Getty Kendrick Bourne
The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots kicked off joint practices in South Philly on Monday morning. It’s a complicated rivalry between the two franchises dating back to rumors of “SpyGate” cheating in 2005.
Hurt feelings aside, the Eagles and Patriots run tight ships and both franchises have enjoyed great success over the past two decades. There is mutual respect among front-office executives as evidenced by New England going out and signing former Eagles Super Bowl champions Jalen Mills and Nelson Agholor to free-agent deals.
Kendrick Bourne says the Eagles tried to sign him this spring.
Adds he was “not even close” to signing with them. Says the Patriots had “quite the pitch”
Philadelphia apparently had its sights set on Kendrick Bourne this past offseason, but the speedy receiver opted for New England. It “was not even close,” via Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. Bourne inked a three-year, $15 million deal (via Spotrac) with the Patriots in March.
“I actually kind of was recruited by them in free agency, but not much that I know,” Bourne told reporters, via NBC Sports Boston. “I know a couple [Eagles] DBs. I know [Darius] Slay, one of the good guys over there. They have a lot of good DBs. I just want to put some good stuff on tape and we’ll see how it goes.”
And Bourne didn’t hold back when asked if he planned to show the Eagles what kind of player they missed out on: “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Kendrick Bourne going up to get it.
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Nick Sirianni Talks Joint Practices, Bill Belichick
The Patriots are technically the road team this week in joint practices. That doesn’t mean they are at any disadvantage. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni revealed the planning conversations earlier this summer were collaborative and cordial. Both he and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick want to get the most out of every single rep.
“You just want your team to work and get better from the scenario,” Sirianni said. “And you want his team to be able to work and get better from it, so you continue to build a relationship and work with each other. So, I wouldn’t say home field advantage. Just work so you’re both getting what you want.”
Chalk one up for the good guys 🙌
But Sirianni did admit to an overwhelming admiration for Belichick, a guy he called the “best in the business” and arguably the best coach to ever do it.
“I mean, this is the best NFL coach ever. So really look forward to learning from him,” Sirianni said. “Just like we watch tape of guys, just like we throw on the tape and say, ‘Hey, look how you watch this guy run this route, look how to read this play’ of players in the NFL. I’ll do the same thing here with Coach Belichick.”
Nick Sirianni on Bill Belichick, who will share the practice field with the Eagles coach for the next two days:
Ex-Eagles LB Signs with San Francisco
Former Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks officially signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. The Super Bowl champion recently served a one-day jail sentence for his 2018 guilty plea on insider trading charges. Kendricks, who will turn 31 years old on Sept. 28, is entering his 10th NFL season following stints with Philly, Seattle, Washington.
Originally a second-round pick (46th overall) of the Eagles in 2012, Kendricks has 548 career tackles (52 for loss) while racking up 19 sacks and four interceptions. He was a starter on the 2017 Eagles’ Super Bowl championship team that beat the New England Patriots 41-33.
Mychal Kendricks message to Eagles fans
“I love the Philly fans. I love Philly. We did something special this past year that no one can ever take away. Ill always cherish my time here in Philadelphia. We won the first Super Bowl here together and that’s special”
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‘Quite the Pitch’: Patriots WR Spurned Eagles in Free Agency