‘You Can Take That As A Guarantee’


Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today

Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today

Well, Byron Maxwell is feeling pretty good about his new club.

Speaking with Jenny Vrentas of MMQB Thursday, Maxwell predicted big things for the Eagles in 2015. Here is part of their back-and-forth:

VRENTAS: The Eagles targeted you in free agency to help fix the back end of their defense. What kind of presence do you want to bring to the secondary?

MAXWELL: Experience. Because I’ve been there before. Knowing what it’s like if we go that far. Because we’re gonna go that far this year—meaning the playoffs and the Super Bowl. We’re gonna go that far. Hopefully that experience I already had, I can help them.

VRENTAS: What gives you that kind of confidence in this team so early on?

MAXWELL: It just comes from what I see out there and how we work. You don’t work that hard and nothing happens. We’ve got the tools, and we’ve just got to put it together…

VRENTAS: Both Kelly and your former coach, Pete Carroll, talk a lot about culture. How does Kelly’s team atmosphere compare with Carroll’s?

MAXWELL: It’s pretty much the same. They teach you mental toughness, and being strong, and checking in with yourself and competing with yourself and bringing the best out of yourself every day. That’s really what both of them try to get through to you. They might use different words, but that’s basically what they’re trying to get through. When I heard the rumors [that the Eagles would be interested], I said, let me just look at them and check them out. And everything was good. We’ve got a winning culture around here.

VRENTAS: Is that similarity in the team culture a big reason why you believe the Eagles will go to the Super Bowl this year?

MAXWELL: We will, though.

VRENTAS: That sounds kind of like a guarantee.

MAXWELL: You can take that as a guarantee. That’s just me believing in my team and the product we’re going to put out there on the field. I really do believe that. I have no choice but to think that way.

Thoughts?