PHILADELPHIA — As the Eagles prepare for a Week 9 home game against the New York Giants, the bye week also looms. The week off acts as a reset, affording adequate time for rest, recovery and reflection.
The bye week is coming at a perfect time for the Eagles, who have several key players mending from injuries. For the rookies, the time off comes at the midway point of a marathon, as the upcoming stretch run far exceeds the length of a college football season.
Micah Morris isn’t sure if he’s experiencing the oft-discussed rookie wall, but is equipped to combat it thanks to guidance from left tackle Jordan Mailata.
Before heading back home for a bit, there’s a game to be played. And Morris, spending his weeks fixated on the demands of his role behind the scenes and continued development, will get to experience another classic NFC East battle Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.
As part of a season-long “Rookie Diary” series, I’ll be checking in with Morris every week, learning more about the first-year offensive lineman and chronicling his rookie campaign.
On Friday, we chatted for our ninth installment.
Andrew: So, last week you talked about, you honing in on staying confident and trusting the process. How did that show up for you?
Micah: “I think it showed up. I mean, all over the field, whether it was my combo blocks or my one-on-one pass rush reps, or just the screen plays, understanding the depth that us as linemen have, the guard we have to play with, in a sense, before it’s illegal man downfield. And understanding the timing of our screens and making sure that I’m getting out on the right time, not too early, not too late. So I feel like it showed up for sure.”
Andrew: The other thing you mentioned, as far as off the field, was that you were trying to make a concerted effort to do some sightseeing around the city.
Micah: “It went good. I went and saw… Well, I walked basically from, what is it called? From Asia on the Parkway, the restaurant. So, I got to see Center City. I saw the, the, the William Penn statue. I saw that. I saw all the flags that are posted in the, I guess, the middle of the city. I saw the, I guess it’s called the Holocaust Memorial. And then I saw one more…
Andrew: Do you get a lot of looks when you’re out and about? Do people wonder if you play for the Eagles or anything?
Micah: “Yeah, I mean, I try to stay to myself, but it’s kind of hard. I do stick out. I swear I have a picture of this guy. I definitely have a picture. I can’t think of where it is. Hold on. It’s a statue and he’s, like, leaning forward. It was like, from, I think he passed away in 1870 or something, but he was like a Civil Rights activist. I saw that statue, too. Then they’re getting ready for something that they have where they have, like, the skating rink in the middle of the city, downtown. They’re getting ready for that. So, I was able to sightsee for sure. It was cool.”
Andrew: So, for a bus ride, like the one that you had for Landover, what are some essentials that you need to have?
Micah: “Ooh, a sleep mask. Cherry juice to help me go to sleep. Definitely a couple good movies or a good series with a full season out to watch. Then a good playlist to listen to as well.”
Andrew: What did you watch?
Micah: “I watched the whole first season of ‘Your Friends and Neighbors.’ It’s from Apple TV. It’s really good actually. It was basically about, like, a guy who just got divorced. His wife was sleeping with his best friend, so he divorced her, but was still paying for the house and all the bills of that house, and had his own little house. And then he ended up losing his job. He was very, very wealthy. And I guess he lost all his money that he had invested with the company too, because he lost all of it. And what he did was, he was basically trying to fake it like he still had all the money and was paying all the bills, but he was doing that by stealing, like, his friend’s… They had, like, 12 Richard Milles, and he would take two of them. He was robbing all his friends, essentially, and selling it in the black market and to stay afloat and making money. He was basically robbing from his friend. That was, like, the whole thing, ‘Your Friends and Neighbors.’ Now season two’s out. I don’t know if all the episodes are out, but I’m gonna wait for all the episodes to come out, then I’m gonna watch that, too, season two, ’cause it’s a new guy coming in town, and he kind of has a mysterious background that is, like, he might be [in] the same type of situation as him.
Andrew: Eagles fans are known for traveling pretty well. Does that remind you of how devoted Georgia fans are?
Micah: “Oh, yeah, yeah. You know, Dawgs travel. It’s a saying, but it’s true. So, yeah, it definitely reminds me of it.”
Andrew: So, we have talked before about the developmental periods in practice. Understandably, when with the scout team, you have to watch tape on the other team, but how do you sort of balance being able to give them good looks, but also focus on what you’re trying to work on for your own development?
Micah: “Oh, well, I would say, not to oversimplify football, but inside zone is inside zone, outside zone is outside zone. There may be a few critiques, a few alignment differences, but try to bring it together to what you’re being taught here and apply that and mix in with what the scout looks like. So, for instance, if we’re down in a three-point stance for all of our run plays, just hypothetically, and they are always in a two-point stance, just do the run plays out of a two-point stance, but you’re still taking the same footwork like you would if you were in a three-point. So, just trying to find the even balance of being able to give a look for the defense and then get yourself better under our offensive system.”
Andrew: Jordan (Mailata) the other day mentioned, how kind of animated Chris Kuper is in the meeting room, holding everyone accountable. What’s your perspective on his coaching style and how he exemplifies that accountability piece?
Micah: “I mean, he’s real. I mean, he’s gonna call it how he sees it, whether it’s, like you were saying, a person who has authority over us or one of the teammates or, I guess a vet like Jordan. If you’re not doing your job, he’s gonna let you know. He’s gonna teach you, tell you how, what you should have done, make sure you understood that, and if you didn’t understand, he’s gonna go back and revisit it and help you out so you know what to do so it doesn’t happen again.”
Andrew: We’re later into the season now. Have you hit that rookie wall yet?
Micah: “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I feel like I haven’t. I sure hope not.”
Andrew: Have any of the vets given you any sort of tips on how to navigate that?
Micah: “Jordan, he’s been on me heavy, though. Like I was telling you, I went, one of the first couple of weeks, just with the recovery aspect of everything. Just to reset and just when you leave here, just be able to feel, I guess, rejuvenated or refreshed or at ease. So, when you’re able to go back, sure you can go home and watch film, there’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t have your mental stressed about it. Just go in there in a clear mindset. Today has already happened on the field, so all you can do is learn from it now. Just act like you’re in the classroom again. That’s it.”
Andrew: Circling back to the recovery process. A few weeks ago you talked about using the Theragun and learning a lot from Jordan in that realm. But how has that evolved over time as you’ve gotten a little bit more into your career?
Micah: “He’s been convincing me to do cold plunges, which I hate, but it has been working, so I gotta give it to him. The cold plunges have been working. But yeah, that’s probably my least favorite thing is that sometimes he’ll, after we’ve already done the cold plunge and we’re walking out, he’ll go back under and say, ‘Sometimes, man, you just gotta surprise the water. The the water wasn’t expecting it.’ It’s like funny stuff. So yeah, pretty funny.”
Andrew: How long did it take you to get used to that, or is that something you’re still getting used to?
Micah: “No, no, no. I’m still getting used to that.”
Andrew: Can you recall a time in your life, whether within football or not, that you were faced with adversity, and then how did you handle it?
Micah: ” I mean, there’s a lot of times. I guess the most obvious one was being at Georgia for five years. It was a lot of work, a lot of grind, and at the same time, a lot of uncertainty, ’cause I mean, I used up all my years. I enjoyed it. I had a great time at Georgia. I wouldn’t change anything, but there’s always just that doubt that can creep up, and just staying mentally strong and just having the confidence, I would say that was adversity itself. Just trying to find ways to stay in it but stick to it and push through it. That’s what I would say is adversity as far as football. And off the field, midway through my college career, I’d say losing my grandparents and then losing my aunt, that was hard on me mentally more so off the field. Just knowing, like, people who helped raise you, they’re not gonna be able to see you hit the finish line, you know?
“But then it’s just, you gotta think about it, just being able to use that as fuel to make sure you do get that finish line, make sure you do push it ’cause you’re doing it for them. So, for sure, that’s what I would say.”
Andrew: I can tell from the way that you conveyed that, that you were close with your grandparents.
Micah: “Absolutely.”
Andrew: I was with mine as well.
Micah: “They did everything for me. My granddad taught me how to drive, taught me how to swim. I mean, they used to pick me up from, I think, elementary. Yeah, all of elementary school, they would pick me up every day. I was always at their house. I would get dressed up in three-piece suits when I was a little kid, look like my granddad when we go to church. I just, I miss ’em so much, but I have so many great memories, and I’m just so blessed to be able to have those memories.”
Andrew: Do you remember what the car was when you first learned to drive?
Micah: “Oh, yeah. It was, I think, a light blue… it was a light blue Mercury. My Uncle Van back in Georgia, he still has the car now. Yeah, he still has it. A light blue Mercury. That’s how I learned how to drive. And then we used to go to the rec, I guess, every weekend. They would do, I guess, water aerobics class for the senior citizens, and that’s when I learned how to swim. I was so small that my granddad used to be able to hold me with one arm. And thinking about it now, that would, like, never happen now. It was crazy. Then, like, I remember that. Then I remember that he would be holding me up and telling me to ‘Kick your feet.’ And he would just always be right there holding me up. And, I mean, he still is, just not necessarily here. But, you know, he’s with me in spirit for sure.”
Andrew: Absolutely. Well, how was your Halloween? I know that was a day that you kind of got up for.
Micah: “Yeah, it was fun. I was able to dress up as the Grim Reaper. We had a good time, so it was good.”
Andrew: How many people did you jump scare with that rug that you had that said ‘Danger,’ or the, I believe you said you had the doll from Saw?
Micah: “Only four people, unfortunately. I thought it was gonna be more, but only four people. It was not like I wanted it to be.”
Andrew: How about the Lego sets that you’ve been working on? What’s the new one? You talked about the Spider-Man one last week.
Micah: “I don’t know what the ship is called. It’s from… hold on. I have it on Amazon that I ordered. Hold on. …Good grief, when did I order these?
Andrew: [laughs]
Micah: “This Amazon ordering is kind of crazy now that I’m looking at it. This is bad. Okay. Where’s the ship I ordered? Okay, that’s the Spider-Man one. Now I need to find-
Andrew: You built that?
Micah: “Yes. Now I need to find-“
Andrew: How long did that take you? That thing looks 3D.
Micah: No, this one wasn’t as hard as, this one was worse, actually (shows me the Darth Vader photo). Darth Vader was worse. This one only took a little under two hours, but I didn’t watch TV, so that’s probably why I was more focused. Usually, I cut a show on, like, for background. I’m halfway watching it. But that one I actually locked in on ’cause I kind of messed up my Thanos glove with one of the fingers and I had to redo it, so I did not wanna mess up one of the little parts and have to redo the whole thing. I have to find this ship. Hold on. Oh, here it goes. Yeah, that’s the one that I ordered. It’s here now, but that’s the one that I’m gonna do. This one. The Millennium Falcon.
Andrew: Oh, wow. That might take you a little while.
Micah: “No, it’s not the huge one, though. It’s just a smaller version. But it has a bunch of little pieces, so that’s the one I’m gonna do next. That’s the one I wanna do. I’m gonna do that tonight, actually, ’cause we got time.”
Andrew: What’s the last concert that you attended, and one that’s on your radar?
Micah: “I think the last one I went to was still the, thRod Wave concert. Um, I missed out on the Shaboozey concert.”
Andrew: Where was that?
Micah: “It was at Xfinity.”
Andrew: Oh, okay. b
Micah: “Maybe if Drake goes on concert, I’ll go see Drake again. Hopefully he’ll come through. If he goes on tour, hopefully I’ll catch him then.”
Andrew: ‘Clayface,’ let’s hear your review.
Micah: “I’ll give it like an eight out of 10. I think it’s a good origin story. It didn’t have as much, I guess, intensity as I might have wanted, but it makes sense. It’s the first one, so you gotta understand it has to be made for people who are just getting into it and don’t know too much. So, it was good. I enjoyed it.”
Andrew: You gotta get on the AMC Screen Unseen on Mondays.
Micah: “Yeah, I have to try that now you talking about it. That’s crazy. I can’t believe you saw the Rocky movie (‘I Play Rocky’) already.” That’s fire.
Andrew: What are your plans for the bye week?
Micah: “I’ll be going home. Yeah, it’ll be good to see the family for a little bit.”
Andrew: Oh, that’ll be cool. Any plans when you’re home?
Micah: “Just spending time with my family, really. Just relaxing. I mean, I’ll be working at the high school, but I might go check out… Hmm, I don’t know if it’s a home game this week or not. It might be away. I think it’s about playoff time. So, they might be playing away, but if it’s a home game, I’ll see what the Wildcats talking about.”
Andrew: There you go. I know you say that’s big time over there.
Micah: “Yes, sir.”
Andrew: I know you said you speak to your father regularly. How much are [your parents] looking forward to having you back for a little while?
Micah: “They’re excited. He tries to play it cool, so my mom’s the most excited one, but he’s excited, too. He tries to act hard, but it’s okay.” [laughs]
Andrew: Lastly, one or two things for the bye week, whether it’s rest, recovery, anything like that, that you’re hoping to achieve next week?
Micah: “Definitely recovery, but obviously more so a mental reset. Just a refresher for about midway through the season. Just mentally flush everything. And then just write down what I would say I did good and what I did bad, and then set up my goals for the next part of the season, for sure.”
Andrew: Cool. Micah, I appreciate your time.
