Underdogs

The Philadelphia Eagles' Emotional Road to Super Bowl Victory

By: Zach Berman, Merrill Reese - introduction

Narrated by: Peter Coleman

Following a season with incredible highs and heartbreaking lows, the Philadelphia Eagles went on to do what fans had all but written off as impossible: for the first time in the franchise's history, Philly won a Super Bowl.

Philadelphia Inquirer Eagles beat reporter Zach Berman takes fans on a journey through the action-packed season -- from the preseason and midseason player pickups that shaped a championship team to the gut-wrenching injury of star quarterback Carson Wentz through to the bold play calling and nail-biting moments in Super Bowl LII, in which the Eagles bested the favored-to-win New England Patriots.

A book unique in its scope and insight thanks to Berman's on-the-ground reporting, Underdogs will detail the unlikely story that captured national attention; explain how the team resonated among a desperate fan base that waited 57 years for a championship; and even delve into the players' social activism during a particularly political NFL season. With a foreword by beloved Philadelphia radio announcer Merrill Reese and an 8-page full-color photo insert, it's the perfect keepsake item for anyone who bleeds green.

During his six years covering the Birds, Berman has developed relationships with some of the most notable characters that led the team to Super Bowl victory. In Underdogs, he'll explain why Nick Foles contemplated retirement on his way to winning Super Bowl MVP. He'll detail Howie Roseman's journey to NFL executive of the year after being cast aside by former coach Chip Kelly. He'll show Malcolm Jenkins' journey to team captain, how Chris Long's life changed in a Tanzania hotel bar, why Eagles kicker Jake Elliott didn't consider football until he was chosen at random at a high school pep rally, and where Carson Wentz ate dinner the night before he left for the NFL Draft. These more obscure stories offer incredible context and depth to an already fascinating story of success against the odds.

Greatest story in Philly Sports History

Only way the audio version would be better is if ZBerm read it to me. #BWF

A solid but unremarkable retelling

This was “just ok” for me. The author intersperses the game by game journey to the Super Bowl for the 2017 Eagles along with mini-profiles of various individuals. The book while a solid re-telling of the story, doesn’t offer a ton of things we don’t already know if you’re a big Eagles fan. This largely isn’t the fault of the author as so much as already been written and said about this team as I review in this the fall of 2019. The highlight for me were a few things I don’t know about some individuals the various “bio interludes”. Another highlight was some of the story pre-2017 that set the table for the season. That left me wanting more. Lastly, the narrator tries WAY too hard to show enthusiasm at various points. That didn’t work for me at all and was painful at times.

Eagles fans will want this book

The 2017-18 Philadelphia Eagles were certainly a surprise- not expected to go far after star quarterback Carson Wentz was lost due to injury, backup quarterback Nick Foles led them to an improbable champions, topped off by an upset victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. The Eagles beat reporter, Zach Berman, has compiled a good recap that magical season. What I really liked about it is that Berman collected stories and wrote about more than just the quarterbacks and head coach Doug Peterson. From the hard working GM to the kicker, Berman shares the wealth and credit for the win around the entire team.

What didn’t feel right was that even though it was written by a journalist and narrated by a good one in Peter Coleman, the audiobook felt more like the work of a fan recalling all of his or her blog posts about the team. Whether one wants to listen to the audio book or read the printed version, it will certainly help to be an Eagles fan to truly enjoy this. Otherwise, it’s just a recap of a season that the other 31 teams would probably want to leave behind for good.