An Eagles adversary walks back his harsh take on the Philadelphia faithful

USA Today

2 days ago

You aren't going to believe this
Jared Verse turns 25 years old in November but has already lived a life that would inspire envy among men ten years his senior. His NFL resume already consists of a Defensive Rookie of the Year nod and a spot on the 2024 Pro Bowl roster.
He was named to the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie Team, but as famous as he is everywhere else, he is infamous in the City of Brotherly Love. If Verse looks familiar to you, it's because he should. A little over five months ago, he shared some disparaging remarks about the Philadelphia Eagles fan base.
'I hate Eagles fans. They're so annoying." Those were the then-rookie's words when speaking during an interview with the Los Angeles Times. That caught the NFL's most loyal fan base off guard. Sure, they've heard those types of comments before, but this time, the verbal assault felt unwarranted and a little more personal.
Maybe that's true because they came ahead of a Divisional Round clash during the postseason. Perhaps everyone was thrown off because Verse grew up in Berwick, Pennsylvania, approximately 2.5 hours away from Philadelphia. Whatever the case, cooler heads prevailed, and a football game, as expected, went on as planned.
Verse backed up his talk by playing one heck of a game. The Birds beat L.A. for the second time last season. Respect was earned on both sides, and recently, one of the NFL's young stars walked back his comments about those passionate fans in green who show up season after season to root for Philadelphia to victory.
Jared Verse compliments Philadelphia fans (And he does so more than once).
Only Whistle can invite an NFL star to a spa and make engaging content. That's a compliment, by the way. Recently, Casey Rieger hung out with Jared Verse, and the now-second-year sensation discussed everything from receiving a call on draft day to, you guessed it, his opinion on Eagles fans.
The discussion about that latter topic might surprise you. Which opposing team did Verse say had the best fans? Trust us. You aren't going to believe this:
'Probably the Eagles. I've got to give them that. It's just because I like when you kind of get into it. You're aggressive. You're loud. And they stand by that with no doubt.'
Which fan base did Verse say is the toughest to play in front of? Again, he named those 'annoying' fans in Philly.
'Playing the Eagles is like playing your rival in college because you never know what they're going to say. And they're going to try to say disrespectful stuff. Don't get me wrong, they're not going to say anything where it's like, 'Bro, you crossed the line.' But they're going to say something where you're like, 'Hey, who you talking to?''
It's always cool when animosity ends peacefully, when cooler heads prevail. Ultimately, some trash talk between a player and a city led to emotionally charged football and mutual shows of respect. Most importantly, it led to an Eagles win. Who are we to complain?
Verse is from PA. He knows the vibes, and guess what? Philadelphia and Los Angeles renew acquaintances in Week 3 of the regular season. A budding rivalry will be reignited. Let's see if Nick Sirianni can hang another loss on Sean McVay.