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The Philadelphia Eagles are back in the Super Bowl, facing the Kansas City Chiefs once again. But that did not feel like a foregone conclusion after last year’s collapse. After losing six of their final seven games, they needed an offensive reset to compete for the title. Enter Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season and has kept it up in the playoffs. The Athletic caught up with one of Barkley’s high school coaches, who saved his football career.
“I don’t want to exaggerate, but the varsity coaching staff and I literally brought him in because we’d heard after his freshman year of high school he was gonna quit football,” Former Whitehall High School head coach Brian Gilbert told Bruce Feldman.
“Barkley was frustrated, struggling with his self-confidence. Some kids had matured faster than him. Sophomore year, he didn’t play varsity because his best friend was ahead of him. Saquon had to work. That’s how he’s wired and why he’s so great. I said, ‘Listen, you may not be the best one right now, but we see potential in you. We see how fast you are. You’ve got to give it more time.’”
Barkley took that advice and it has worked out for him and Eagles fans this season. How can he cement himself in Philadelphia history on Sunday?
Nick Foles was a career backup. He was sitting behind the Eagles’ quarterback of the future and it felt like their Super Bowl chances tanked when he stepped in during the 2017 regular season. Now, he is a Philadelphia legend because of one of the greatest Super Bowl performances of all time.
Saquon Barkley just had one of the best regular seasons a running back has ever had. They would not have gotten through the playoffs without his incredible running considering the struggles of the passing game. It continued in the NFC Championship with three touchdowns even though Jalen Hurts picked it up against the Commanders.
Brian Gilbert not only saved the 2024 Eagles but also saved Barkley’s football career which could land him in Canton. Only eight other running backs have run for 2,000 yards in a season and only one of those teams won the Super Bowl that year. Terrell Davis and the 1998 Broncos could have roommates in the history books by Sunday night. While Barkley gets a lot of praise, Gilbert will be smiling knowing he played a role in that championship.
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