Former Eagles trade bust pulls back the curtain on the "most dysfunctional locker room" he was ever a part of in Philadelphia
If you think back to the 2018 NFL season, it was a peculiar one for the Philadelphia Eagles. The franchise was fresh off of their first Super Bowl in franchise history under head coach Doug Pederson, and they entered that season with the targets on their back. While they were still a solid group, there […]
If you think back to the 2018 NFL season, it was a peculiar one for the Philadelphia Eagles. The franchise was fresh off of their first Super Bowl in franchise history under head coach Doug Pederson, and they entered that season with the targets on their back. While they were still a solid group, there were a lot of weird feelings around that particular version of the team.
They managed to limp to a 9-7 overall record while sneaking into the playoffs. There was constant conversation concerning the quarterback position with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. There were whispers of dysfunction throughout that year from all over, and former Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate gave some insight on a recent episode of Bussin with the Boys.
In his conversation with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, the former Pro Bowl wide receiver was asked about the most dysfunctional locker room he was a part of. The 2018 Eagles team was his answer without much hesitation.
"The fan base, you want to be on their side," Tate said. "We all know that. They are very passionate. Their fans know their sports but inside that locker room… First of all, inside that locker room, the food was great but the indoor was like not even 100 yards. It was like 60 or 70 yards in a bubble, and we were having to practice with people from Novacare who were not affiliated but rehabbing with the organization. It was weird to me.
We had a few incidences, we are making a playoff push, and an offensive lineman and one of the coaches got into it about the game before. The offensive line was like, "See, this is how it is supposed to be." Then the coaches were like, "No (expletives), this is how it is supposed to be. I was right last week." They were just going back and forth and I am just at the line of scrimmage during a walkthrough wondering what is going on. Doug is just holding his little postcard with his notes with his little visor on and just like, "Hey guys, just stop calm down." These guys keep going at it and eventually one guy throws a ball at the other guy, and just run at each other and started fighting. I am just sitting there like, "Is this really happening? We are trying to get to the playoffs right now.
By the way, their doctors mishandled so many injuries. So many, they had to go to court for it. It's noted. Chris Maragos, they mishandled him, and he just settled with them for like a bajillion dollars."
For those who don't remember the acquisition of Tate, he was traded in the middle of that 2018 season from the Detroit Lions for a conditional third round selection. Tate was in his ninth season in the NFL, and was an extremely accomplished football player. The former Notre Dame All-American managed to earn one Pro Bowl honor. hauling in 695 receptions for 8,278 yards and 46 touchdowns in his entire career.
While he only played eight games with the Eagles, Tate's time in Philadelphia was even more forgettable. He managed to make just 30 receptions for 278 yards and one touchdown. For a player that was nearly a decade into his career, it was interesting to hear about all the dysfunction surrounding the Eagles organization, especially considering they were coming off of that Super Bowl victory, and have now become the cream of the crop in the league.
That is especially concerning considering Tate spent a large portion of his career a part of losing organizations like the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants. Yet, the Eagles were the most dysfunctional. That includes injury bungles, fights between players and coaches, and everything in between.
