PHILADELPHIA — Walking out of the home tunnel onto Lincoln Financial Field for the first time, the vibe was certainly familiar for Saquon Barkley. Having 50,000-plus fans cheering for Barkley reminded him of his days playing football 200 miles northwest of Philadelphia, when Beaver Stadium was packed on fall Saturdays cheering for Barkley and Penn State.
“I tell these guys it’s like college,” Barkley said of his first experience running out of the home tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field during Eagles open practice last week. “If you think about it, when you leave college — the NFL is on another level with the stadiums and the vibe.
“You never really get that college feeling, but you get that here.”
The crowd at an Eagles practice might not match the atmosphere of a Penn State “White Out,” yet Eagles fans have made home-field advantage their own. Eagles open practices have grown in capacity over the years, reaching 50,000-plus over the last two years (the Eagles only have one open practice a year).
Eagles fans certainly made an impression on offensive lineman Trevor Keegan. Another player who came from a Big Ten powerhouse, Keegan compared the setting to what the Wolverines experience on fall Saturdays at “The Big House.”
The fanbase surpassed the intensity of what Keegan is used to at Michigan. Remember, this was an open practice, not a game.
“It was awesome. I remember walking out there and they’re introducing all the guys, I’m like ‘Holy shit, this is so cool,'” Keegan said. “It was louder than Michigan Stadium with those 50,000 people, It was rocking.
“I gotta little goosebumps. It was cool.”
There were a variety of reasons Barkley chose the Eagles, the fanbase being a minor part of the equation. If Barkley was seeing that Beaver Stadium energy again, he may have found it in Philadelphia.
Envision a long Barkley touchdown run in Lincoln Financial Field. He can picture the reaction.
“I already knew how much love this city has, not just for this team, but all the teams around here,” Barkley said. “But for a practice to have 50,000 fans is truly insane. … It’s big. It helps us as a team. It kind of gives me that college feel again.
“When I was in college, you didn’t want anyone to come into Beaver Stadium and get a win there. You get that feel here. You know how much every week is, and how much that means, when you play at the Linc.”
Coming from a passionate fan base like Michigan, Keegan is beginning to understand what the Eagles mean to the city of Philadelphia. He can relate to a fanbase that lives and dies by their football team.
“You just hear about it every day how passionate the fans are for this team and the rest of the sports teams. It’s awesome,” Keegan said. “Blue collar, hard-working people that sports brings all together. It’s one of the coolest things.
“You can feel it from the fans. I got goosebumps. It was so cool. I was so excited and I’m excited for the season.”
Bet on Barkley having the same mentality on fall Saturdays in Happy Valley in Philadelphia. After what he experienced coming out of the other tunnel (Barkley came out of the visitors tunnel in the Linc when he played for Penn State and the New York Giants), there’s only one outcome.
“I’m excited to go out there and play for those guys, to play for this fanbase,” Barkley said. “Every week I’m gonna try to give them 100 percent and try to compete at a high level.”
