SCOTTSDALE — Ndamukong Suh didn’t want to play for anyone, not at a stage in his career where playing for championships matters. Suh has been in the league for over a decade, watching Father Time at 36 with his best days in the league behind him.
Suh is still a good player, but didn’t want to waste his talent on a team that wasn’t going to fight. He knew what he wanted from his next team, even if he had to wait for that team – the Philadelphia Eagles – to reach out.
He explored the terrain – and Philadelphia was the right fit. The Eagles were the team that offered Suh the best chance of going to the Super Bowl for the third time in five years, and he was right.
The Eagles have 49 sacks in 10 games since Suh’s arrival. More than just a coincidence.
“It was just an opportunity to come in and add value, to be part of the defensive line that was already good,” Suh said earlier this week. “Helping them become excellent and reach the elite.”
The Eagles signed Suh and Linval Joseph a day apart after Washington commanders handed them their first loss of the year. General manager Howie Roseman didn’t hesitate to add proven veterans with Super Bowl titles to an already strong defensive line.
Philadelphia needed help to stop the run. The Eagles got that with Suh and Joseph – and a ridiculously good passing rush.
“I just think we’re trying to do our best,” Joseph said. “We understand our role and we want to go out and help the team win, inspire the youngsters. We wanted to keep everyone together – and I feel like we did that.”
Robert Quinn cannot be left out of the mix, even though he has only played eight games for the Eagles since being acquired in late October. Quinn has struggled with a foot injury and hasn’t been as productive as he would have liked, but he’s far from enjoying the ride.
His first Super Bowl is right in front of him.
“We’re just doing our part and obviously we want to produce and have our own crazy numbers too, but we’re winning,” Quinn said. “It’s hard to complain. These guys go wild. For what’s going on with this team, I’m happy to help.”
Does Quinn feel his presence is helping the locker room? The results are transparent.
“I guess when we award points to the coaches, they’ll believe us a little more,” Quinn said of being one of the veterans on the team. “That’s the main thing, isn’t it? If we give our two cents, they put it in their pocket because we’ve been doing this for a while.
Getting to the Super Bowl is tough. Suh makes it look easy to be there three times in the last five years, but Joseph hasn’t been in the big game since the 2011 season – he’s on that New York Giants team at nine victories which allowed more runs than they scored.
Joseph makes sure his veteran words of wisdom spread to the young guys in this locker room.
“It’s nice to have these old guys talking, wanting to talk about things, to be better at their craft,” Joseph said. “We talk about the journey all the time. What did it take to get here? We didn’t come this far to ruin everything.
“You have to stay involved, you’re going to stay tuned. It’s about paying attention to the little details.”
The Eagles brought in Suh, Joseph and Quinn for this week. Their impact can be significant, or each will play a small part in the franchise hoisting its second Vince Lombardi Trophy in six years. They will not let this opportunity pass.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Quinn said. “It would be nice to win a Super Bowl this long in my career. It’s a great feeling to get there, but the goal isn’t over. Come on Sunday, hopefully we get that better feeling.”
“To get everything we want,” Joseph said. “We still have one game to play.”