Q&A: Why Dick Vermeil wears his Eagles NFC championship ring over his Rams Super Bowl ring, and more

Former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil is adding another accolade to his already long list of achievements: Salvation Army Trenton Corps’ Community Partner of the Year.

“We’re honoring him this year because of his leadership, his mentoring, and support to the community,” said Salvation Army Trenton Corps officer Ling Porchetti.

“It resonates with a lot of the work of the Salvation Army. We run music youth programs to help the community strive for better, and Coach Vermeil continues to show us that he sees this vision.”

Vermeil — who wears his Eagles NFC championship ring and not his Rams Super Bowl ring — coached the Eagles for seven seasons after being hired from UCLA. He led the Eagles to the playoffs four straight years (in 1978-81) and their first Super Bowl appearance, when they lost to the Oakland Raiders.

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Now, it’s time for the former Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs coach to be celebrated for his work off the field. As the proud owner of Vermeil Wines, he uses the business as a tool to pay back and serve those that need help — including donating wine to fundraising campaigns, raising money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, and donating to the Amy Vermeil fund at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Before Vermeil is presented the award at the Salvation Army’s annual Christmas gala on Nov. 21, the Hall of Fame coach sat down with The Inquirer to discuss his charity work, the Eagles’ chances at repeating as Super Bowl champions, his relationship with Nick Sirianni, and more.

Answer: The Philadelphia community has been really good to me. I came here as a young person in 1976. It’ll be 50 years next year that I’ve been here, and I’ve had almost no negative experiences dealing with the public. Other than leaving Veterans Stadium in ’76 and ’77 after getting beat by Dallas. But it’s been such a positive experience for me and my family. … We raised a lot of money and I get more out of helping than I get out of [receiving].

A: Well, people ask me all the time if the Eagles are a Super Bowl team. Right now in the league, not one of 32 teams is a Super Bowl team today. You have to earn the right. Finish this season strong and get into the playoffs and play well enough to get to the Super Bowl. So, nobody’s a Super Bowl team.

Are they playing the equivalent to the Super Bowl team they were last year? No, not even close. But, will they end up playing that well soon? I hope so.

The defense [on Monday against Green Bay] was a Super Bowl team. [The] offense was not a Super Bowl offense. But I have confidence in the Eagles coaching staff. Nick [Sirianni] and [his] staff have always gotten that team to the point where they are a serious contender. And I think right now they are definitely a playoff football team.

First off, the conference is not as good as we thought it was going to be, but they find a way to win. And that’s the number-one objective when on that field, find a way to win.

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A: Well, I did win a championship. People say that to me all the time. ‘You didn’t win a championship with the Eagles.’ We won the NFC championship. You know how tough that is to do? Just ask the teams that haven’t been there. That’s how you get to the Super Bowl. But it is called the NFC or AFC championship.

For what our kids did to get there in five years — with no draft choices — just through hard work. Three times the work than what they do today to get there. Now you buy your football team for the most part. Those days you developed it.

That’s why I wear this [NFC championship] ring. I don’t wear my Rams Super Bowl ring or my Hall of Fame ring. I wear this one because I know what those kids did to get there.

Those guys won an NFC championship and we lost a Super Bowl. And I could have done a hell of a lot better job of coaching than I did.

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A: Well, the number-one challenge is now you are a target vehicle. You have to be emotionally ready to play. And now that you’re a Super Bowl team, you are a motivating force for your opponent. People love to compete against the best, especially the professional athletes in the National Football League. They take great pride in saying we’re playing a world championship team, and we think we can get ready to beat them.

So, I think that’s the number-one thing. The number-two thing is you’re going to lose players off that Super Bowl team. They’re good players, so they go to other rosters and make more money. And now you’re drafting [at No.] 32 rather than where you were drafting when you built your team. So, you don’t get the obvious blue chip, All-Pro quality type player in the following drafts.

It’s tough. Now, Howie Roseman’s done a remarkable job of doing that in spite of it. And he did it this year, he did it last year, and he’ll continue to do it. He’s just gifted in that category.

A: I’ve really enjoyed watching Nick grow, because he hadn’t been a head coach before. He has DNA in his blood. I keep using that term in regard to true football players. He knows how important the game is to us. It’s his life. And I think he’s done a real good job of growing. He’s hired the right kind of people. And if he’s made a mistake in it, he’s corrected the next year.

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A: I was confused that they went for it like that on fourth down. My wife was sitting over there — we’ve been married 70 years and she’s been a football woman all her life — and she looks at me and I look at her, and I said, “Jeez, I wouldn’t have done that.” But that doesn’t make me right.

He had his reasons. I almost never second-guess coaches because for every mistake he made, I made two. So I understand what it’s like to make a decision on the field and you’re not always right. I wouldn’t have done what he did. … There might be a few other coaches did. I don’t know many that would have, but it worked for him anyway. They won the football game.

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A: It’s a combination of everything, but it always starts with players. It always starts with players. And [former UCLA college basketball coach] John Wooden told me this a long time ago [in] 1974: “Coach, the best-coached team doesn’t always win. A well-coached team with the best players always wins.”

So, you just strive to work between but always try to have the best players because they are more often than not going to be what makes the difference in winning and losing.