The Philadelphia Eagles feel no Super Bowl hangover.
In the quest for back-to-back Lombardi Trophies, Saquon Barkley said the Eagles' organized team activities have been just as spirited as last year when they had a lot to prove. This time around, they know what it takes to concoct a winning formula.
"It's been great," Barkley said Monday on NFL Network's The Insiders. "We've got guys coming in and buying in, training really hard, competing at a high level. The young guys that we drafted and the people we brought in, they're buying into the culture right from the beginning.
"The best way I can answer that question is success is not an accident. We know the recipe. We know what it takes. We can't skip any steps to get to where we want to get to. Last OTAs, it was the same thing, and we already know how training camp's gonna be and we know how it's gonna be during the season. We know the recipe, and we just got to stick to it and a little bit of luck when that comes in with staying healthy. We do that, with the talent that we have and the coaches that we have, we'll be in a good position."
Barkley's record-setting 2024 campaign saw him rush for 2,005 yards with 13 touchdowns and break the NFL's single-season rushing record, including the playoffs, with 2,504 yards. In addition to the Super Bowl ring, the back earned a new contract and capped off the year by being named the *Madden* cover athlete.
Like all great players, Barkley appreciates what he and the Eagles accomplished, but he's not one to rest on his laurels. There is another mountain on the horizon.
"It was a hell of a year. It was a year that you dream about," Barkley said. "It was a year that you train for. The beauty of it is you have an opportunity to do it again. That's what the mindset kind of shifts to is learn from it, and even though you had a great year, there's so many plays and so many things I can continue to improve on. You've got to be obsessed with the little details and locking into taking your game to another level.
"When it gets to this point, it might only move the needle a little bit, but any time you can move the needle, it's going to help you. That's what the mindset is, not only for myself but for our team, is, yes, we did it, we reached the top of Mount Everest, but now we all got to go back down and work our way back up."
Repeating as Super Bowl champions is a daunting task. Only the 2022-23 Kansas City Chiefs and 2003-04 New England Patriots have done so this millennium.
Backing up a 2,000-yard rushing campaign with a similarly productive season is also a tall ask. Of the previous eight backs to complete the feat, none hit the 1,500-yard rushing mark the following season, none averaged more than 4.5 yards per carry, and two missed at least half the season due to injuries (Terrell Davis, Derrick Henry).
Year after 2,000-yard rushing season: O.J. Simpson, 1,125 yards (4.2 YPC); Eric Dickerson, 1,234 (4.2); Barry Sanders, 1,491 (4.3); Terrell Davis, 211 (3.1); Jamal Lewis, 1,006 (4.3); Chris Johnson, 1,364 (4.3); Adrian Peterson, 1,266 (4.5); Derrick Henry, 937 (4.3).
Climbing Mount Everest -- as a team and a player -- takes a lot of effort. Barkley believes he and the Eagles have the spirit to do it again.
