Professional athletes have nothing to do but workout at home in this bizarre quarantine world. For many NFL players, that means non-stop muscle-building sessions.
The Eagles made stud defensive tackle Fletcher Cox available to the media on Tuesday and he shared a few interesting tidbits on how he has been spending his spare time. The 29-year-old called the virtual offseason “weird” and indicated excitement over (hopefully) “getting everybody together as a group” in the coming weeks for training camp.
The breadth of his answers were pretty run of the mill, borderline boring, but he did reveal a couple of fun nuggets about his teammates. For one, Cox believes Brandon Graham will come back as the strongest member on the defensive side of the ball, in terms of adding muscle during the quarantine. He also referred to defensive end Genard Avery as a “maniac in the weight room.”
Fletcher Cox called Genard Avery a “maniac in the weight room.” But his guess at the one guy coming back stronger than ever was Brandon Graham.
Cox also said he expects Graham to assume a bigger leadership role in Malcolm Jenkins’ absence. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
“The most important thing is to be ready to go,” Cox added. “I don’t think looks ever sack the quarterback.”
But how are players dealing with no access to team facilities? Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a home gym. Well, Cox had a simple suggestion to solve that problem.
“Drive a car to a flat parking spot, and push it,” Cox said.
“Drive a car to a flat parking spot, and push it.”
Fletcher Cox’s workout advice to guys who don’t have access to a gym now 😂
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Cox Recruited CB Darius Slay Hard to Philly
Cox knew Darius Slay back home when the two were high school juniors making college visits and they played one season together at Mississippi State. That squad finished with the 16th-best defense in college football.
The two are now bonafide superstars in the NFL with a combined eight Pro Bowls between them — five for Cox, three for Slay — and were in communication during the free-agency period. On Tuesday, Cox revealed the confident pitch he used to recruit Slay to come play in Philly.
“If you want to win, come to Philly,” Cox told Slay. “We win around here. We do things differently around here.”
Fletcher Cox recruited Darius Slay to Philly hard. He told Slay: “If you want to win, come to Philly. We win around here. We do things differently around here.” #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Then, Cox elaborated on what Slay brings to the table.
“I know what he can bring to our team,” Cox said. “The character, the swagger, the hard work, the leadership.”
Cox Named to NFL’s All-Decade Team
Cox was the only current Eagles player named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s when the league announced the roster in early April. He was joined by three former Eagles greats — LeSean McCoy, Jason Peters, Darren Sproles — on the squad.
While some have deemed 2019 a “down year” for the defensive tackle, Cox still managed to earn his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl nod while finishing the year with 3.5 sacks and 40 tackles in 16 starts. Pro Football Focus handed him an 89.5 overall grade last season and voted him as the 16th-best defensive player and fifth-best defensive tackle in the NFL.
“It means a lot. I don’t think they just throw players up there.”
— Fletcher Cox says it’s an honor to be named to the all-decade team
Cox also landed himself at No. 44 on Pro Football Focus’ list of the “Top 101 Players” in football. It was a step down after ranking at No. 5 in 2018 but still quite the honor. Here is what they wrote about his 2019 season:
Much like Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox wasn’t quite able to live up to his performance from a season ago. However, even after taking a step backward this year, he was still one of the most dominant interior forces in the league. He finished the year with 56 total pressures, adding four more in the team’s wild-card defeat in the postseason. Cox also tallied 23 defensive stops and an overall PFF grade of 89.5, having posted the best game of his season when it mattered most — the playoffs — albeit in a losing effort.
He was joined by current and former teammates Brandon Brooks (5), Lane Johnson (34), Jason Kelce (53), Brandon Graham (60), Jason Peters (72) and Dallas Goedert (75). Surprisingly, Zach Ertz was omitted.
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Fletcher Cox Predicts Strongest Post-Quarantine Eagles Player