After 65 years of honoring athletes, organizations, and teams for their on-field success, the John Wanamaker Athletic Award is entering its next chapter — and it’s bringing a new legacy with it.
The newly renamed Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award pays tribute to both Wanamaker and former Phillies president, the late David Montgomery.
As part of the change, the award — which was previously presented to “the athlete, team or organization which has done the most to reflect credit upon Philadelphia and to the team or sport in which they excel” — will now focus more on athletes’ off-field accomplishments. It will honor recipients’ work in their communities and their love for the city.
This year, that’s Jordan Mailata. The Eagles offensive tackle will be the first to receive the Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award, in recognition of his work with The Philly Specials.
The award, which was previously presented by PHL Sports, is now under the direction of the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative, a group with the mission to enrich the lives of every child through the power of sports.
The name change is intentional. And the inspiration behind it came to Beth Devine, the executive director of PYSC, when she was walking through City Hall and saw the Wanamaker statue.
“It just came crashing into my brain,” Devine said. “This article was written after Dave died, and the author said in his opportunity working with Dave, he asked him how he wanted to be remembered. And Dave never liked to answer that question. … But, then he finally answered by saying, ‘Go to Wanamaker statue at City Hall and see what it says. That’s how I want to be remembered.’
“There’s only one word besides his name and it’s ‘Citizen.’ Dave was just a true citizen of Philadelphia. Everything he did was for the betterment of the city and the people of the city. That was when my hesitancy on the whole thing just melted away and I said of course, that’s what it is.”
Former Phillies president and CEO David Montgomery (right) and chairman Bill Giles attend Pat Gillick’s 2011 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y.
While the Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award is named after two native Philadelphians, its first recipient was born halfway around the world. Still, Mailata’s contributions to the city are undeniable.
The Philly Specials, the holiday band featuring fellow Eagles tackle Lane Johnson and former center Jason Kelce, raised over $4 million with their first two albums, and used the proceeds from their third to launch “Operation Snowball,” which provided Christmas gifts to every public and charter school student and teacher in Philadelphia.
But it’s about more than just the former Australian rugby player’s charity work.
“There are a lot of worthy people, but I think that the way people take to him is a little different,” Devine said. “He comes across as just this down to Earth guy. If you think about his path, it’s almost accidental. He was a rugby player from another country. But I think the way he has embraced Philadelphia is important.
“He seems like the down-to-Earth guy that reminded me of David. I think he shared his love for the city and I think it’s interesting that he’s not a Philadelphian, certainly, because he has embraced Philadelphia as his own. He’s ours and I think he knows that and embraces that too. He makes you feel good about what he is and what he’s doing and that’s how Dave was.”
Montgomery was the team’s president when it moved to Citizens Bank Park in 2004.
Montgomery, who was the president of the Phillies for 17 years, passed away from cancer in 2019 at 72 years old. During his tenure, he oversaw the team’s transition to Citizens Bank Park and its most recent World Series title in 2008.
In 2020, Montgomery was posthumously named the winner of the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 2024, he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.
There are plenty of accolades Montgomery will be remembered for, but Beth will always remember him for his dedication to the community. He always showed up — even if that meant making meetings right after cancer treatment.
“We had a meeting [scheduled] in this really specific place, and I was like, that’s interesting,” Devine recalled. “But me and two other board members went down to meet him and it turns out he wanted it there because he had treatment. He came across the street from treatment to talk through next steps for the organization. He definitely was not a chair in name. He did the work.”
Now, under the stewardship of PYSC, his impact will continue to grow with the Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award.
“We couldn’t be happier that PYSC, an organization that does fantastic work, is taking the torch and moving forward with the award and connecting it to David and his family,” said Larry Needle, the executive director of PHL Sports. “It just feels right and David would be so proud of the legacy of PYSC and the thousands of young people that they impact every year.
“It’s just the perfect time, perfect fit.”
Jordan Mailata has gone from a seventh-round pick to an All-Pro left tackle and Super Bowl champion.
The Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award will be presented to Mailata, who was also the Eagles’ 2025 nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year, at the new Philadelphia Sports Legacy Honors on May 20 at the Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center.
As the award enters its next era, Devine is excited to preserve the Wanamaker Award’s tradition, while also being able to honor Montgomery.
“The legacy doesn’t change, it just shifts,” Devine said. “I don’t look at this lightly by any stretch because it couldn’t be more like the stars have aligned. And I feel that every day.”
Needle added: “The idea that the award will carry on in his name just couldn’t be more special and more perfect.”
Two months after the Eagles hired Jeff Stoutland, they drafted Lane Johnson with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. Howie Roseman had his cornerstone offensive lineman, one whom Stoutland helped develop into a future Hall of Fame right tackle.
Stoutland was in the room with — and in the ear of — Roseman in the years that followed, even after the coach who hired Stoutland, Chip Kelly, left town. Stoutland survived 13 seasons and three coaching staffs in large part because he was arguably the best offensive line coach in football, but he also shared similar philosophies with Roseman.
“In 13 years, I probably couldn’t get on one hand our disagreements,” Roseman said during a session with Eagles beat writers on Friday, a few weeks after Stoutland announced his departure from the Eagles. “We looked at offensive line play very similarly.”
The Eagles, with Stoutland as offensive line coach, consistently had one of the best units in the league, and the two Eagles teams that won Super Bowls did so behind dominant offensive line play. But change is on the way, not just along the offensive line but for the offense as a whole. The Eagles have a new coordinator, Sean Mannion, and multiple new coaches working under him, including new offensive line coach Chris Kuper.
The line, meanwhile, is at a somewhat critical juncture. Johnson, who missed half of last season, turns 36 in May and didn’t decide until last week to make his return for the 2026 season official. It’s unclear how much longer Landon Dickerson, a second-round pick in 2021 whom Stoutland developed into a three-time Pro Bowler, will play football. The 27-year-old has undergone multiple surgeries since college and played through an abundance of pain in 2025. Cam Jurgens, 26, whom the Eagles drafted in the second round in 2022 to replace Jason Kelce, recently flew to Colombia to receive stem cell treatments, apparently to help deal with the lingering impacts of a back injury and subsequent pain that limited his effectiveness in 2025.
The Eagles offensive line will enter 2026 with questions about its health and ability to adjust to a new coaching regime.
The offensive line, which took a step back in 2025 thanks to those injuries, has quickly gone from a position of strength and certainty to one that may soon need to be overhauled. The Eagles have been due to draft and develop Johnson’s eventual replacement, but now they may have big holes in the interior sooner than they anticipated. It’s a crucial offseason for Roseman to address multiple spots on the depth chart, not just the offensive line, and retooling the offensive front now comes without the help of Stoutland.
“I probably could have 50 stories on our draft process and how we went through them,” Roseman said. “I miss him. … We’ll continue to move on. I feel like we have a really good group of people here. I feel confident in our ability to evaluate, but at the same time understanding how important he was to the process of adding good players and then developing those good players.”
The interviews with Roseman and Nick Sirianni last week offered the general manager and head coach their first chances to comment publicly on Stoutland’s exit and respond to some of the reporting that happened surrounding it.
The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported that Stoutland, who was also the run game coordinator, had his influence on the running game lessened during the season last year. And while the Eagles wanted to keep Stoutland in the building as the offensive line coach, he likely wasn’t going to keep the run game coordinator title. Plus, Mannion is bringing with him a new scheme that would change some of the things Stoutland has been teaching.
Sirianni said he doesn’t “get too wrapped up into what’s reported.” The head coach was more involved in all phases of the offense throughout this past season as it sputtered under first-year coordinator Kevin Patullo, Sirianni said, including the running game.
“We still went about our process the same,” Sirianni said. “There was obviously different things that we did and a different process in the sense of we were all together doing it in there. … Stout still had a lot of ideas. It’s always been collaborative in everything that we’ve done here.”
Eagles center Cam Jurgens with offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland after the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders in December.
There was, perhaps, even more collaboration when Sirianni made changes last season. Rather than having separate pass pods and run pods, the units worked together, especially when the offense shifted to some more under-center looks and worked in play-action calls. Sirianni said he anticipates more of the same under Mannion.
It’s unclear what the Mannion offense will look like, but while the 33-year-old has never been a play-caller, he has tentacles of influence from offenses run by Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, and Kyle Shanahan. As it relates to the running game, that means more outside zone concepts as opposed to the inside zone runs more prevalent with the Eagles in recent years.
The offensive coaching staff Sirianni assembled under Mannion comes from various backgrounds, and the scheme will likely be a mix of different ideas, all of which are still coming together as the Eagles begin assembling the 2026 roster in earnest. Sirianni noted that things like third-down offense, red-zone offense, and four-minute offense may look pretty similar. It’s the first- and second-down runs and play actions that may look a lot different.
For the offensive line, there will likely be big changes to blocking assignments and strategies.
“Good players can play and fit in many different schemes,” Sirianni said when asked how big of an adjustment the line will face. “I know how good of players we have there at the position, and I know if we asked them to do the Navy triple option they’d be good at that. I do think it translates there. Obviously there’s always going to be [a] learning curve of everything, but that’s what your OTAs are for, that’s what your offseason’s for, that’s what your training camp is for, to get yourself ready for that.”
All of it will come with a new voice, Kuper’s, in charge. Stoutland was revered in the offensive line room.
Chris Kuper will bring eight years of experience as an NFL offensive lineman to the Eagles coaching staff.
“Obviously we wanted him to stay and be involved in this … I don’t want to say rebuild … reclassification, however you want to say it,” Sirianni said of Stoutland. “At the end of the day, Stout got to where he was and I obviously wish him the best and am going to deeply miss him because he’s done so many things that have helped us throughout his time here.
“Just like you always want good players around, you always want good coaches around.”
Ultimately, it will be the players who decide the trajectory of the offensive line moving forward.
While Roseman and Stoutland’s success stories are plenty, there have been a few misses. The biggest success story, turning Jordan Mailata from a 2018 seventh-round rugby-playing project into an All-Pro, helped offset missing on Andre Dillard in the first round in 2019.
Dillard’s selection was the last time the Eagles used their first-round pick on an offensive lineman. That could change in April. Roseman expressed confidence that Johnson, Dickerson, and Jurgens still have “incredible ability to affect our football team going forward,” but the Eagles are surely planning for the future.
“Is it a priority position? Always,” Roseman said.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman expressed that improving the offensive line is an ongoing priority.
As the roster stands, there are no obvious replacements for the injured and older trio of linemen. Johnson’s spot would be the obvious priority in the short-term future. Swing tackle Fred Johnson is a free agent. The only tackles on the roster behind Johnson and Mailata slated to be in camp this summer are last year’s sixth-round picks, Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams; Hollin Pierce, who was on the practice squad last season; and John Ojukwu, who went undrafted in 2023 and accumulated 428 offensive snaps with the Tennessee Titans over the last three seasons.
The interior isn’t much deeper. The Eagles drafted center Drew Kendall in the fifth round last season, then claimed Willie Lampkin off waivers after camp. Practice squad member Jake Majors was re-signed to a futures deal after the season. Kendall saw limited action as a rookie and Lampkin spent the season on injured reserve.
The Eagles need reinforcements. They also need to plan for 2027 and beyond.
“You’ve got to have continual depth at that position, good depth, guys who can play at a high level, and you’ve got to develop guys at that position,” Roseman said. “We’re always trying to balance that, what we have now and what we’re looking for going forward. When we’re building an offensive line, we’re not just saying, ‘We’ve got five starters, we’re good to go.’ We’re looking at the depth behind those guys, guys who can play, because in all our best years we’ve had to have guys step in and play for a long period of time.”
For the first time in 13 years, they’ll navigate it all without Stoutland.
SAN FRANCISCO — Eagles star tackle Jordan Mailata spent the past eight seasons developing a relationship with Jeff Stoutland that went beyond football.
So, while Mailata expressed professional disappointment in Stoutland’s decision to depart the Eagles, announced Wednesday, he said he also understood the 63-year-old coach’s choice.
“As selfish as it is for me to want him there, I think it’s about time for him,” Mailata told The Inquirer on Thursday from Super Bowl LX Radio Row. “I knew it was probably closer to the end maybe. I thought I had a couple more years with him. I think age, I think the time he spends away from his family is a factor. And now he’s going to become a grandparent. … I think he’ll want to be around for that.”
Stoutland is the only offensive line coach Mailata has played under since entering the NFL in 2018. Mailata, a native of New South Wales, Australia, entered the NFL via the International Player Pathway Program, and with very little previous exposure to football. Stoutland scouted him from the program before the Eagles made him a seventh-round pick in 2018, then developed Mailata into one of the league’s top offensive tackles.
Mailata was named a second-team All-Pro in 2024, the same season a run-first Eagles offense bulldozed its way to a Super Bowl title.
“I’ve been crying about it to be honest. Guy’s like my father,” Mailata said. “It hit me hard. And now I’m just kind of glad the Super Bowl week is keeping me busy so I can deal with that when I get home when I have the time to myself. Yeah, it’s hard. It got me.”
Mailata will have to adjust to a new position coach amid changes to the Eagles offensive staff. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard, and run game coordinator Ryan Mahaffey are among the new faces that have been named to Nick Sirianni’s staff.
Asked about the expected changes to the Eagles offense, Mailata said, “I don’t know, I’ll be honest. I’m excited for the challenge. I just don’t know what we’re walking into because it’s uncharted territory for me, man. I’ve had the same coach for the last eight years, but I welcome it. It’s a challenge that we have to learn a new playbook, but this is the NFL, man, this is what we do.”
The moment sounds like something that could only come straight out of a movie — until now. On Wednesday, Jordan Mailata, George Kittle, and Bijan Robinson went Pitch Perfect at San Francisco’s Ferry Building ahead of Super Bowl LX weekend.
George Kittle, Bijan Robinson, and Jordan Mailata out here singing a cappella during #SuperBowl week with Adam Devine and The Treblemakers 😂😂😂
Mailata, Kittle, and Robinson joined Pitch Perfect star — and Treblemaker — Adam Devine and the University of Wisconsin’s competitive a cappella group, Fundamentally Sound, who went viral on social media after surprising people in the street with birthday songs.
The group wore matching jackets and performed a riff off-inspired rendition that included Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” before announcing the winner of the Marriott Bonvoy Super Bowl Sleepover Suite, in which one fan gets to wake up Sunday in a suite in Levi’s Stadium.
“I’m closing out the football season as Marriott Bonvoy’s Fanbassador and announcing the Super Bowl Sleepover Suite winner the only way I know how … by singing,” Devine said in a release. “I couldn’t have done it without my NFL buddies. They were great, but thankfully, these men are athletic specimens and don’t make their living singing.”
From left, Adam Devine, , Bijan Robinson, George Kittle, and Jordan Mailata perform as the Treblemakers in San Francisco.
While Kittle and Robinson, the Falcons’ star running back, may have some work to do on their voices, Mailata appeared to be in his element.
Kittle, meanwhile, didn’t just have to learn a new song and dance. The 49ers tight end suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the Niners’ wild-card win over the Eagles and performed the choreography in a boot while driving around on a scooter.
Was there today at Ferry Building George Kittle was hilarious 😂 he was singing along Falcons star RB. Bijan Robinson & Eagles Jordan Mailata #FTTBpic.twitter.com/bHNaPU9iHV
The Eagles will be back in prime time as they try to stop a two-game skid from turning into three against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Here’s everything you need to know about the team’s Week 14 matchup …
How to watch Eagles vs. Chargers
The Eagles kick off against the Chargers at 8:15 p.m. on ABC and ESPN, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call and Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge on the sidelines. For fans looking for a more monstrous viewing experience, ESPN will be producing an animated Funday Football alternative cast on ESPN2, DisneyXD and Disney+ set in the Monsters, Inc. universe.
If you prefer Merrill Reese and Mike Quick on the call, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP-FM. And if you want to watch the game with fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.
For the Chargers, quarterback Justin Herbert is questionable after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his left (non-throwing) hand earlier in the week. Here’s a look at the final injury report for both sides.
Eagles
Out
DT Jalen Carter, shoulders
T Lane Johnson, foot
Questionable
S Marcus Epps, shoulder
T Myles Hinton, back
Chargers
Out
TE Tucker Fisk, ankle
Questionable
RB Omarion Hampton, ankle
QB Justin Herbert, left hand
DT Otito Ogbonnia, elbow
Eagles vs. Chargers odds
As of Saturday afternoon, the Eagles were 2.5-point favorites at FanDuel and DraftKings. Both sportsbooks have set the projected point total at 41.5.
With their win over the Eagles on Black Friday, the Bears moved ahead of the Birds in the NFC standings.
Playoff picture
With five games remaining in the regular season, the 8-4 Eagles hold a two-game lead over the NFC East and hold the third seed in the NFC. At 2-11, the Giants are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, and the 3-9 Commanders can be eliminated from the divisional race with a loss or an Eagles win this week. The Cowboys, at 6-6-1, stand the best chance of taking the division lead from the Eagles, though Dallas’ loss to the Lions on Thursday night gave the Birds a bit of extra cushion.
NFC East standings
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The Bears and the Rams, both at 9-3, sit ahead of the Eagles in the NFC’s playoff seeding. The Birds have a tiebreak advantage over the Rams thanks to their 33-26 win over Los Angeles in Week 3, but the Bears hold the head-to-head advantage over the Eagles after last week’s loss.
NFC Standings
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Police confirmed earlier this week that offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s Moorestown home was vandalized after the Eagles’ loss to the Bears on Black Friday.
But the Birds’ defense also struggled in the team’s 24-15 loss to Chicago at Lincoln Financial Field last Friday, giving up 281 rushing yards. After holding opponents to fewer than 400 yards of offense in each of its first 10 games, Vic Fangio’s defense allowed both the Cowboys and the Bears to eclipse 400 yards of total offense in back-to-back games. Can the defense recover from back-to-back poor performances and contain the Chargers without Carter?
Injuries will also play a part in Monday night’s game for the Chargers. Jim Harbaugh’s team is preparing for Herbert to be their starting quarterback against the Eagles after he had surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday, though his status was listed as questionable on Saturday’s injury report. Herbert’s right throwing hand is healthy, but will a recovering left hand impact Herbert’s abilities on the field? Or will the Eagles see backup Trey Lance on Monday night?
75.9% – The rate of trips to the red zone that have resulted in touchdowns for the Eagles this season.
While the Eagles’ offensive struggles have been well documented, the Birds are leading the league in efficiency when they get inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. They have converted 22 of their 29 red-zone trips into touchdowns this season.
Our writers are split on their predictions for Monday night. Here’s a snippet of each of what they’re thinking — but you can click their names for a more in-depth breakdown …
Jeff McLane: I’m sure fans hate whenever I pick the Eagles. I get the joke. But I like their chances against a limited quarterback, and definitely if Lance starts. I don’t think the offense will rise from the near-dead, but I anticipate noticeable changes off the mini-bye that will aid their chances. I also like Hurts indoors. | Prediction: Eagles 25, Chargers 19
Jeff Neiburg: Justin Herbert is wearing a cast on his left hand, and the Chargers have a passing attack that should play into the Eagles’ hands, as long as they’re able to stop the run and get Herbert into third-and-longs. That may seem like a big ask without Carter, and it is, but the Eagles have had a solid enough run defense for most of the season to think Vic Fangio and Co. will make sure the last performance was just a one-game blip. | Prediction: Eagles 23, Chargers 20
Olivia Reiner: On one hand, I find it hard to believe that this Eagles team, with all of its talent, will lose three straight games for the first time since 2023. On the other, these matchups aren’t exactly favorable for the Eagles, even with an injured Herbert factored into the equation. | Prediction: Chargers 27, Eagles 24
Matt Breen: Omarion Hampton is trending to play Monday night, giving the Chargers a two-headed rushing attack against the Eagles. Does that remind you of anything? … This seems like a tough spot. | Prediction: Chargers 27, Eagles 17
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have lost four of their last eight games.
What we’re saying about the Eagles
Here’s what our columnists are saying about the Eagles this week, starting with Marcus Hayes, who argues that Jalen Carter’s injury will intensify the pressure on Jalen Hurts …
Marcus Hayes: “The Eagles can win three of their remaining games, four if they win Monday night. That would give them 12 wins and a chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC, since they’ve beaten the Rams and Lions, and since the Bears have a much more challenging schedule left to play. But no longer can the Eagles expect their defense to win games for them, as Hurts squeezes the football and stares, mystified, into opposing secondaries.” Read more.
David Murphy: “The reality of the NFL is that good teams struggle. It is a counterpunchers league, led by a bunch of maniac coaches who won’t rest until they figure out what you are doing and how to beat it. Andy Reid did not suddenly become a worse offensive coach over the last three seasons. Patrick Mahomes is still the same Patrick Mahomes who threw for 5,250 yards in 2022. Nobody in Kansas City or elsewhere is seriously questioning whether one of them is the problem. The Eagles made it look easy last year. But last year was an anomaly. The competitive environment this season is much closer to the norm.” Read more.
Mike Sielski: “That narrative — that [A.J.] Brown is only about Brown and his selfishness damages the Eagles — has never held up under much scrutiny. Should he stay off social media more? Of course he should. But they have a 53-18 record (regular-season and postseason), have won a Super Bowl, and reached another since acquiring him. At least 29 other teams in the NFL would sign up for that level of damage. Read more.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert broke a bone in his non-throwing hand last week against the Raiders.
What the Chargers are saying
At 8-4, the Chargers are in the current playoff picture in the AFC as the top wild-card team and trail the 10-2 Broncos for the lead in the AFC West. According to NFL.com’s playoff probabilities, a win against the Eagles would give the Chargers a 76% chance of making the playoffs, while a loss drops their postseason odds to 50%.
Herbert’s status under center is still in question, but the Chargers have prepared this week as if he will be the starting quarterback. Herbert had high praise for Vic Fangio’s defense as he prepared to face the Birds this week.
“He’s had a ton of success in this league,” Herbert said. “Back at his time with the Broncos, we saw him twice a year and we had a lot of respect for him then … The guys that they have on that side of the ball are game-wreckers and you have to be aware of those guys, and at the same time they are really well-coached, and it makes for a dangerous combination for a defense.”
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Fangio’s coverage schemes: “I was born at night, but not last night. Vic’s going to have different ways to leverage coverage to where it’s not one-on-one at all times … But as far as the matchup, I like Ladd [McConkey] against anybody.”
Wide receiver Quentin Johnston on Herbert’s injury: “I forgot he was dealing with something the way he’s playing. But that’s just the type of guy he is. Very, very tough guy. He was still at practice, throwing very accurate, so he honestly looked like he hasn’t lost his touch. So right now, just getting him through practice and getting him through the week and prepared for Sunday.”
Defensive end Khalil Mack on the Eagles’ offensive line without Lane Johnson: “Nameless, faceless objects. You understand who they are and what they’ve been able to accomplish and the level of football they play at, so it’s going to be a hell of a challenge.”
Guard Tyler Steen, center Cam Jurgens, and guard Landon Dickerson make up 60% of the Eagles starting offensive line.
What the national media is saying
Back-to-back losses from the Birds has placed them under the microscope of national network analysts and pundits, who are trying to diagnose what’s wrong with the reigning Super Bowl champs. On his New Heights podcast, former Eagles center Jason Kelce said the team will be in better shape once his former teammate Johnson returns from injury to his spot at right tackle.
“Lane Johnson coming back will be huge,” Jason said. “Even though [backup Fred Johnson] has done well, especially in pass [protection]. I think the run game is close, I know it hasn’t manifested yet. It’s frustrating watching because you know it can be so much better. I think with the health that is starting to come, it will only improve.”
Here’s what else the national media had to say about the Birds…
Travis Kelce on how pre-snap motions might help the Eagles offense: “You watch the Chiefs play, you see me moving around all the time. I move from one side of the line to the other side of the line, and what that does for the defense is it changes passing strength, it changes rules on how they’re going to pass off routes, it changes how they have to fill gaps.”
Dan Orlovsky on the Eagles’ first-down struggles: “If you struggle as an offense on first down, it makes second down much harder, and then therefore third down much harder. Until they play better as an offensive line and play better offensively on first down, that’s not going to get fixed.”
The award recognizes players who excel on the field and make an impact off it. Mailata is one of 32 nominees (one from each team). The winner will be announced during the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 5 during Super Bowl week in the San Francisco area.
Since the award was established in 1970, three Eagles have won it: Harold Carmichael in 1980, Troy Vincent in 2002, and Chris Long in 2018.
“Jordan Mailata’s recognition as a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year club winner is truly well deserved and speaks to his profound impact, both on and off the field,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a news release. “One of the highest honors bestowed upon players in the National Football League, this award celebrates those who proudly represent their teams with class and dignity — all in the name of the great Walter Payton. We congratulate Jordan and thank him for always being a person of high character who leads with kindness, compassion, and integrity.”
The team also revealed how it informed Mailata of the honor earlier this week:
Mailata is a converted rugby player from Australia who was a seventh-round pick by the Eagles in 2018 and has developed into a reliable long-term starter at left tackle. Besides his run of success on the field, Mailata, a second-team All-Pro selection in 2024, has been involved in multiple charitable endeavors. Mailata and his wife, Niki, were honored at the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance’s Bear Affair this year for their ongoing support.
Mailata also supports the American Association for Cancer Research and has been involved in the Eagles Autism Foundation. Additionally, his “Jeff Stoutland University” vignette on Sunday Night Football that went viral in 2022 inspired the creation of an apparel line that has raised more than $200,000 for the foundation.
Mailata also lent his singing chops to Christmas albums with Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson that have raised more than $10 million for local charities. Last year, the trio organized Operation Snowball, a project aimed at providing a gift to everystudent in the Philadelphia public school system thanks to funds raised by the singing group’s third album.
The charitable beneficiary of each team’s WPMOY nominee will receive $40,000, and the nonprofit chosen by the national winner will receive $250,000. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation.
Mailata will wear a Man of the Year decal on his helmet for the rest of the season.
Hard Knocks has come to Philadelphia … in more ways than one.
The famed HBO documentary series premiered the first episode of its in-season special Tuesday, bringing NFL fans a behind-the-scenes look at each team in the NFC East.
The episode is the first of eight, with subsequent releases planned each Tuesday night until Jan. 20.
The premiere gave viewers a look into Nick Sirianni’s leadership, the Eagles’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and explanations for crucial missed plays against the Chicago Bears.
Here’s what you may have missed from the first episode of Hard Knocks: In Season With the NFC East …
The Eagles have lost two in a row — and four of their last eight games — as Nick Sirianni continues to look for answers.
‘Thankful for adversities’
Before any flashy credits or highlights came across the screen, Hard Knocks provided coverage on the reigning champion Eagles, just not in the way Philly fans like.
The show opens with a conversation between Sirianni and Brandon Graham inside the Eagles’ practice facility. Discussing the Eagles’ upset loss to the Cowboys, Sirianni celebrates having to overcome adversity while commenting that players need to focus more on improving instead of complaining.
“Little setback,” Sirianni said. “No one wants to go through adversity until they go through it and be like, ‘Man, I needed that [expletive].’ Like last year, we had to go through that. Unfortunately, we had to go through ’23 to get to where we got last year.
“Same [expletive] here. Sometimes we get like, ‘Man, I don’t like what I am going through right now.’ Then fix it.”
Replied Graham: “It’s good, because it’s shaping up to see who you are, too.”
Following a quick introduction to the docuseries by narrator Liev Schreiber, which included tongue-in-cheek remarks about the Tush Push while the Impressions’ “Keep on Pushing” played in the background, the episode’s focus transitioned back to the Birds’ 21-point blown lead at AT&T Stadium.
Listening to the Cowboys’ sideline, lowlight after lowlight is shown of the Eagles’ poor second-half performance — rubbing salt in a still-fresh wound for Philly fans.
The show checked in with the Cowboys, Giants, and Commanders — who all seemed to show more positivity than the Eagles throughout the episode, despite having a worse record, a head coach fired, and an injured starting quarterback, respectively — before cycling back to left tackle Jordan Mailata addressing media criticism on 94 WIP.
The former seventh-round pick claimed that criticism toward Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, the offensive line, and Saquon Barkley has brought the team closer together — echoing Sirianni’s previous comments regarding adversity.
“It’s bringing us closer,” Mailata said. “It’s bringing us closer, man. We know what we have, and we’ve just got to keep going to work. When crap hits the fan, what I know how to do best is just go back to work and put your head down, and you go out there, and you have another chance on Friday — just play your heart out.”
Sirianni brought the point home in a continuation of his talk with Graham when he doubled down on his positive outlook on the Eagles’ struggles.
“I’m always thankful for adversities because I see every adversity as a way to come together as a football team,” Sirianni told Graham. “It’s not that you’re enjoying it or it’s pleasant going through it, but I am sure thankful for the adversities I went through to be where I am today.”
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has received much of the blame from fans, but quarterback Jalen Hurts took responsibility for the team’s loss to the Bears.
Hurts takes the blame
Hard Knocks also brought fans directly into the Birds’ preparation leading up to the team’s 24-15 loss to Chicago on Black Friday. The episode showed a focused Sirianni projecting the Bears logo on the screen at a team meeting, and Hurts delivering his signature “keep the main thing the main thing” line.
There were also small glimpses into Jeff Stoutland’s offensive line meetings, Scot Loeffler’s quarterback room, and Kevin Patullo’s presentation to the offense — providing insight into the team’s sense of urgency in fixing that side of the ball.
“When we look back, we don’t want to say, ‘Oh woulda, coulda, shoulda,’” Patullo said. “[Expletive] that. We’ve got to fix it now.”
When the show reaches the moment when the Eagles have their chance to fix it — last week’s matchup with the Bears — viewers get a glimpse into what actually went wrong for the Birds against Chicago.
First on the docket was Hurts’ uncharacteristically errant pass to DeVonta Smith in the second quarter — one that turned a would-be touchdown into a field-goal attempt — which we now know was caused by a missed hand signal Hurts sent Smith before the snap.
“When I pointed like this — that’s my fault, I thought you was going to settle down,” Hurts said to Smith after the play. “… [Expletive], that’s a play I’ve got to make.”
Hard Knocks showed the conversation between Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith after Hurts missed a critical throw vs the Bears. pic.twitter.com/jdqYj33aGg
“Y’all keep doing what y’all doing,” Hurts said while addressing his wide receiver group and offensive line. “Here we go, we’re going to finish the next one, that’s a play I make.”
On the verge of scoring once again, another mistake prevented a score — a fumble during a Tush Push play in the third quarter, for which Hurts once again took the blame.
“That’s me,” Hurts said after the play. “[Expletive] I did. Trying to secure the ball and he came straight in there and gutted it out. That’s on me, I’ve got to protect the [expletive] ball.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown had his best game of the season against the Bears, but the Eagles still lost.
Keep an eye on these two
Hard Knocks, known for its drama and fireworks, surprisingly did not feature anything from A.J. Brown after his recent comments regarding the Eagles’ struggle on offense.
But after Brown scored coming out of halftime against the Bears, the star wide receiver did share a brief interaction with Patullo — an interaction that may interest those who want to learn more about the pair’s relationship.
“I told you,” Patullo said after Brown’s touchdown. “You told me, I told you.”
As the series and the Eagles’ offensive woes continue, interactions between Brown and Patullo will continue to be scrutinized. And all Eagles fans can do is hope that Patullo and Brown keep telling each other whatever it takes to put more points on the board.
