Winning a Super Bowl is hard. Repeating, based on history, is harder.
That much Chris Long agrees with.
But the Eagles defensive end takes issue with former Giants coach Ben McAdoo’s contention that Philadelphia is going to “have a hard time handling success.”
“That’s kind of a speculative statement, isn’t it?” Long said during a call on behalf of the Men’s Wearhouse Suit Drive, via Tim McManus of ESPN. “There’s no science as to who’s going to handle success well or not handle success well. Certainly, no one’s given any indication in our organization that we won’t handle success well. I think it’s a challenge for any team coming off a really great season like we had. That’s why you don’t see a lot of teams repeat. You don’t see a lot of teams back deep in the playoffs. Continuity is one of the hardest things to come by in the NFL.
“Listen, that’s his opinion. We don’t play each other this year, right? At the end of the day, it’s an opinion and he doesn’t have to back that up. I respect his right to have an opinion -- he coached in the NFL -- but I mean, come on, there’s no science to knowing who’s going to handle success well or not.”
Long said the Eagles already have turned the page on last season, which produced the first Super Bowl title in franchise history. They would love to make more history by becoming the first team since the 2004 Patriots to repeat.
“We need to show up and realize we have a target on our back,” Long said. “And the hardest thing is, there’s going to be reminders of how great we were last year all through the summer and even into the fall. They’re going to lower the [championship] banner Week 1. And that is what it is. That has nothing to do with what we do Week 1 or Week 2 or all the way through Week 17. It doesn’t give us a right to play in the postseason. It’s totally irrelevant. But the fans should enjoy it. And we have to separate ourselves from that buzz that’s going on that, deservedly so, the city gets to enjoy.”
Long is helping promote the Men’s Wearhouse Suit Drive, which collects gently used men’s and women’s professional attire for unemployed individuals seeking a return to the workforce. Men’s Wearhouse is accepting donations through July 31.