Haason Reddick Locked in, Ready to Climb Ladder to Super Bowl

PHILADELPHIA – Haason Reddick is usually a locker room staple, someone always at his locker who is always willing to patiently answer any question.

Except for last week.

On Tuesday, SI Eagles Today asked if he had time for a few questions. He said, ‘Let me go get this body ready for practice and I’ll talk while I’m getting ready for practice.’

Reddick never returned and he wasn’t spotted over the next two days of locker room availability.

Spotted in the locker room after leading a defensive effort that shut down the New York Giants on Saturday night, Reddick was asked about his cone of silence.

And he had a perfectly reasoned answer for it.

“I'm locked in baby for this whole process,” he said. “My first time in the playoffs, I want to make sure my body is right, ready to go, so I can get out there and help the team and give 100% effort as we continue to try to climb up this ladder to get the Super Bowl.

"I'm locked in, I'm focused, I'm doing extra. I'm giving it everything I got.”

Reddick showed up in a big way.

He has said since the day he arrived in Philadelphia to play for his hometown team that his mantra is making plays that impact the game.

Back-to-back sacks on the Giants’ first possession of the game?

Yeah, that counts.

He finished with three QB hits and tied for the team lead in tackles with five. With 16 sacks in the regular season, Reddick now has 17.5 after his 1.5 against New York.

The sacks came on third then fourth down. He shared the first one with Josh Sweat.

The second one was all his and it gave the Eagles good field position that the offense turned into a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. The rout was on from there as the Eagles throttled New York, 38-7, to make it to their second NFC Championship Game in five years.

“Blessings,” he said. “I never thought I’d be in this position. It took six years to get here. Like I said, I’m just enjoying this with the fellas and trying to help do my part to win it all.”

The Eagles already have won 15 times. Two more and they will win their second Super Bowl.

It won’t be easy, as Jalen Hurts so astutely put it Saturday night, “When you climb that mountain it gets harder and more treacherous.”

If Reddick is able to find the zone, like he appeared to be in on Saturday, that would certainly make the trip up that mountain a tad less treacherous.

“Pass rushing, man, is one of those things,” he said. “You get hot, you get a rhythm, and you get real streaky. I’ve just been blessed to be at that point right now. I’m happy and I’m just trying to build off that."

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.