres Tom Brady, who comes to South Philly Sunday with the Patriots.
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Hes one of the best to ever play the game, and the Eagles young defensive backs cant wait to face him.
Thats the type of quarterback you like to play, because you want to play against the best, said second-year safety Nate Allen, who picked off Aaron Rodgers in his first NFL game. Thats why we play, to play against the best.
You dont think about, This is Tom Brady, wow. Youre just out there playing ball. Just another football game. You dont get starstruck. You have respect for what type of quarterback he is, one of the best in the league right now, but we have a job to do.
Brady, now 34 and in his 12th NFL season, makes his first visit to Philadelphia in eight years Sunday when the Eagles face the Patriots. In his only other regular-season appearance in Philly, Brady threw three touchdowns in the Patriots 31-10 win over the Eagles at the Linc in 2003.
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He also beat the Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville in 2004 and outgunned A.J. Feeley, 31-28, in Foxboro in 2007.
Lets be honest, Tom Brady is definitely a Hall of Famer, hes a great QB for a reason, second-year safety Kurt Coleman said. He understands the game, hes an intelligent guy and he can make any throw on the field.
With that being said, any QB, no matter who you are, if you can get pressure on him consistently, theyre going to want to get the ball off sooner, before they get hit, so if we can get to him with our front four and occasional blitzes, well be able to get him out of the pocket, scrambling, trying to throw into tight coverages where we can get some picks. ...
Toms a great QB, but he doesnt like to get hit. No QB does, so if we can get that happening, well be fine.
Brady has been as good as ever this year, with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and a 102.4 passer rating, second-best in the NFL behind Aaron Rodgers.
Coleman said some young defensive players might get intimidated facing a guy like Brady, but he promises that wont happen here.
I dont look at it like that, he said. Its the Patriots. Its going to be a team effort. Its going to have to be their whole team thats going to have to beat us, not just Tom Brady.
Brady, whos won more playoff games than anybody but Joe Montana, is on pace to throw for 5,225 yardswhich would be the second-most in NFL history.
The Eagles did have great success last year against Peyton Manning and picked off Aaron Rodgers twice on opening day in 2010, so they havent shied away from all-time greats.
You dont get starstruck, Allen said. You have respect for what type of quarterback he is, one of the best in the league right now, but we have a job to do, too.
Brady has won 118 of 153 starts (.771 winning percentage). Hes fourth all-time in passer rating (95.7), ninth all-time in completion percentage (64 percent), third in interception percentage (one every 45 attempts) and sixth in yards per game (245).
Hes basically like a coach out there, Allen said. He knows that offense like the back of his hand, and hes got a lot of chemistry with his receivers, and hes a leader. He just gets it done. He leads that offense, and they win.
The Eagles kept Peyton Manning under control last year by installing some unusual alignments and formations and trying to confuse Manning throughout the game.
Allen said when facing somebody as talented and accomplished as Manning or Brady, you have to add to your conventional game plan.
We need to do what we do well, but we also need to throw some things at him, because you cant just sit in certain things, because hell pick it up and tear you apart, he said. You have to pressure him and try to keep him guessing.
Those kind of guys, theyre pretty smart. Its tough, because they know defenses pretty well, so we have to try to cause some confusion and hopefully a few errors here and there. And when they do make a mistake you have to capitalize on it, because theyre not going to make many of them.
The Eagles may have to play Sunday without four-time all-pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who suffered a knee injury during practice on Thursday.
Although the injury is not believed to be serious, Asomughas status for the Patriots is unknown.
If Asomugha cant play, Brandon Hughes would likely start and rookie Curtis Marsh could play a lot as well.
Were not going to be in awe of anybody, said Joselio Hanson, the only d-back left from the last Eagles-Patriots game. Were all in the NFL, we all belong here, and no matter who we play. Were going to go out there and challenge him. Thats all you can do. Dont make it easy for him. Challenge him. Everybody knows they have to bring their A game.
The Eagles, 4-6, have no margin of error right now. They trail the Cowboys by 2 12 games and the Giants by two games. In all, eight NFC teams have more wins than they do.
And now they face one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.
I love challenges, Coleman said. I think we all love challenges, and I think this team is being challenged every week right now, and I think weve got to rise to the occasion. I think everybodys willing to do that.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com