When the Saints beat the Eagles in the playoffs after the 2013 season, running back Darren Sproles and safety Malcolm Jenkins both made a strong impression on the Eagles.
By the time the 2014 season started, both players were members of the Eagles and they’ll face their former team for the first time this weekend. Although Sproles wasn’t happy with the way things came to an end in New Orleans, he said Tuesday that he’s approaching the game as “just another week.” Jenkins expressed a similar sentiment.
“I try not to make it personal,” Jenkins said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m not the first player to get let go by a team. And I won’t be the last.”
Jenkins said he thought he might benefit from knowing some of New Orleans’s offensive tendencies, although he admitted that could be mitigated by the Saints’ knowledge of his own strengths and weaknesses. However the past relationships wind up impacting the game, the fact that both teams are 1-3 in a season that started with much higher expectations should provide all that’s needed in the motivation department.