Eagles-Giants Rivalry is Bigger Outside the Lines
PHILADELPHIA - The visceral nature of the rivalry between the Eagles and Giants is still very real with the fan bases of the two teams set to meet on Saturday night with a trip to the NFC Championship Game at stake.
Nick Sirianni and his coaching staff ordering stuff-crust pizza, while New York was upsetting Minnesota, was seen as an affront by some up the New Jersey Turnpike who believe their upstart team was disrespected by the cocky leader of the No. 1 seed.
Eagles fans, meanwhile, don’t understand how Daniel Jones could dare end Giants practice by doing The Griddy, simultaneously trolling the vanquished Vikings and Justin Jefferson while failing to show the proper deference to the 70-sack Eagles pass rush that will have Jefferson Hospital on alert on Saturday night.
And how, by all that is holy, could Xfinity Live rent out some of its space to visiting Giants fans who evidently believe a nice Saturday afternoon is being berated by liquored-up tailgaters wearing green?
Former Giants QB Eli Manning never thought he’d return to Philadelphia because the fans were so nasty to him and current Giants star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence is keeping his mom away from Lincoln Financial Field.
“We have a rowdy bunch over here, so I definitely understand. I remember when I was playing for the Panthers and we played Philly in Carolina and my mom was talking about the fans, so I definitely understand,” cornerback James Bradberry, a former Giant, said.
The shtick from both cities' flagship sports talk radio outlets plays to the lowest common denominator with the lowest hanging fruit.
The teams, though, are more like Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas pecking cheeks at center court than Julius Erving choking Larry Bird.
Giants coach Brian Daboll gave Sirianni one of his biggest career coaching breaks in Kansas City and the Eagles coach has never forgotten what that meant to his career.
Jalen Hurts also loves Daboll, dating to their time together at Alabama and the Giants coach reciprocates the respect to the Eagles’ mentor and QB.
Miles Sanders and Saquon Barkley remain close friends from their Penn State days and Linval Joseph, the Eagles’ massive NT who was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2010 draft before going on to make big money and Pro Bowls in Minnesota, still reveres the New York organization that gave him his opportunity.
“It’s been a while,” Joseph said of his days with the Giants which ended after the 2013 season, “but it was an honor to start my career there. Still, be able to play against them. Still know some guys over there.
"I feel like it’s a beautiful day.”
Even Bradberry, who was a salary-cap casualty by the Giants in the offseason before relocating to Philadelphia and regaining his mojo as a second-team All-Pro, doesn’t hold the business decision against New York.
“It would definitely be pretty sweet,” Bradberry said when asked what beating the Giants would mean. “First of all because we’re going on to the next round and second. … I know those guys over there, and I know some coaches over there, so it’s like being back in Little League, when you’re in Little League playing a team across the city and you have some friends over there.”
The Hatfields and McCoys of the parking lots can rest assured that each side of the good-natured rivalry remains ultra-competitive and will be fighting and clawing to get a win on Saturday night.
Just don't expect much animosity between the organizations afterward.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
