When I first came in, we had Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and Brian Dawkins. Those guys set the culture for the Eagles during that time period. Those guys showed you how it's supposed to be done. I look at the guys now like Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson as the heart of Philadelphia. I really sit back and admire that those guys were able to stay Eagles all those years. I had to go around in my career and play for other teams, but it made me really appreciate putting that Eagles jersey on and playing for the City of Philadelphia. There's just something different about putting on that Eagle green.
I don't think people realize when you play professional sports, you spend a lot of time with these guys and the camaraderie we built, the brotherhood we built, that's what Philly is about. It's about brotherhood. Being a Philadelphia Eagle wasn't easy, but it showed you how much it meant to go out there and put on that Eagle green. I just want to tell the fans that I love and appreciate them. I'll forever be an Eagle. I'm looking to build more memories.
It was always love with the fans. Even when I left and played at other places and came back and took my aggression out, it always came from a place of love. I appreciated all of the determination and all of the love that they had. If you're doing good or you're doing bad, that's what made it special because regardless of whether you were a great player, the minute you stepped below that standard that they know you are capable of, they were going to let you hear it.
That's what always gave us the edge because we knew once we didn't do what we were supposed to do, we were going to hear it, so that gives you extra motivation to go out in the field knowing that you will be held accountable not only by your coaches, the front office, but by your fans, too. It takes a special mentality to play in Philly. My dad was from Pittsburgh, so he instilled that blue-collar, East Coast, hard-working attitude. The example that was set was to work for everything you wanted. Know there's not going to be any handouts. Nothing in life is going to be easy.