‘He Was A Ferocious D-End’

PHILADELPHIA — For the first time this season, the weather has aligned with the calendar, which indicates a turn to the month of December and drastic departure from the unseasonably warm temperatures that graced the northeast nearly all fall.

Their was a distinctive chill in the air and the wind bustled Friday as the Eagles took the field for their final practice of the week, ahead of what’s expected to be a marquee slugfest Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Stationed deep into the stretch line, Eagles rookie running back Will Shipley sported a look that closely mirrored some of his teammates. He wore short sleeves — given the position he plays, he never wears sleeves — and appeared unfazed at the sudden temperature drop.

His cold gear is en route to Philadelphia, however, in the form of three suitcases. More on that later.

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles RB Will Shipley got his first taste of the West Coast as a pro against the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

But while speaking to Shipley after practice, as usual, there was nothing that detracted from his focus or preparation. The rookie remained fixated on honing in on his assignments and mastering his role, the latter of which, is most important to him.

Shipley has relished his role as a core special teamer — the team could certainly use a boost there in light of Friday’s news — and being the best teammate he can be.

As part of an Inside The Birds “Rookie Diary” series, I’ll be checking in with Shipley throughout the season, learning more about the first-year running back and chronicling his rookie campaign.

On Friday, we chatted for our 10th installment.

Andrew: How was your Thanksgiving?

Will: “It was awesome. Actually, pretty cool. I got to spend it with [defensive end] K.J. Henry. Just got picked up by us. He’s incredible … I came into Clemson, I was a freshman there when I was a senior, so he kinda took me under his wing when I was at Clemson. And just to see him get picked up here – [we] played in Dallas when he was on their [practice] squad a couple weeks ago, so got to see him then, but to be in the same locker room with him again and be able to share Thanksgiving with him … my fiancee went home for the holidays. I told her she should go home and see the family, she hasn’t been back in a little while. So, she did that, and it was nice to spend it with a familiar face.”

Andrew: You haven’t played with him for a number of years, but what kind of player can we expect?

Will: “Like you said, it was a couple years ago. I could tell you back at Clemson, he was a ferocious d-end. You know, someone who got out and was just one of the most consistent practice players that I’ve ever been around. He’s gonna bring it every, single day, and really just help the team out in whatever way he can.”

Andrew: Hard-hitting question. Overrated and underrated Thanksgiving food. One of each.

Will: “That’s a great question. Turkey, overrated for me. I’ve never been a fan. You know, I’ll eat it, especially if my grandmother’s cooking it. Underrated? Stuffing. Mandatory for me; I gotta have it Thanksgiving, and I usually ask for it on Christmas, too. From what I understand now, it’s not very common to have it on Christmas, but it’s always a staple for me. And anything I ask my grandmother to make, she usually does for me. She spoils me.”

Andrew: Someone asked me that question on the air the other day, and I said underrated – stuffing. Overrated – dinner rolls because I don’t need to be filling up on those carbs when there’s so many other better food options. [Laughs]

Will: “One hundred percent! One hundred percent. We had some rolls yesterday with, I forgot what type of butter it was. It was like that special roll butter and I had about two of ’em, and I was like, ‘Damn, I wish I saved those at the end of my meal!'”

Andrew: What was your experience like in L.A.?

Will: “Oh, it was incredible. You know, haven’t really been out west much, other than my Stanford visit back in high school. Other than that, ain’t really been out there, I guess at the Rookie Premier at the beginning of this year with the NFLPA. So, I love it out there. That trip is longer than you’d wanna travel for any game, but at the end of the day, we went out there and got our business handled. Came back and had to adjust and get ready for the time a little bit, but the organization did a great job of queuing up the week in a way that we could do that.

“It was a great trip out there, we got it done. It was fun watching 2-6 [Saquon Barkley] once again. I think anybody can say that when he’s out there breaking records and doing things that just haven’t been seen before. I don’t think one of those moments will ever go over my head. Always gonna appreciate those and just learn as much from ’em as I can.”

Andrew: What was it like having a front-row seat for Saquon’s performance, since you see his process throughout the week?

Will: “Usually when Coach [Jemal Singleton] relays to Kenny [Gainwell] and I what play is coming up, we can sometimes tell ya, ‘All right, it’s gonna be a big one.’ Now, we don’t know if it’s gonna be a touchdown –  usually it is with Saquon. But it’s just cool being on the sideline and being able to watch it, for sure. It feels like it’s every week now. It doesn’t surprise us, as I’ve said before.”

Andrew: Last week, you’d mentioned being thankful for the moments, but also the opportunity to travel to the west coast and play at SoFi Stadium. What was that like for you?

Will: “Unbelievable. I thought Dallas was pretty cool, stadium-wise. Nothing other than the stadium [laughs]. But SoFi was incredible, I really, really enjoyed it. I definitely ain’t seen nothing like it. I won’t say it knocks the socks off of Dallas, but it’s definitely No. 1 on my list ’til I get a chance to play in a couple more. But it’s great out there.

“The weather was nice. I told myself as I was warming up I would have to appreciate and take advantage of the weather, ’cause I wasn’t sure how many more of those I’d get. I felt it out today at practice but just once again, just appreciating it. I got to see family and friends I hadn’t seen in a while. So, it was another special weekend.”

Andrew: You didn’t have any opportunities to return any kickoffs. Britain [Covey] had the one punt return. But regardless, how would you grade the operation from your vantage point?

Will: “I think we did a good job. Only had one punt, too, so very limited reps of special teams. We knew that kickoff returns and kickoff coverage wasn’t gonna play a huge role, just because they were mainly touchbacks. That was our game plan going into it as well.

“And then on the punt coverage and punt return, we knew they were going into it, their punter had kind of switched it up the past couple weeks and was only doing end-over-end. Probably wasn’t gonna boom ’em and give Covs the opportunity to return ’em. So, just holding up as long as we could. And then in punt coverage, we only had one, too. So, I thought we did a really good job.

“They probably had two kick returns, maybe one a little bit past the 30 [yard line], the other one I think we kept ’em below it. So, 50-50 there. And we’re just continuing to stack those weeks. If we can just continue to go out there and be the most physical players on special teams and just go execute the task that Coach [Michael] Clay’s put in front of us, I think we’ll continue to be as successful as we’ve been. And as it gets colder, we’ll get more opportunities. It just gets a little bit grittier and we’ll see who really wants it.

Andrew: I know in the past you’ve said you don’t have any pregame routines. The past few weeks, I’ve seen you go out there early and work on blocking and pass protection. Have you settled into a routine?

Will: “Yeah, I definitely have a pregame routine in terms of what I do. Always take the first bus, try to get there at least three hours before and try to take that first hour to get all my stuff ready to go. Start everything two hours before in terms of stretching, go out to the field and do my stuff. Get my pass protection in with Coach Singleton, anything else I need and then head back into the locker room, get fully suited up. Head out with the returners, catch some returns, maybe some more pass-blocking if I feel I need get a couple extra reps.

“And then, usually catching with Jalen [Hurts], Kenny and Kenny down there. Getting those reps ready to go. And then we go into the team stuff. Definitely got more into a routine. The thing about me is no superstitions. I’m not a superstitious guy; if I’m a couple minutes off, or if something isn’t going the right way, it’s not a huge deal to me. But I do like having a routine.

“Days can be different, going into games; sometimes you feel amazing and ready to go. Sometimes you wake up and maybe you don’t feel a 100 percent ready to go. But knowing that three hours before kickoff, I’m gonna be doing this; two hours before, I’m doing this. It gets you mentally prepared wherever you are previous to that. At least for me.”

Andrew: We’re closing in on winter in the northeast. Have you gotten yourself a cold weather wardrobe?

Will: “It’s funny. I told you my fiancee went back home for Thanksgiving, so she’s bringing, I think, three extra carry-on suitcases back up to Philly from Charlotte, with all of our cold gear from back home. So, I’ll have a whole new wardrobe coming up. As you can see, shorts and T-shirt as we’re speaking. And today at practice, I also wore short sleeves. So, not only a different wardrobe, but also a different mentality as well.”

Andrew: What’s one thing you’re working on this week ahead of Sunday?

Will: “Honestly, I can’t tell ya one specific thing this week. I’m not gonna make something up just to have it. I would say just, once again, going out there and being the best teammate I can be. I think that’s a huge part of my role right now. I’m out there, and I get a front row seat of 2-6 doing his thing, Kenny picking up and helping wherever he can. Me being ready for that, of course, like I always am. But also just being a great teammate. Bringing the energy on the sideline, when maybe it’s a little colder or some things aren’t going our way. Just being there as a teammate. Maybe not as on-field specific as previous weeks, but just be the best teammate that I can be, bring the energy and fill in whatever role I need to be in.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.