PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – DECEMBER 21: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after defeating the Washington Football Team at Lincoln Financial Field on December 21, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
It's finally here! Today is the first day of training camp for the Philadelphia Eagles, and that means 6 glorious months of Eagles football. For the first time since 2010, the Birds will be adding an alternate black helmet to their uniform. Thanks to a safety rule the NFL overturned in 2021. This rule stated that teams could only have one color helmet, to ensure players practiced and played in the same helmet. However, thanks to the NFL's decision to overturn this rule, we'll now be able to see our beloved Eagles in a brand new light - literally!
Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver Devonta Smith has already given the new helmet his stamp of approval. In a recent interview with the team's website, Smith spoke about his excitement for the upcoming season and his love of the team's alternate black helmet. "I like the shininess of the black," he said. "It's something different to add to the all-black (uniforms)."
When will the Eagles debut the new helmet? While the exact date has not yet been announced, it is sure to be a much-anticipated event.
The Eagles will hold a public practice on Sunday, August 7th for Eagles training camp. Tickets are just $10. More information can be found on the team's website.
Fly Eagles Fly!
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Hall of Fame Coach Dick Vermeil
Imagine this: you are 85 year old Dick Vermeil. You hear footsteps approaching your Chester Country home. You think it's a UPS driver. Instead, it's Kurt Warner, walking out of the woods in his Gold Jacket to welcome you into the Football Hall of Fame.
And that's not even the best part of this story. When Coach Vermeil shared this moment that happened shortly afterward, we were all smiles: "I remember when they asked me, they said now coach you don't have to tell us right now because it might take some time to choose a team, I said are you kidding I'm going in as an Eagle."
The Preston & Steve Show interview with Dick Vermeil is loaded with one of a kind stories. Like the liberties Hollywood took while sharing Vince Papale's story in "Invincible": "They gave me the script to read, and I read it while coaching the Chiefs. I called them up and said you know there are a lot of things in this script that aren't true. They did a good job with telling the story, they really did but a lot of things that weren't true."
He was happy with Greg Kinnear's portrayal of his time as the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. "My wife would rather have Brad Pitt," he followed up with a laugh. But that guy who played him in the Kurt Warner biopic was really good. What was his name?
↑ Watch Coach Vermeil on The Preston & Steve Show ↑
Oh, Dennis Quaid. Yeah, he was good. And what did he think of the movie? "...very well done. I appreciated that it's called "American Underdog". I appreciated that because they called me and talked to me about specific conversations I will never forget I had with [Kurt Warner] and they used a couple of them in the movie. It added creditability to that movie for me."
The main purpose of Coach Vermeil's visit was to tell us about the magnificent organization called Cool Cars for Kids. It's special to him for multiple reasons: He grew up a gear head. Young Dick Vermeil cut his teeth in his dad's garage tinkering on race cars. In fact, if the high school football coach hadn't come by the house to recruit him, he never would have played.
Dick also has a 28 year old grandchild with special needs and the Concours d'Elegance event raises money for children with genetic diseases. To extend the family ties, Dick will display his dad's 1926 Ford Miller Schofield Special at the event.
Watch the full interview above to hear lots more stories including his first hand account of that January 11th, 1981 championship game between the Rams and the Cowboys, how he felt in 2018 watch the Eagles hoist the Lombardi Trophy and his thoughts on how the game has evolved. Oh, and and having Mario Andretti on speed dial. After you watch, scroll through the photos below and most importantly, grab a ticket to his weekend's events.
