By Zach Berman
In today’s off-the-field interview with an Eagle, we caught up with starting cornerback Sheldon Brown as he met with reporters following practice on Tuesday.
Brown was on the cover of last week’s Sports Illustrated. The photo was of his first-quarter hit on New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush in the 2007 NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Here’s Brown on the magazine cover:
Did you know it was going to be cover?
Brown: “When I did the interview? Nope. I had no idea.
“I was driving back up here from South Carolina and Derek Boyko called me. I think it was Tuesday, last week. He told me the day before it came out.”
When did you see it yourself?
Brown: “A couple days ago. I was doing an autograph signing at the Conicelli Toyota. People went to Barnes and Noble and bought the book. That’s all I was signing, that book.”
Is that the photo you’ve seen before? Is there different angles you’ve seen?
Brown: “My marketing guy had another angle. More of the angle that’s inside the cover. It was the one with shoulder pads still there than him all the way away from the hit.”
What was your reaction to the cover? Were you surprised by it?
Brown: “No, not really. I mean, I think it was who it was. It was who I hit.”
Was that what it was? Was it Reggie?
Brown: “Yeah, let’s don’t full ourselves. I hit Reggie Swinton probably harder. He didn’t make no cover. He didn’t get up. They gave Strahan the hit of the year my rookie of the year. And there’s no way Strahan hit no quarterback harder than I hit Swinton. So it’s who it was. It was the person. If it was any other running back, it probably wouldn’t have been no big deal.
“And the magnitude of the game. I mean, you got everybody in the world watching, playoff game, the first round for the Saints. That’s what it was.”
Do you believe in the SI jinx?
Brown: “No. Somebody told me Michael Jordan has been on there like 100 times, and there are more people who’ve been on that cover who’ve been successful than who’ve gotten injuries.
“It’s crazy. I don’t really believe in jinxes. I don’t know. When you make SI, you’re obviously playing at such a high level that anything bad looks bad. They’re not going to put a rookie just drafted, you know what I mean.
“You’re not going to put someone who’s not doing well. I was only on because of the hit. It’s not anything else. But the guys they put on that, you really can’t go higher than they’re doing. They’re selling the story of the hit.”
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The hitting continues tomorrow. Practice times are 8:15 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.
For fans hoping for autographs, the Eagles' quarterbacks, tight ends and specialists are in the autograph tent.
Today's attendance was 12,432.
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