The Hidden Enemy Between The Eagles Going Back To Back

PHILADELPHIA - Training camps have already begun around the NFL, and by Wednesday of next week, all 32 teams, including the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, will be hard at work in preparation for the 2025 season.

Head coach Nick Sirianni has devised his messaging to what is still universally regarded as one of the most talented teams in the league despite significant attrition to what was the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL last season.

GM Howie Roseman stayed disciplined and implemented a so-called maintenance offseason plan with an eye on what’s coming on the extension front with a host of talented young players who will need to be taken care of per the organization’s projection.

So what could go wrong?

The most obvious is attrition in the form of multiple injuries at key positions, but that’s something baked into life in the NFL and a stipulation for all 32 clubs at all times.

That’s why the Eagles’ mindset has been branded as “sustained success” by Sirianni, and the head coach has imposed a soft ban on the “R” (Repeat) word inside the walls of the NovaCare Complex.

The Eagles’ recent championship ring ceremony highlighted one of Sirianni’s toughest hurdles moving forward, and it’s one few ever even think about.

It’s the idea of handling success.

Adversity is expected with life in general, never mind the NFL. That doesn’t mean everyone handles it well, but it’s not a hidden enemy.

The handshake or the hug can be. Enough compliments, mixed with human nature, can be a toxic cocktail.

“Treat praise like perfume. Sniff it, don't drink it—it's poison,” the Eagles coach told his players this spring.

And there were the Eagles on Friday night in Fishtown, dressed to the nines, navigating the “Green Carpet” like it was a Hollywood premiere to receive a ring so big with so much bling only Andre the Giant with armed security might feel comfortable wearing it in public.

Jake Elliott: 2x Super Bowl champion 🦅 pic.twitter.com/lfa84bUrzl
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) July 19, 2025

Handling success can be so insidious that recognizing it as a potential problem is only the first hurdle. It can hide in plain sight.

Consider Roseman’s offseason plan. With players like Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith up for big-money extensions after this season, and Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt potential candidates soon to follow, it makes all the business sense in the world to reboot the cash-over-cap strategy that has been so successful over the past decade for Philadelphia.

However, does anyone believe that if the Eagles didn’t have two Lombardis in the bank, this would have been the path forward by the future Hall of Fame GM?

Had Jake Elliott not been flashing two rings and detailing the size difference, reporters wouldn't have Roseman's GPS set for Canton, and the Eagles would have broken down every door to try to acquire a proven difference-making pass rusher or a playmaking defensive back.

Success failed to erode Sirianni’s core values, so the nebulous enemy gutted the Eagles’ urgency.

The Super Bowl window remains open in Philadelphia, but this time, the Eagles arrive at camp without a pre-Super Bowl LII mindset to seize the moment.

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