🦅 Your Eagles season starter kit | Morning Newsletter

Today we remember Sept. 11th and those we lost.

But this special edition is all about the Eagles, who take on the Detroit Lions in case you hadn’t heard.

In today’s newsletter:

🏈 Informative: Jeff McLane says it’s possible the Lions have this opener, but EJ Smith just doesn’t see it. Your Eagles beat writers make their predictions for the game. 🔑

🏈 Nostalgic: Our executive committee of Eagles columnists met to come up with a very fruitful ranking of The 50 Best Eagles Players of All Time. 🔑

🏈 Pure fun: Design the Eagles uniform for fun and share your creation with your friends using our endlessly entertaining interactive. 🔑

📭 We want to know what you think. What was the best Eagles uniform ever and why? Email us and we’ll showcase the very best answers here. Drop us a line on the email.

Thanks to your old pen pal Kerith Gabriel for so many contributions to this edition. You’ll see his ideas and playful touches in every section of this edition.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Ashley Hoffman (@_AshleyHoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

🎤 And now, I’m handing over the microphone to Josh Tolentino to tell you about this batch of predictions.

The new-look Eagles begin the 2022 regular season on Sunday afternoon at Detroit. After reaching the NFC wild-card game last season, the team has its sights set on clinching a division title, and advancing further into the playoffs with a roster that is built to win now under second-year coach Nick Sirianni.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver DeVonta Smith are joined by several new teammates, including A.J. Brown, Haason Reddick, Kyzir White, James Bradberry, and rookies Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.

How will the Eagles fare in the season opener in front of a sold-out crowd at Ford Field? Check out our beat reporters’ predictions for the Week 1 matchup between the Eagles and Lions. 🔑

Frank Fitzpatrick, Marcus Hayes, Jeff McLane, Mike Sielski, EJ Smith, and Jim Swan pulled together a wholly celebratory ranking of the 50 best Eagles to ever play the game. From Concrete Charlie and the cerebral and dominant Fletcher Cox, I truly enjoyed finding out where my favorites landed for The Inquirer’s Eagles rankers. Peruse the team’s final declaration to see what you think about where everyone landed. 🔑

🦅 While we’re on the topic of legends, from Randall Cunningham to Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick, the Eagles have had a long legacy of successful Black quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts takes pride in carrying this torch.

🦅 As pumped for this season as you are, we have an illustrated guide to the 2022 Eagles season.

🦅 The relentlessly positive Brandon Graham is returning. We talked to him about how he keeps his optimistic energy by asking himself a good question.

We got to speak with Philly’s finest including the Phillie Phanatic and lead singer of the Wonder Years to express their strong opinions about the best ever Eagles uniform. The takes were only hot.

You could rant and rave over pickleback shots about what they should wear. Or you could get in the game and do better. Play Eagles uniform designer with our deeply entertaining interactive.

This one’s a deep cut, but you’re up for it. Do you remember who came up with the “Fly Eagles Fly” song?

A) Charles J. Borrelli and Roger Courtland

B) Pat Solitano Sr.

C) Bert Bell and Lud Wray

D) Norm Van Brocklin

Repeat morning newsletter offender Sir Thomas Rowan has the whole “classic battle cry” story with the short history of the fight song-turned-anthem. Find out if you know the answer.

Who recently told The Inquirer: “You can’t tell the story of the rise of Black quarterbacks in the NFL without talking about the Philadelphia Eagles”?

DORI JEANS

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer.

🎶 For today’s Sunday track, we’re unsurprisingly listening to ”Fly Eagles Fly.”🎶

👋🏽 Enjoy the game this afternoon. I’ll be making homemade pasta I learned to make at my third handmade pasta class taught by South Philly’s own Gravy Goddess Janine Bruno.