Eagles WR Marken Michel wants to keep making a name for himself in camp
"In a sense, you’re auditioning for all 32 teams," said Michel, who had a 75-yard TD catch last week. "So you have to put your best foot forward every time you step on the field.”
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New England rookie Sony Michel scored the only touchdown in last year’s Super Bowl. It was a 2-yard plunge that held up as the winner in a game that was half championship, half dentist appointment.
His big brother, Marken, was at the game. Marken is in Eagles training camp right now and has an uphill battle to make the final cut, even if he did have the biggest play of last week’s preseason opener.
“The coaches definitely make us understand that it is a 53-man roster,” Marken Michel said. “You can’t keep everybody. Whatever you put on film [will be seen by others]. In a sense, you’re auditioning for all 32 teams. So you have to put your best foot forward every time you step on the field.”
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Marken Michel, 26, played college ball at UMass, spent two seasons in the CFL, and is now trying to find his NFL footing. He hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Nate Sudfeld last Thursday that was one of the few Eagles highlights during the night.
Michel said afterward that he actually dreamed of the play before the game. Asked earlier this week how he was sleeping after his big play, Michel just smiled.
C’mon, has the Sandman brought any insight into the next drawing of Powerball?
“If I had some lottery numbers,” Michel said with a laugh, “I don’t think I’d disclose those. I would probably keep those to myself.”
With veterans Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor, as well as rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside, atop the depth chart, Michel is philosophical about his task heading into Jacksonville and the Eagles second preseason game.
Mack Hollins, Greg Ward and Charles Johnson are presumably also in the mix for a fifth wide-receiver spot, if the Eagles actually decide to keep five. The roster numbers might be tight, but for Michel, the stage is never a factor.
“To me, personally, every stadium seems big until you get between the lines,” said the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder. “Once you get between the lines, it’s football. It feels as though I’m back in Pop Warner again like I did when I was 10 years old. I don’t pay attention to what’s going on outside the lines. I’m at peace. It’s just me and my guys on the battlefield going to war.”
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And it’s that inner tranquility that allows him to enjoy his baby brother’s NFL accomplishments, not resent them. Same with his other siblings, Lamise and Allen.
“We’ve got love for each other, and we embrace each other’s success,” he said. “If one person is doing well, we’re all doing well. That’s how we look at it.”