FOXBORO, Mass. — Expect a good deal of friendly smack talk to be exchanged when the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles hit the field in Super Bowl LII.
Why? Because the Eagles’ roster features two players — running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive end Chris Long — who are just one year removed from their final game with the Patriots.
“Me and Chris had talked weeks ago about how cool it would be for both of these teams to be in this situation,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said Wednesday. “It’s a great opportunity. I look forward to a little trash-talking out there with those guys, but obviously, they were great teammates and good friends of mine.
“The same thing I said about (Tennessee Titans cornerback Logan Ryan, formerly of the Patriots), though: I’m not here to be friendly and hope it ends in a tie.”
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy is entering this game with a similar mindset.
“Chris is a great role model for giving back as much as he does,” Van Noy said. “It’s really impressive what he does, but we’ll be friends after the game.”
Long won a Super Bowl in his lone season in New England. Blount played parts of four seasons with the Patriots and won two rings.
“They’re good football players,” wide receiver Danny Amendola said. “LeGarrette is a good friend of mine, and Chris is one of my best friends, so it’s going to be fun to line up against them and get going.”
