Haason Reddy, Eagles free agent gem, could play major role in Chiefs’ win
PHOENIX — Haason Reddick was a force for the Philadelphia Eagles this season. He had 16 sacks. In the playoffs, he added three and a quarter more.
However, there were some things that were missing. No first-team All-Pro selection. No place among the finalists to the NFL Defensive Player Of The Year.
Reddick suggests that there might be some respect among the top defensive players in the game.
“I go back and forth on that answer. Every person is entitled to their own opinion, and at the end of the day my numbers don’t lie,” Reddick said on Wednesday. “No matter what type of excuses they try to make, reasons why I shouldn’t be this or shouldn’t be that … they can make whatever excuses they want, say whatever they want, at the end of the day my football, my play speaks for itself.”
Reddick seemed a little miffed that his third straight double-digit sack season didn’t get its proper due. Playing some Super Bowl LVII This might help.
Reddick could be a star of Sunday’s Super Bowl. Von Miller was the last defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP. Reddick has the potential to be the next one.
Haason Reddick is having a great season
Reddick’s biggest impediment to being the breakout star of Super Bowl LVII is that there are other Eagles defensive linemen who might beat him to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
This season, the Eagles had 70 tackles. The NFL record for most sacks is 72, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears. An NFL record, four Eagles had at least two sacks per game. The Eagles’ pass rush has been a big part of their success and was crucial in the Super Bowl matchup with the Chiefs.
“It always starts up front,” said defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who had 11 sacks this season. “It is important that we disrupt the game and make it difficult for them.”
Reddick was an unrestricted free agent, so the Eagles spent big to acquire him.
Reddick was coming off an 11-sack year for the Carolina Panthers and, luckily for the Eagles, he wanted to return home. Reddick was born in Camden in New Jersey and attended Temple University.
“Fulfilling a childhood dream, man,” Reddick said. “Wanted to be able to return home. As a child, I watched them grow up and was able to play for my hometown team.
It was perfect.
Reddick returns home
Reddick, who was $45 million for a three-year contract with the Eagles, helped to complete the homecoming. This deal seems like a bargain.
The Eagles acquired a top pass rusher for a fair price, given the market. Reddick was delighted with how his first season in Philadelphia went.
“Most definitely,” Reddick said. Reddick said, “More so from an individual standpoint. I always believed in myself and wanted to improve each and every year, but from a team standpoint, I didn’t think we were going to be like this.”
The offenses will get most of the attention Super Bowl LVII was a great success. Each of the NFL’s top three offenses, led by star quarterbacks, is represented by the Eagles and Chiefs.
Reddick is one of the most popular defenders on either side of the defense.
Reddick had two sacks, one forced fumble, and a fumble recover in the NFC championship match. When he hit San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s arm on a pass rush in the first quarter, it injured Purdy’s elbow and knocked him out of the game, and also forced a crucial fumble near midfield. This play changed the outcome of the NFC championship game.
Reddick is able to make the Super Bowl his stage, and possibly get some of the respect that he feels is due.
“We knew a lot about him, but I guess I didn’t know he was like this,” Hargrave said. It’s his motor. He could fall, trip, block, but still make the play. He doesn’t seem to stop.”