Carson Wentz, Doug Pederson excited for return of Eagles fans
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia Eagles corner Darius Slay was so happy to have fans back last Sunday in Pittsburgh he even joked he would welcome being booed. That's how much players and coaches have missed playing in front of fans.
Come this Sunday, the Eagles will finally have their own fans in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field, in a limited capacity.
"I'm excited. I'm happy. I'm so glad for this day to be here, to have fans in our stands. To feel the energy of the crowd, even a small crowd. It was really good in Pittsburgh to have the fans there. Just to see them when we come out of the tunnel and to see people in our bleachers, it's going to be exciting. We've talked about it before, our players are going to feel energized to have them there and to have our families back in the stands is important to them, it's important to us and we're really looking forward to it," Doug Pederson told Action News' Jeff Skversky during Wednesday's press conference.
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There's no question passionate fans have played a role in the Eagles success at home.
Coming into the 2020 season, the Eagles were 23-9 (.719) at home in the regular season under Pederson, which marked the fifth best home winning percentage in the NFL since 2016.
So far in 2020, the Eagles are winless at home with a loss and a tie, including Pederson losing his first home opener of his career.
While capacity will be limited to roughly 6,000 fans, it should help the Eagles against the Baltimore Ravens.
"Having fans out there definitely motivates us a little bit more. We love playing in front of the fans. Can't wait for the day when we can really pack that house," said Carson Wentz.
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The Eagles feed off the passionate fan base, even Wentz admitted it's been a weird and eerie feeling so far playing at an empty stadium.
Wentz and the Eagles hope to recapture their home field advantage with their next three games in South Philadelphia to help overcome their slow start to the season.
The so-called 12th man, 'fan mentality,' is what the Eagles believe will help create some much-needed energy.
