Eagles Have Been Neuralyzed: ‘That Team No Longer Exists’
After a slow start to the regular season in 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles became a dominant force. Following the team’s bye week in Week 5, they would win 16 of their next 17 games en route to winning Super Bowl 59 over the Kansas City Chiefs. Yet fast forward to training camp in 2025 and it’s as if last season never happened.
While many have questioned what Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni does from a schematic standpoint, it’s clear that his fingerprints are all over this team with his messaging. During Philadelphia’s hot streak last season and OTAs earlier this year, Sirianni used a specific quote to stress that the Eagles needed to avoid getting too full of themselves.
“The celebration is over, preparation is here,” Sirianni said during OTAs. “Treat praise like perfume. Sniff it, don’t drink it. It’s poison!”
At the start of training camp, it’s become clear that the team has embraced Sirianni’s message. While many players would want to bask in the glory of being defending Super Bowl champions, that isn’t the case in Philadelphia. The Eagles have somehow moved on as if last season never even happened.
It seems like Sirianni somehow obtained the neuralyzer device from the “Men in Black” movies. The neuralyzer is used by agents in the movie series to erase the memory of a target. Once a target has been neuralyzed, the agent is allowed to replace the target’s memories with a fictional cover story or certain instructions.
While Sirianni admitted that he spoke with several different coaches with experience defending championships this offseason, maybe he left out his meeting with the Men in Black? In all seriousness, it’s refreshing (and quite intimidating for the rest of the NFL) to see how quickly the Eagles have moved on from winning Super Bowl 59.
Eagles All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata spoke candidly about his mindset at the start of training camp.
"Whatever we did last year, that's in the rearview mirror,” Mailata said. “We're not defending nothing. We're not the defending champs. We're the 2024 World Champions. That's it. We're not defending s***.”
Mailata’s next door neighbor on the offensive line, starting left guard Landon Dickerson, also shared a similar outlook. Despite winning Super Bowl 59 and reaching the NFL’s mountain top, it’s clear that the Eagles are putting last season in the past and embracing a new opportunity.
“It’s very simple, right?” Dickerson started. “Every team has a one year expiration. The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles were a great team. That team no longer exists.”
“It’s the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles. Right now, we’ve accomplished nothing. We’re 0-0 and we’re here to work.”
Mailata and Dickerson are two of the most talented players on Philadelphia’s roster. If they’re publicly sharing Sirianni’s mindset and also putting last season behind them, it’s clear that message has likely resonated throughout the entire locker room.
In 2018, former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson proclaimed that winning Super Bowl 52 was the start of “the new norm in Philadelphia.” Obviously, Pederson got a bit ahead of himself and things didn’t work as planned the following seasons and he was eventually fired.
Sirianni is clearly going in a different direction with his messaging than Pederson did several years ago. He constantly compares each season’s journey to climbing a mountain. If you look toward the top of the mountain, you might lose your footing and fall. If you look back down the mountain, you can fall as well. Sirianni wants the Eagles to remain grounded and where their feet are.
No player has embraced that mindset more than Eagles franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts. While Hurts certainly learned from legendary college head coach Nick Saban, his hunger and drive for greatness hasn’t slowed down in Philadelphia.
Hurts received plenty of attention for opting against wearing his Super Bowl ring at the team’s ceremony. While there was speculation about the reasons behind Hurts’ choice, he explained why at the start of training camp.
“I’ve moved on,” Hurts said. “I’ve moved on to the new year and it’s as simple as that.”
It’s no surprise to see that Hurts has put last season behind him. Yet it’s refreshing to see that the entire franchise has seemingly embodied a similar mentality.
Back in 2018, it appeared as though several players and coaches were satisfied after winning Super Bowl 52. Fast forward to 2025 and the Eagles aren’t going to let that happen once again.
Sirianni is leading the way with his neuralyzer in hand. Despite winning Super Bowl 59, the Eagles find themselves back at the bottom of another mountain. Now it’s up to Sirianni, Hurts and the rest of the team to work their way up to the peak once again.