Jordan Hicks Returns to Philadelphia the Same Way He Left, As a Playmaking LB
PHILADELPHIA - You may have forgotten that Jordan Hicks was the defensive leader and "green dot" on the 2017-18 Eagles, the only Super Bowl-winning team in franchise history.
Unfortunately, a season-ending Achilles injury derailed Hicks' personal SB run with Nigel Bradham taking the baton and finishing things off as the communicator for Jim Schwartz.
In many ways, the 2017 campaign defined Hicks' stay in Philadelphia, a savvy playmaker on the field and one of Chip Kelly's best decisions as a third-round pick out of Texas but often a player who ran afoul of one of Kelly's favorite sayings: "the best ability is availability."
Hicks missed 21 regular-season games during his four seasons with the Eagles and now that he's left, the veteran linebacker has had better health, playing in 50 consecutive games, the latest being his debut in Minnesota, one in which Hicks' compiled a team-high 14 tackles and also sacked and forced a fumble by the game's best quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, in an emphatic 23-7 Vikings win.
“I expected him to be flying around schematically sound doing his job, working hand-in-hand with [Eric Kendricks]," Vikings rookie coach Kevin O’Connell said on the team's web site.
“We ask a lot out of those guys in our defense, but I really enjoyed the physicality he played with. He showed up to the ball violently sometimes.”
O'Connell turned down a request to speak to Eagles media during the week.
Hicks will return to Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field Monday night for the first time since leaving after the 2018 season, ironically next to Kendricks, the younger brother of Hicks' former running mate with the Eagles from 2015-17, Mychal Kendricks.
The Minneapolis version of the Hicks-Kendricks law firm is regarded as one of the best LB duos in the NFL.
"I have a lot of good memories out there," Hicks told reporters this week when discussing his return to South Philadelphia. "A lot of good people I still know on that team, and I'm definitely excited. Anytime you play a former team or play back in your hometown, it means a little more."
Hicks is also dishing out the intel on just how difficult a place to play Lincoln Financial Field can be, something veteran Vikings know from the 2018 NFC Championship Game when Minnesota arrived as favorites and was blown out of a building that was so loud the noise was registering across the Delaware River in South Jersey,
"I'd imagine it will be pretty hostile, which is exciting because any time that juice is out there, it does nothing but amp you up," said Hicks. "It will be my first time going back on this side of it."
"It's definitely an environment that they take a lot of pride in," O'Connell added. "You know that. It's very difficult to go play — it's truly one of those places in the league where you can tell yourself, 'It's our group against [67,000]. And they're going to have it rockin' in the first Monday Night Football game of the year, coming off a win."
The Eagles have struggled to replace Hicks' playmaking ability at LB since he left. Now 30, he's always had a nose for the football, registering five sacks, six fumble recoveries, and seven interceptions during his time in Philadelphia. His sack and FF on Rodgers last week was a backbreaker for Green Bay in Week 1.
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"There's a lot of plays out there where there was a combination of guys doing their jobs and allowing other people to have success," Hicks said of his big play. "That was one of them. [Za'Darius Smith] did a great job with the running back, I saw [Rodgers] break the pocket and just triggered. That's this defense. This defense is built on making big plays.
"Bend don't break and keep points off the board."
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts may not face a set of LBs with higher football IQs than the Hicks-Kendricks duo he will see on Monday night. Hicks is also very cognizant of the unique threats Hurts presents to any defense.
"[Off scedule-stuff] is what we does best," Hurts said when discussing the Eagles' QB. "He's as dynamic as they come with his legs, and he's a really good football player. So we've got to do everything we can to stop him, whether it's scheme runs or him breaking contain, breaking the pocket – we've all got to keep eyes on him and be there."
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Sports. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talker Jody McDonald, every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com and JAKIBSports.com. You can reach John at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
