Most people have probably heard the expression "What's in a name?" once or twice, and while players always play for the team name on the front of their uniform as well as their own name on the back, it is often the player's number that is the first thing that comes to mind.
On Tuesday, the Eagles officially announced the jersey numbers of their recent additions:
QB Mark Sanchez - No.3
Sanchez has previously worn No. 6 with the New York Jets and while at USC. In fact, the Eagles new quarterback and the No. 6 go back to his high school days at Santa Margarita High School in California. But It appears as if a fresh start for the quarterback in Philadelphia also comes with a new jersey number.
CB Nolan Carroll - No. 23
Caroll donned the No. 28 jersey while playing in Miami. That jersey number was double the number that he wore at the University of Maryland, when he sported the No. 14.
S Chris Maragos - No. 42
Maragos has also gone down the route of doubling his collegiate number. He wore No. 21 while playing with the Wisconsin Badgers, but his No. 42 Seahawks jersey helped him win a Super Bowl with Seattle. With that in mind, it's no surprise that he elected to wear the same number with the Eagles.
LB Josh Kaddu - No. 49
At Oregon, this pass-rusher spotted the No. 56 on all of the different uniform combinations that the Ducks played with. With the Dolphins, Kaddu upped the number by one to 57, but with the Eagles, Kaddu will be wearing No. 49.
LB Bryan Braman - No. 56
Braman elected to go single digit at West Texas A & M, where he wore the No. 8. With the Houston Texans, Braman wore No. 50. By now, many Eagles fans have probably seen Braman's famous "no helmet, no problem" tackle, but they were probably focusing more on his lack of helmet than the number on his back.
C David Molk - No. 63
As a member of the Michigan Wolverines, Molk wore No. 50. At the professional level, Molk's San Diego Chargers jersey read No. 60. The center has once again increased his number, as he will be wearing No. 63 with the Eagles.
T Andrew Gardner - No. 66
The newest addition of the bunch will wear No. 66, the same jersey number from his time with the Houston Texans. Collegiately, Gardner wore No. 64 for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Two other new additions, safety Malcolm Jenkins and running back Darren Sproles, already had their numbers announced earlier this offseason. Jenkins tweeted out a picture of his No. 27 jersey, while Sproles held up his No. 43 for all to see at his introductory press conference.
Piscataway's own playing in Philly now. RT @MalcolmJenkins: A lot of you have been asking what number I will wear... pic.twitter.com/X81RuGbc8R — Kurt Siegelin (@kurtsiegelin) March 13, 2014
#FlyEaglesFly RT @EaglesInsider: Darren Sproles shows off his No. 43 jersey pic.twitter.com/nG3rIuSx0K — Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 14, 2014
While we're on the subject on jersey numbers, here are some other fun facts about Eagles and their jerseys ...
- The Eagles have only had two players that wore the No. 92. After defensive end Smiley Creswell, the late, great Reggie White was the last player to wear it.
- Nine numbers have been retired by the Eagles. Along with White's No. 92, Donovan McNabb's No. 5, Steve Van Buren's No. 15, Brian Dawkins' No. 20, Tom Brookshier's No. 40, Pete Retzlaff's No. 44, Chuck Bednarik's No. 60, Al Wistert's No. 70 and Jerome Brown's No. 99 have all been retired by the team.
- The No. 80 is the most-worn jersey number in Eagles history. Thirty-five different players that have appeared in a game have worn the No. 80.
- LeSean McCoy has ascended through the Eagles rushing ranks with the No. 25 on his jersey, but fans may remember that he wore No. 29 during his rookie season of 2009. In 2010, McCoy switched to No. 25, the number that he wore in college.
- Nick Foles' No. 9 jersey was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after his seven-touchdown game against the Oakland Raiders in 2013, and then again following the Pro Bowl, but Foles wore No. 8 while playing at the University of Arizona. While playing at Westlake High School in Austin, Tx., Foles wore No. 7.
