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Philadelphia Eagles: A Curated History of the Birds
In The Philadelphia Eagles, take a more profound and unique journey into the history of an iconic team. This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans' history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the team's iconic identity. Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it came to prominence in the modern NFL landscape, and how it'll continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come.Eagles fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at team history.
- GenresNonfictionSports
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2024
31 people are currently reading
1944 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 22, 2024
ZACH ZACH ZACH ZACH ZACH!!
February 9, 2025
Go birds
January 3, 2025
As an Eagles fans coming of age in the early 2000’s, the 25 year period covered in the book represents both the most beautiful and painful memories I have. An absolute treat for those of us who, like me, (probably) hinge too much of their personal identity on the Philadelphia Eagles franchise. Thanks to Zach for the wonderful writing and capturing an era that means everything to me.
January 30, 2025
ZB is the hardest-working sports journalist in Philadelphia if you ask me. The consummate professional, he’s always striving to put out the best content and this book meets that criteria. It was a stellar walk through what have been the core years of my Eagles fandom as someone who was a pre-teen at the onset of the Reid-McNabb era. Zach told this organization’s story through a collection of essays that encapsulates all the moments that stand out most to an Eagles diehard.
January 7, 2025
Zach! Zach! Zach! Zach!
As a diehard Eagles fan, and someone who has followed Zach’s career from his Inquirer days back when, this was a perfect Christmas gift!
It feels impossible to pack as much of the last 25 years of Philly football into 300 pages, but Zach did it beautifully. So many of his vivid descriptions put me right back to where I was watching it for the first time.
As a diehard Eagles fan, and someone who has followed Zach’s career from his Inquirer days back when, this was a perfect Christmas gift!
It feels impossible to pack as much of the last 25 years of Philly football into 300 pages, but Zach did it beautifully. So many of his vivid descriptions put me right back to where I was watching it for the first time.
March 22, 2025
Zach is the best eagles writer on the beat. Loved this book.
February 26, 2025
“‘Whenever you win like this, or have sustained success for a period of time, it takes a lot of people, a lot of departments and sectors doing their job, improving and getting better,’ longtime Eagles center Jason Kelce said before the Super Bowl in 2023.” (p 15)
“‘Be proactive and don’t just do what’s popular, but sometimes do what you think is right,’ Lurie said. “‘And I think that’s been the guiding principle really ever since I bought the team…. Stick to your principles, stick to what correlates with winning, and don’t worry that you’re at times making short-term unpopular choices. That should be the last thing you ever think about.’” (p 23)
During the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, I was filled with a lot of gratitude about this team, really appreciating their sustained success, especially when thinking about the operations and decisions for other teams. I also am old enough to recall some of the years when the Eagles had really good players, but didn’t experience this same level of success. These years that preceded Jeffrey Lurie’s ownership have caused considerable frustration in thinking about what could have been a great run of success. Zach Berman’s new book The Franchise: Philadelphia Eagles: A Curated History of the Birds takes readers inside the franchise and looks not only at the players, but also examines other integral members of the team that, in the words of Jason Kelce, have contributed to this kind of “sustained success.” This was a great book for any Eagles fan. I was reading it at the same time as my son, who not only read about some of the players he currently follows, but also learned more about the Eagles’ earlier great players and periods. It’s amazing to step back and consider how successful the Eagles have been over the course of the last 25 years. With the exception of a few down years, the Eagles have made the playoffs with consistency, and have been in the NFC Championship game almost a 1/3 of the time.
Berman, a Philadelphia sports journalist who has covered the Eagles, presents a comprehensive resource for the team, starting with portraits of the executives and moving on to coaches and quarterbacks. I loved reading the parts about the executives since I think they are often covered the least in the media. In particular, I loved reading about their philosophies towards not just football, but how other areas like education, engagement, and leadership all factor into their football decisions. It made me appreciate the team so much more, to understand that there are principles that they adhere to in making decisions about players, the facilities, and even community outreach. As someone whose kids have participated in Eagles camps and their holiday parties, I can say that their organization is incredibly forward-thinking and involved in communities. The Eagles really try to involve everyone in their team, and I think this was also apparent in many of the hype videos they created during their playoff run this year.
The other sections of the book focus on coaches and players. Although there are some repetitive parts of the book where content seemed to be re-used, I found these sections to be informative and entertaining. Berman makes the details interesting and adds some analysis to help readers understand and contextualize the contributions of these key players. I also really enjoyed that the book features “Icons” like Brian Dawkins, LeSean McCoy, and Fletcher Cox, as well as “Standouts” like Jeremiah Trotter, Brian Westbrook, and DeSean Jackson. In addition, there are some great moments recounted with a whole section on the Super Bowl (2017) and “The Moments” that reviews some of the best games/plays over the past 25 years.
Zach Berman has done a great job detailing not just the players and plays that have made the Eagles one of the teams representing the “gold standard” of the NFL over the past 25 years, but he also includes the coaches and front office members that helped to develop a philosophy and culture driven by core values. Furthermore, I loved seeing how this culture and these values have evolved over the course of Lurie’s ownership and Roseman’s stewardship. I think this shows how committed the team is to success, and not just chasing ticket sales or great players. They recognize the value in leadership and team work. Berman’s writing is clear and informative, and presents a fun narrative that traces the team’s success through the hiring of Andy Reid all the way to their recent success with Nick Siriani. Both my son and I loved reading this book, and he loved learning more about the players and teams from the early 2000s season that he never got to watch. Berman starts the book by sharing that this was initially planned to be a book documenting the Super Bowl run from 2022, which the Eagles lost to the Chiefs on a last minute field goal. Thus, his book took a different perspective, but I’m really glad that he was able to create this great reference and interesting narrative about the Eagles success. He ends the book speculating about a revised edition in 2050, but with the Super Bowl win this past year, I wonder if there will be a new edition coming out or whether he will embark on another book that documents the amazing championship season of 2024. In either case, this book is a winner that documents the winning ways of one of the elite teams of the NFL. Go Birds!
“‘Be proactive and don’t just do what’s popular, but sometimes do what you think is right,’ Lurie said. “‘And I think that’s been the guiding principle really ever since I bought the team…. Stick to your principles, stick to what correlates with winning, and don’t worry that you’re at times making short-term unpopular choices. That should be the last thing you ever think about.’” (p 23)
During the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, I was filled with a lot of gratitude about this team, really appreciating their sustained success, especially when thinking about the operations and decisions for other teams. I also am old enough to recall some of the years when the Eagles had really good players, but didn’t experience this same level of success. These years that preceded Jeffrey Lurie’s ownership have caused considerable frustration in thinking about what could have been a great run of success. Zach Berman’s new book The Franchise: Philadelphia Eagles: A Curated History of the Birds takes readers inside the franchise and looks not only at the players, but also examines other integral members of the team that, in the words of Jason Kelce, have contributed to this kind of “sustained success.” This was a great book for any Eagles fan. I was reading it at the same time as my son, who not only read about some of the players he currently follows, but also learned more about the Eagles’ earlier great players and periods. It’s amazing to step back and consider how successful the Eagles have been over the course of the last 25 years. With the exception of a few down years, the Eagles have made the playoffs with consistency, and have been in the NFC Championship game almost a 1/3 of the time.
Berman, a Philadelphia sports journalist who has covered the Eagles, presents a comprehensive resource for the team, starting with portraits of the executives and moving on to coaches and quarterbacks. I loved reading the parts about the executives since I think they are often covered the least in the media. In particular, I loved reading about their philosophies towards not just football, but how other areas like education, engagement, and leadership all factor into their football decisions. It made me appreciate the team so much more, to understand that there are principles that they adhere to in making decisions about players, the facilities, and even community outreach. As someone whose kids have participated in Eagles camps and their holiday parties, I can say that their organization is incredibly forward-thinking and involved in communities. The Eagles really try to involve everyone in their team, and I think this was also apparent in many of the hype videos they created during their playoff run this year.
The other sections of the book focus on coaches and players. Although there are some repetitive parts of the book where content seemed to be re-used, I found these sections to be informative and entertaining. Berman makes the details interesting and adds some analysis to help readers understand and contextualize the contributions of these key players. I also really enjoyed that the book features “Icons” like Brian Dawkins, LeSean McCoy, and Fletcher Cox, as well as “Standouts” like Jeremiah Trotter, Brian Westbrook, and DeSean Jackson. In addition, there are some great moments recounted with a whole section on the Super Bowl (2017) and “The Moments” that reviews some of the best games/plays over the past 25 years.
Zach Berman has done a great job detailing not just the players and plays that have made the Eagles one of the teams representing the “gold standard” of the NFL over the past 25 years, but he also includes the coaches and front office members that helped to develop a philosophy and culture driven by core values. Furthermore, I loved seeing how this culture and these values have evolved over the course of Lurie’s ownership and Roseman’s stewardship. I think this shows how committed the team is to success, and not just chasing ticket sales or great players. They recognize the value in leadership and team work. Berman’s writing is clear and informative, and presents a fun narrative that traces the team’s success through the hiring of Andy Reid all the way to their recent success with Nick Siriani. Both my son and I loved reading this book, and he loved learning more about the players and teams from the early 2000s season that he never got to watch. Berman starts the book by sharing that this was initially planned to be a book documenting the Super Bowl run from 2022, which the Eagles lost to the Chiefs on a last minute field goal. Thus, his book took a different perspective, but I’m really glad that he was able to create this great reference and interesting narrative about the Eagles success. He ends the book speculating about a revised edition in 2050, but with the Super Bowl win this past year, I wonder if there will be a new edition coming out or whether he will embark on another book that documents the amazing championship season of 2024. In either case, this book is a winner that documents the winning ways of one of the elite teams of the NFL. Go Birds!
November 9, 2024
Enjoyable read for this lifelong Eagles fan. Highly recommend to students of the game. While each chapter is standalone, the ideals espoused by the team owner, Jeff Laurie, carries thru the subsequent chapters; Howie, the Coaches, the QBs, the Icons, the Standouts, the Super Bowl season and the Moments. Berman writes In compact, easy to read style. The chapters about the individuals concentrates less on their statistics and more on how they impacted the Eagles family. My moments besides the 2017 Super Bowl and “Silverlinings Playbook”? The Christmas Day game in 2006, when Backup QB Jeff Garcia led the Eagles to a 23-7 win over the Cowboys. “The past is history, the future a mystery, the present is a gift. Merry Christmas Philadelphia.”
Go Birds!
Go Birds!
March 16, 2025
I absolutely love this book. The behind the scenes and all of the intricate details of all the players, history, and memorable games really brought joy being an eagles fan for 25+ years. I found out about this book on Twitter and I’m so glad I purchased it and I highly recommend this for any Eagles fan out. The timing of reading this was great because we were on the current domination run and ended up winning the Super Bowl!
January 2, 2025
A fun and well-written look back at what has constituted most of my life as a football fan. Zach's reporting, as usual, is top-notch and his writing is fantastic. I appreciate that his objective perspective still leaves room for some colorful lines and he does a great job of capturing the characters that many of us have grown to love.
April 6, 2025
Zach Berman is one of the best journalists on the Philly beat. His inside knowledge on the Eagles is instrumental for forming a book like this. This book presents so many great stories like the Hugh Douglas trade by Joe Banner. I can’t wait to read the next book that Zach puts together.
Side note: Zach! Zach! Zach! Zach! And… ZB is better than HZ. 💪🏻
Side note: Zach! Zach! Zach! Zach! And… ZB is better than HZ. 💪🏻
December 30, 2024
I love listening to Zach on his podcasts (RIP BWF), but this book left me a bit wanting. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane, but I would have preferred fewer topics and more detail about a few things from this Eagles era. Too much to cover in a book this size.
August 10, 2025
As a lifelong Eagles fan I loved reading this curated history of the last 25 years. So many significant moments and significant players stories are told here. Looking forward to Zach's follow up book this September which chronicles last season's Super Bowl team.
December 6, 2024
Another Berman banger.
January 12, 2025
Timed it perfectly to finish this the morning the eagles playoff push starts. Go birdssssssss
February 11, 2025
Fantastic Book. Highlighting the Golden Era of Eagles Football. Well Done ZB!
March 9, 2025
GO BIRDS
May 22, 2025
Love this book. Berman does so well telling the story of the team through the players and personnel of the time.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews