One last look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ trick play on 4th down
With 38 seconds remaining in the first half of Super Bowl LII, the Philadelphia Eagles ran their ‘Philly Special’, a play that will live in the hearts and minds of Eagles fans forever.
Some moments in NFL history are so significant that they’re known, simply, by a name or a familiar phrase. You know that yourself. What do you think about when you hear ‘The Drive’ or ‘The Music City Miracle’? See what we mean? For Philadelphia Eagles fans this also holds true.
Three words come to mind, ‘4th and 26’. As special as that moment was, it kind of loses some steam because, that season, the Eagles didn’t quite close the deal by bringing home the Lombardi Trophy. Well, years have passed since that moment, and now the Eagles do, indeed, have their world championship. It came on February 4th of 2018, and when fans think of that day, they’ll now think of another legendary play in Eagles history.
It’s affectionately being called ‘Philly Special’.
Take a look.
Video courtesy of the NFL’s official YouTube page
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So, what’s so special about the ‘Philly Special’? Well, that’s easy. If any of us had been the coach, we would have probably kicked the field goal. Why not? It was 4th down. The score was 15-12 in favor of the Eagles at that point, and this wasn’t the middle of Week 6. This was the Super Bowl against the mighty New England Patriots.It was time to gamble. It was time to be smart. At least that’s what we all thought anyway.
Fortunately, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson had other plans.
The ‘Philly Special’ is a tribute to a head coach and his players.
Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles are certain of one thing about their head coach, and they learned it a long time ago. Coach Pederson is anything but conventional. He runs plays on 4th down as if it was 1st down. He has no problem going for two and eschewing extra points.
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Coach Pederson may not be the NFL’s Coach of the Year, but he’s the Coach of the Decade in Philly. He may not be qualified in the mind of Mike Lombardi or sit at the same level, historically, that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick does, but for one day, he was the better coach. It’s his dedication to the details that helped him lead his team to the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. It’s his imagination that gave birth to the ‘Philly Special’.
Pederson drew it up, and Nick Foles, Corey Clement and Trey Burton ran it to perfection. Now, it’s among the most famous plays in Eagles’ history, and it will be there forever.