Eagles Pass Rusher Haason Reddick: "I Didn't Play Up to My Standard"
PHILADELPHIA – Haason Reddick was easy to find at his locker on Thursday, the first day the Eagles returned to work after opening the season against the Detroit Lions days earlier.
He was not invisible, as some may have thought in the 38-35 win.
He had two tackles, one that went for a loss, causing a segment of fans to take to social media to voice their displeasure.
“It’s Philly man, that’s all I can say, it’s Philly,” said Reddick. “If it didn’t happen, I would be shocked. I’m not worried nor concerned…
“It’s a lot of things that go into it that fans don’t realize, that fans don’t know, and I’m not going to get into that. The fans will say what they want to say, the fans will have their own opinions no matter what anybody says. I’m not worried about that. I know it’s Philly. I know it’s a tough crowd. I know how it can be. I’m not going to let it faze me.”
The Eagles signed him as a free agent because they wanted to upgrade their pass rush. He didn’t have any QB pressures on 47 of the 69 snaps the Lions run.
“Nobody should be alarmed about anything on Week 1,” he said. “You feel me? It’s Week 1, it’s the first real action. There are a lot of things that go into it. You can tell how good a team is by what they correct from week 1 to week 2."
Reddick took accountability and knows he needs to be better.
He also understands a better pass rush from not only him but his teammates is needed to help contain a high-powered Minnesota Vikings offense in the Eagles’ Monday night home opener.
Reddick said the game wasn’t up to his standards and explained what his standards are.
“At some point, I just feel like I have to make a play that affects the game because that’s what I was brought here to do,” he said. “While I did have some good plays, I did a lot of good things, I don’t think I really made a game-changing play.
"But it’s Week 1. I’m not worried about that. I have 16 more weeks; 16 more opportunities and I know everything I’m looking to accomplish will come.”
Reddick admitted to maybe being too hyped in Detroit since he was playing his first game with the team he grew up watching just across the river from Lincoln Financial Field in Camden, N.J.
“I feel like that was part of it,” he said. “…I’m not worried about that. I’m not thinking of that anymore. I finally got to put that Eagles uniform on and play an actual game.
“Now I’m settled in and instead of worrying about …I’m just focused on playing great football. I’m focused on minimizing the distractions, minimizing what I’m worried about, and just focusing on playing.”
Reddick said that even though this will be his first home game, in the spotlight of Monday Night Football, and on the same field where he played his home games when he was at Temple University, he won’t let it impact his game or his thought process.
“The energy is going to be there,” he said. “I know all the fans are going to come out, come support. While I know it’s a Monday night game, I’m not going to get caught up in that hype. I’m just focused right now on being better than I was Week 1, fixing the things I didn’t do right in Week 1.
“That’s all I’m going to focus on. I’m not going to get caught up in the hype, I’m not going to get caught up in, ‘oh you’re back home,’ I’m not going to let that stuff distract me. The only thing I’m worried about is playing good football for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
