NFL Star Makes Shocking Statement on Philadelphia Eagles Fans
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Following his first NFL season, Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jared Verse came away with an unexpected take. The young pass rusher believes the Philadelphia Eagles has the best fans that don't root for the Rams.
Quite the change of tune for the 24-year-old out of Florida State.
"I got to give them that," Verse said on 'Whistle.'
"I like when you kind of get into it. You're aggressive, you're loud, and all of that stuff. They stand by that, no doubt."
Ahead of an Eagles-Rams clash in the 2025 NFC Divisional Round, Verse wasn't as complimentary to Philly fans. In fact, he claimed to have a hatred for them.
"I hate Eagles fans," Verse stated. "They're so annoying. I hate Eagles fans."
Despite not playing in front of Eagles fans outside of Los Angeles yet at the time, perhaps Verse got an idea of what they were like back when he lived in Pennsylvania during his earlier years.
Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Jared Verse #8 of the Los Angeles Rams interact after an NFL football game, at SoFi Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California....
Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Jared Verse #8 of the Los Angeles Rams interact after an NFL football game, at SoFi Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. MoreHe gave the Eagles and their fan base perfect bulletin board material ahead of an intense playoff matchup at Lincoln Financial Field. What started out as a cold, windy game turned into a snow bowl. The Rams put up a good fight, but the Eagles found the edge and knocked the Rams out of the postseason en route to their Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks later.
Although Verse's words back in January displayed a dislike for Eagles fans, it seems his feelings have turned into respect for the screaming fans in South Philly. When he was asked about the toughest fan base to face, in his opinion, Verse fired off the Eagles once again.
Read More: NFL Writer Highlights Concerning Theories For Eagles' Saquon Barkley
"Probably the Eagles! Playing the Eagles is like playing your rival in college," said Verse. "You never know what they are going to say, and they're going to try to like say disrespectful stuff. They are going to bring some stuff on you. They're not going to say something where you crossed the line, but they are going to say some stuff where you're like, 'Who are you talking to?'"
With the Eagles defeating the Rams twice last season, and going on to win it all, Philly fans have likely let go of their mini-rivalry with Verse, especially now since he's been showing a lot of respect for their approach to spectating the game.
Verse, the Defensive Rookie of the Year, will pay another trip to Philadelphia next season. After the Eagles visited the Rams in 2024, the schedule-makers will have the Rams and the Eagles battle it out at Lincoln Financial Field for a Divisional Round rematch.
For more Philadelphia Eagles and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs DL George Karlaftis participates in the annual Sack Summit
Offseason training goes beyond the league's scheduled workout program, as many players take advantage of opportunities to improve ahead of the new season. Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher George Karlaftis recently made his presence known amongst some of the best in his position group. Karlaftis was one of 50 edge rushers to get invitations to the annual Sack Summit in Las Vegas. Similar to the efforts of Tight End University, the session has garnered a popular following among the gathering's star players, who represent their teams. "History is a big part of our organization, Coach speaks; Clark Hunt has every year: It's about the history of the team and tradition and how important all of that is." Karlaftis told Brian Baldinger, "We are well aware of it, and we're trying to just keep elevating it every single year. The Sack Summit is an annual gathering of the top NFL Pass Rushers. The two-day summit, traditionally held in June in Las Vegas, NV, offers a rare opportunity for players in the same position on different teams around the league to share their skills, knowledge, and techniques. Since his rookie season in 2022, Katlaftis has had 32.5 sacks, including the postseason, and 208 pressures. Last season, he led the Chiefs with eight sacks and 61 pressures.
Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
Where's Matt? Packers' Coach LaFleur Falls Out Of PFF's Top-10 List
Pro Football Focus ranked the NFL's top-10 coaches, and Green Bay's Matt LaFleur didn't make the ... More list. The bloom is clearly off the rose. Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur — who had tremendous success his first three years in Titletown — hasn't come close to matching those achievements the last three years. And his reputation across the NFL is slipping. Pro Football Focus ranked the NFL's top-10 coaches recently — and LaFleur missed the cut. That's in stark contrast to recent years when LaFleur was ranked No. 3 in 2021, and ranked sixth in both 2022 and 2024. Kansas City's Andy Reid, who's led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl championships, is No. 1 on PFF's top-10 list. Denver's Sean Payton, the Los Angeles Rams Sean Payton, Baltimore's John Harbaugh and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin round out the top five. Every coach in the top-5 has won at least one Super Bowl title. The next five are Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan, Philadelphia's Nick Sirianni, Detroit's Dan Campbell and Cleveland's Kevin Stefanski. Sirianni and the Eagles are the defending Super Bowl champions, while Shanahan and Jim Harbaugh have both led teams to the Super Bowl, but lost. Campbell and Stefanski are the only two coaches on the list that haven't been to a Super Bowl. LaFleur looked like one of the NFL's bright young stars when he led the Packers to a 39-10 overall record his first three seasons in Green Bay (2019-2021) and trips to the NFC Championship Game in both 2019 and 2020. Green Bay has gone 28-23 the last three seasons, though (.549). And the Packers have just one playoff win since reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2020. LaFleur's overall record of 67-33 is certainly impressive. But he's also coming off arguably the worst of his six seasons as Green Bay's head coach. While the Packers finished 11-7 in 2024 (including playoffs), they also went 1-5 in the NFC North and were 0-6 against the NFC's top three teams — Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota. LaFleur also struggled with clock management, challenge flags and his own emotions. During a Week 4 loss to Minnesota at Lambeau Field last season, LaFleur wanted a timeout, the officials didn't see him and he went irate. The result was a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for his juvenile antics. 'I'm absolutely embarrassed that I got an unsportsmanlike (conduct penalty),' LaFleur said that day. 'When you expect composure from your team and then you're doing that, that's a bad look. I think we all can be better, myself No. 1 at the forefront of that. This is a humbling league at times.' During Green Bay's 34-31 loss at Detroit on Dec. 5, LaFleur got into a verbal altercation with a Lions fan before the game. The fan was on the field to hold the flag for the national anthem, when he and LaFleur engaged in a lengthy, heated verbal battle. 'He was talking junk to our players, giving them the throat-slash sign, you know,' LaFleur said. 'You're trying to de-escalate it, and then he gets in my face.' The thing is LaFleur didn't de-escalate it. He made it worse. It was a bad look for both LaFleur and the Packers. And perhaps the greatest example of emotion trumping logic came on challenge plays, as LaFleur went 1-6 when throwing his red flag. Dating back to 2023, LaFleur is just 2-12 in his last 14 challenges. 'I'm gonna worry about winning games, and then we'll worry about getting the challenges right,' an irritated LaFleur said late last season. 'How about that?' On top of it, LaFleur and his Packers didn't match up with the elite teams in the conference. Not only did Green Bay go 0-6 against the NFC's top three teams, the Packers trailed by double digits in five of those games. The result is LaFleur's lofty spot on PFF's coaching ranking is gone — at least for now.
Fox News
30 minutes ago
- Fox News
Former NFL defensive lineman Oliver Gibson dead at 53
Oliver Gibson, a former NFL defensive lineman who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, has died, his family and Notre Dame announced. He was 53. Gibson played nine seasons in the NFL after the Steelers selected the former Fighting Irish star in the fourth round of the 1995 draft. He was in the same draft class as Mark Bruener, Kordell Stewart and Brenden Stai. He played four seasons in Pittsburgh and another five in Cincinnati. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Oliver Gibson. We send our condolences to his family and friends," Notre Dame said in a statement on Monday. Gibson played in 133 games and recorded 17.5 sacks along with 243 combined tackles. The best season of his career came in 1999, when he put together 4.5 sacks with 41 tackles. He played all 16 games with the Bengals that year. He played from 1995-2003. Former Bengals star Chad OchoCinco was among those who shared their condolences on social media. He played high school football in Romeoville, Illinois, where he was named the USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year. Gibson returned to his alma mater in 2014 to become the head football coach, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He was also an assistant basketball coach. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
