Eagles expected Rowe vs. Agholor in practice, not Super Bowl

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The circumstances were all different for the ex-Eagles on the Patriots.

Dion Lewis was the diminutive running back who never got a chance during his two seasons with the Eagles in 2011 and 2012, to the point where he was asked what he remembers most about his time in Philadelphia:

"Not playing," he responded.

Lewis rushed for a career-high 896 yards this season as part of a committee at running back.

Patrick Chung was the safety who left the Patriots to sign a free-agent contract with the Eagles for the 2013 season. He got injured, played poorly, was released, signed back with the Patriots and became a cornerstone in the New England secondary.

Danny Amendola was the undrafted free agent who spent time on the Eagles' practice squad in 2009 before getting signed by the Rams, then based in St. Louis. He established himself there before going to New England as a free agent in 2013 and becoming Tom Brady's most dependable receiver this postseason.

All of those players weren't touted when they were with the Eagles, and then became prominent players in New England. They'll face their former teammates this Sunday in the Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

But cornerback Eric Rowe was different. The Eagles drafted him in the second round in 2015, one round after the Eagles selected wide receiver Nelson Agholor. Rowe was supposed to become a fixture in the Eagles' secondary for many years.

Yet after starting five games in his rookie season, the Eagles, with a new defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz, gave up on Rowe the week leading into the start of the 2016 season. They traded him to New England for a fourth-round pick this spring.

Time and success have smoothed the bitter feelings for Rowe. He helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl last season and he's back there again.

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"It’s interesting," Rowe said. "I don’t know the odds of that happening where you get traded to a team and then you get to play them in the highest level that there is. That’s the interesting part. Besides that, shoot, my mindset is it’s another team. Obviously, it’s a great team that you gotta get ready for."

And much of Rowe's responsibility could hinge on him covering Agholor, something they were expected to do in practice for many years.

That wasn't lost on either player. Rowe mostly plays the nickel corner position, while Agholor is used primarily as the slot receiver.

Agholor has gotten the Patriots' – and Rowe's – attention. They have seen how Agholor has used his speed and quickness to get behind the defense in the middle of the field.

They have also seen Agholor in gadget plays, such as the inside handoff against Atlanta that went for 21 yards in an NFC Divisional Round playoff game. Agholor also lines up on the outside at receiver.

There's no telling what Eagles coach Doug Pederson might do with him in this game.

"If we see him in a different place, we obviously know something is up," Rowe said. "We’ve seen on film, he’s kind of like the gadget guy they have. If we see him in a different spot, everyone has their antennas up, like, 'Ok, they’re up to something.'

"It makes it tough. There are guys in the league who just come in for trick plays, but he does both. He runs routes and does trick plays."

Agholor, of course, loves those possibilities, especially after being mostly a disappointment his first two seasons. In fact, it probably would have been less surprising if Agholor had been the one to depart instead of Rowe.

When asked if he has any influence on what kinds of plays Pederson gives him, Agholor responded: "My smiles. Every time he puts something in, I smile, like, ‘Yeah.’

"I’m really honored to be that guy in Doug’s offense and I hope that I can continue to be that guy because it’s great."

But it's not just getting the ball that thrills Agholor. He showed this last Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, most prominently in the flea-flicker 41-yard touchdown pass from Nick Foles to Torrey Smith after a handoff to Corey Clement.

Was Agholor lobbying to be on the receiving end of that play?

"Well, I actually had a job in that one," he said. "And I did my job. I was helping out in blocking. I stayed in. I did my protection and I stayed in and blocked. I was happy about that. At the end of the day, it takes every guy on that field to do their job for special things to happen.

"[Pederson] coaches everything up with great detail. He explains everyone’s responsibility. As a team, and as a unit, what’s special about us is that we all really embrace our role and our responsibility."

And stopping Agholor could become Rowe's responsibility, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the ex-Eagles playing against their former team. This was supposed to be happening in the practices for several years with the Eagles, not to determine the NFL's champion.

"I knew we’d be going against each other [in practices]," Rowe said. "It made us both better. There were plays I would get him at the line. There were plays he would get me. We had a good thing going."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.