Winston Justice: Food for thought after Eagles' West Coast trip

Eagles right tackle Winston Justice is writing a column for the Daily News again this season. His columns appear Wednesdays.

THE GAME ON Sunday felt great.

San Francisco was one of the best 0-4 teams I have seen, but we knew we had to win, especially coming off a tough loss to the Redskins last week. The media and fans really downplay the 49ers, but if you look at them on film, they lost some close games and could easily have won a few.

When you hear people use the cliche "football is a game of inches," it really is true. A few small inches every game determines the winners from the losers. We were all glad to be on the winning side this week.

Playing on the West Coast is always tough. We leave a day early to help us get adjusted to the time change, but it is really the trip back that takes a toll on your body. After a game is over we quickly take the buses to the plane and head back home.

So after Sunday's game we didn't arrive back in Philadelphia until 8 o'clock Monday morning.

When the team travels, we fly on a regular commercial plane. It is chartered just for the team, but the seats and layout are the same as your average commercial flight. Most of the older guys get their own row, so we do have a little room to spread out. And the coaches always get first class. Being a veteran has its advantages, and being 6-6 and 320 pounds, I'm so thankful I don't have to squeeze in a middle seat like I did as a rookie a few times.

People always ask me if the families get to go to away games, too. My wife and kids come to most of our away games, but nobody outside of team personnel and select team sponsors are allowed to come on the charter. Everyone else has to fly separately and pay their own way. We always view games as a business trip.

There has been a lot of talk recently about "rookie rites of passage," and the one we most look forward to is having the rookies bring food on the plane each week. Each position group usually has their rookies pick up food for the trip out. Most rookies bring Popeye's fried chicken; however, the offensive line has Austin Howard bring Famous Dave's ribs and chicken. It gets a little messy considering we have to travel in dress clothes, but boy is it ever good.

We have another tough opponent coming up on Sunday in the Atlanta Falcons. They are an explosive team and we'll need to be at our best to come away with the victory. It will be great to be back in front of our fans at The Linc. The preparation starts now.

Question: How have you pushed yourself to not only be a starter but to being the most consistent on the O-line? - Andrew Muldoon, Victor, N.Y. (formerly of Newark, Del.)

Answer: Thanks, Andrew. As some of you know, I am a man of faith and I can honestly say that all the strength I have is a result of my relationship with God. I believe in hard work and doing more than required to be my best. I try to show up early and stay late, not just for the sake of staying longer, but to deliberately focus on techniques that will make me better at my trade.

As I said in the past, part of the game is mental, and I focus also on bettering myself off the field. Since Sundays we are usually busy, I spend every Thursday night before games meeting with my pastor, and I also read a lot.

Have a question for Winston? Send your question, along with your name and hometown to

dnsports@phillynews.com. Winston will answer the best questions in upcoming columns.