It's never too late to change your tune.
Rams pass rusher Jared Verse did just that recently, giving Eagles fans their props months after drawing their ire ahead of a Divisional Round matchup.
"Probably the Eagles," Verse told Whistle Sports in an interview when asked to name the NFL's best opposing fan base. "I've got to give them that. I like when you kind of like get into it, you're aggressive, you're loud and all that stuff. They stand by that with no doubt."
Verse wasn't so complimentary in January, when the rookie pass rusher bluntly expressed his distaste for the Philly faithful.
"I hate Eagles fans," he said at the time. "They're so annoying. I hate Eagles fans."
Verse, who attended high school in Pennsylvania, set himself up for the best (or worst) Philadelphia fans had to offer by sharing his feelings prior to a playoff trip to play the Eagles.
A snow game attended by antagonized fans who in the past pelted Santa with snowballs, the affair lived up to the stage set by Verse. Los Angeles lost, 28-22, but pushed the Eagles perhaps more than any team during the postseason. And although Verse was greeted often with a chorus of boos, he backed up his talk. He logged three tackles for loss and two sacks, as he and the Rams made a late push before falling a touchdown shy of reaching the NFC Championship Game.
Verse has since won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and earlier in June spoke about the double-digit sacks he left on the field that he intends to convert in Year 2.
With training camp just over a month away, it won't be long now until Verse can start looking to make good on his sack promise. He'll also soon have another opportunity to face the Eagles and their fans, when the Rams travel to Philadelphia in Week 3 of the upcoming season.
Not done with his praise, Verse also called Philly's crowd the toughest to play in front of in the NFL.
"Playing the Eagles is like playing your rival in college," he said. "You never know what they're going to say and they're gonna try to say disrespectful stuff. Don't get me wrong, they're not gonna say anything where you're like, 'Bro, you crossed a line," but they're gonna say some stuff where you're like, 'Who you talkin' to?'"
Perhaps come the teams' next meeting, Eagles fans will take it easier on Verse, remembering the compliments he's now paid them.
More likely, though, they'll let him hear it once again -- not that he'd want it any other way.
