Former Philadelphia Eagles star Javon Hargrove pulled back the curtain this week between his former club and current team, the San Francisco 49ers. be ready to win games every week in the NFL.
Not too long ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were the cream of the crop in the NFC and appeared to be on their way to another Super Bowl in 2024. And it’s possible they’ll face the San Francisco 49ers again in the conference championship game because the Bay Area boys were strong again this season. However, things have changed a lot in the last six weeks.
Over the past six games, the Eagles went into a major slump, losing those games and winning the division title. The defense was a shadow of such a dominant group in 2022, and the offense, which was so good for much of this season, hit some big bumps in the road. On the other hand, the 49ers were crushed and taken to the top of the NFC.
One player who has a deep understanding of the inner workings of both Philadelphia and San Francisco is two-time Pro Bowler Javon Hargrave. The 30-year-old starred on an Eagles defense that went to the Super Bowl last season and earned Pro Bowl honors for the 49ers this year.
That’s why he was the perfect person to ask teammate Arik Armstead about the difference between the two teams when he appeared on the podcast. And it seems that hard work and serious game preparation separates these two teams.
“The training here is very difficult, more demanding,” Hargrave said. – I think it’s more than coaching the Golden State [Warriors] and the Miami Heat. This is the Miami Heat, it’s Golden State, because it’s quieter, cooler there. There are jobs here every day. You get it every day. I feel like Kyle [Shanahan] is Pat Riley, you know what you’re getting here.
“When I first came here, I watched some of the crazy things we did. I was like, I can’t believe you’re doing all this now... War every day.“
Interestingly, Armstead said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has moderated players a lot more now than when he first arrived and has now built a winning culture in San Francisco. It should come as no surprise that despite the success, the 49ers are still pushing hard to keep it going, while the Eagles may have taken their 2022 accomplishments for granted and thought this season would be easy. Which it certainly doesn’t have..
