Head coach Doug Pederson set the tone early in his press conference Sunday morning.
The regular season is upon us. An outstanding team in the Atlanta Falcons is coming to Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night for the NFL's Kickoff event. All eyes will be on the defending champions and whether the Eagles can pick up where they left off in 2017.
So don't mind the head coach if he's a little chippy when asked about who will start at quarterback when he's looking to glean any edge on the scoreboard.
"I'm not going to discuss it," Pederson said.
The Eagles beat the Falcons in the Divisional Round in the playoffs on the way to the Super Bowl. It was the closest game in terms of score, a 15-10 decision. Atlanta, however, had four shots at the end zone from the Eagles' 9-yard line, including a fourth-and-goal attempt from the 2 as quarterback Matt Ryan's pass intended for wide receiver Julio Jones along the right sideline was high and incomplete.
"We're trying to win a football game," Pederson said. "I don't want to put my game plan out there for everybody to see it and read it and teams can scheme. It just doesn't make a lot of sense."
Pederson did offer that Carson Wentz has "not yet" been cleared for full contact from his December knee surgery, a critical obstacle that could keep him sidelined. However, Pederson did not rule out that Wentz could be given the green light between now and kickoff.
"We've got a lot of days left," he said. "We'll see."
The head coach won a Super Bowl as a player with the Green Bay Packers and was a member of the team that returned to the title game the following year. He understands how difficult it is to repeat and wants his team to realize that staring at last year's success in the rear-view mirror will only result in a humbling crash back to earth this season.
"It's a different football team. It's a different vibe. It's a different year. I don't compare last year to this year. We have a zero-and-zero record. We've got a great opportunity to compete Thursday night, and we'll find out a lot about our football team this week," Pederson said.
"But it's different. It's different. The whole thing is different. And that's a good thing. That's positive because you're moving forward. You're progressing. You're never staying the same. This team is moving forward, and I'm excited about this team Thursday night."
