NEW ORLEANS – If the Buffalo Bills had “Mr. Brightside,” the Philadelphia Eagles have “Waterfalls.”
As the Eagles prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX – two years after losing to them in Super Bowl LVII – the focus is not simply revenge. Right tackle Lane Johnson said he thinks that’s a dangerous mindset to live in, to simply avenge the past.
“Yeah, we had a quote from some of the players – it’s not about revenge. We’re not chasing waterfalls,” Johnson said.
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, right, said: “You can’t be worried about what’s going to happen, what’s happened in the past. You’ve gotta go with it, man, and go forth.”
There is some slight discrepancy in the Eagles’ locker room on who made the phrase most famous.
“I forgot who sang it – I think TLC sings it,” Johnson said. (They do. It was a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in several countries.) “Yeah, ‘don’t go chasing’ is – I guess the main theme of it is, we can only control so much, so it was a funny inside joke.”
Eagles center Cam Jurgens allegedly didn’t know where the lyrics came from at all.
“He didn’t know that?” Johnson said. “Hey, that doesn’t surprise me. Cam’s from Nebraska.”
Whether it’s in song form or quoted, safety Reed Blankenship echoed that the message had made it to the defense.
“Yeah, don’t go chasing waterfalls, for sure,” he said Tuesday. “Yeah, that’s just been said.”
The exact mindset could vary from player to player. But for Johnson, the phrase means homing in on the present and on the details of the game can that can make a difference. That’s more important than letting your mind wander, he says.
“Well, you can only control so much,” Johnson said. “And a lot about thinking if you’re gonna win or what we’re going to do doesn’t translate to action. So, we’ve got to be focused leading into this game.”
Johnson, a 12-year veteran, knows what it’s like to face a dynasty. In Super Bowl LII, he was part of an Eagles team that overcame the New England Patriots, 41-33.
He sees some similarities between that Super Bowl LII team and this year’s team, particularly their efficiency, their mistake-free play, and the rosters to win.
“The one against the Patriots, it was that ‘we didn’t have nothing to lose’ mentality,” Johnson said. “It still feels that way now. But I know with both teams, they have our utmost focus and respect from what they’ve accomplished.”
For the Eagles, the memory of falling to Kansas City 38-35 two years ago could be a motivating factor. Johnson sees some value in the scar tissue, but he thinks those lessons can only propel a team so far.
“I think any adversity, it either makes you or breaks you,” Johnson said. “But I think it’s something that we definitely learned from. I think the team that wins usually has the fewest mistakes, and there’s a reason that Kansas City has been here five of the last six years, ’cause they don’t make many.
“And yeah, the hunger’s there. It’s been there. It was motivational at times. But coming into this week, you have to be so in the moment, you can’t be worried about what’s going to happen, what’s happened in the past. You’ve gotta go with it, man, and go forth.”
Even for younger players who were not with the team for Super Bowl LVII, the message has been clear.
“Yeah, those guys, the guys we drafted – you don’t have to tell them much,” Johnson said. “They’re wired. Wherever they came from, they have no issues with working. … So, they’re great competitors, and it’s great to see guys like that.”
‘Insulting’ to suggest refs side with Chiefs
A day after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the Kansas City Chiefs getting preferential treatment from officials was a “ridiculous theory,” the head of the NFL Referees Association weighed in ... and agreed.
Scott Green, a former on-field official who is the executive director of the NFLRA, applauded Goodell for his support of the officials.
“Commissioner Goodell’s comments that it is ‘ridiculous,’ to presume that NFL officials are not doing everything possible to make the right call on every play is spot on,” Green said in a statement. “Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice each regular season. It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.”
In two playoff games, the Chiefs have been called for nine enforced penalties compared to a combined 14 for Houston (divisional round) and Buffalo (AFC championship game). In the regular season, the Chiefs committed 94 penalties compared to 107 for their opponents.
Houston fans were livid last month when the Texans were called for multiple fouls that replay showed were iffy at best, and Bills fans were similarly upset with the spotting of the football as well as a contested catch by Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy after a mid-air battle with Bills safety Cole Bishop.
News Sports Reporter Ryan O’Halloran contributed to this report.
