Eagles' Jeffery guarantees victory, dismisses Patriots' dynasty

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery didn't want to hear about the Patriots' so-called dynasty, and how they're about to play in their eighth Super Bowl under quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.

The Patriots will play in their third Super Bowl in four seasons when they face Jeffrey and the Eagles this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

In fact, Jeffery practically guaranteed an Eagles victory after he was asked if the Eagles are going to win, what has to happen?

Jeffery cut the question off, and said: "Ain’t no ‘if,’ man. When we win on Sunday, ain’t no telling what we’re going to do. But we’re probably going to celebrate, have some fun."

The reporter followed up by asking if Jeffery is convinced that the Eagles are winning.

"We’re bringing that trophy back to Philly," Jeffery said.

He was then asked about the Patriots' mystique, and whether that impacts teams going into a game:

"Man, I don't give a damn about all of that," he said. "That’s in the past. We’re in the present. It’s 2018. It’s a new year. All that stuff in the past, that’s in the past. It’s a new year, man.

"Each and every day, someone is trying to get better, trying to be the champion … It’s a new year. It’s time for new things."

The Eagles said it's important mentally to go into the game knowing they're not defeated before the game even starts.

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"Everybody talks about that, and maybe teams have gotten caught up in that, but this team won’t," running back Kenjon Barner said. "The Patriot mystique, you can’t worry about how the Patriots do things. You worry about what they do offensively, defensively and special teams. And you worry about what you do.

"It’s football. Go out and do what you’ve done all season and don’t let that [mystique] beat you."

The Eagles, meanwhile, continued preparing for the game Thursday. On Wednesday, they stopped practice for 30 minutes in the middle to simulate the halftime break.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson said practice seemed sluggish after the break. He said Thursday that it was addressed in team meetings Wednesday night.

"We're just trying to get the mindset that this is what we’re going to be doing, so it’s like second nature," defensive end Brandon Graham said. "During that break, we just figured out we’re going to have to chill first, then warm it up a little bit before we go out again. Then we go out and then still gotta keep warm because it’s not going to start right away."

The Eagles are also dealing with illnesses that began last week in Philadelphia. Defensive tackle Tim Jernigan missed practice for a second straight day due to an illness. He wasn't at the team's final media availability on Thursday. Neither was cornerback Ronald Darby, who was a full participant in practice, although he was listed as having an illness.

Jernigan also missed a practice last week due to illness, and Pederson admitted late last week that he, too, wasn't feeling well.

Maybe that's the Vikings' ultimate form of revenge for the Eagles beating them in the NFC Championship game. After all, the temperature isn't supposed to get out of the teens for the next several days.

Long wins NFLPA community award

Defensive end Chris Long won the 2018 Byron “Whizzer” White Community MVP Award, given by the NFL Players Association. In recognition, the NFLPA will donate $100,000 to The Chris Long Foundation.

Long donated his entire 2017 salary to support educational programs for underprivileged youth. The first six paychecks went to under-served youths in Long's hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. The last 10 checks went to support programs in the three cities Long has played in – Philadelphia, Boston and St. Louis.

Through Long's “Pledge 10 for Tomorrow” campaign, he was able to match his own charitable contribution by raising another $1.3 million off of donations by fans and businesses.

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