Week 15 at Philadelphia Eagles • Lincoln Financial Field
Eric Allen • Philadelphia Eagles (1988-1994)
"For a young player, you don't know any different until you go somewhere else. That was my first introduction into the NFL.
"I was able to be on the ground floor in South Philly, West Philadelphia, and make a great relationship with some of the fans. Man, when that first game popped off and we were at home, the energy was unbelievable. It was phenomenal to be there and build the foundation of that 'Gang Green' defense.
"But when you go back as a visitor – oh my goodness. They're giving you the business.
"They would tell me I should've retired two or three years ago, but I think for me, it was a situation where they wanted me to do well, but they were not going to give me any praise until after the game. Now, for some of my other teammates that had never played in Philadelphia, they were really giving Tim Brown the business. They were yelling at him saying he was overrated, that Notre Dame was garbage. They can be a little intimidating, but eventually, in 2001, we went back and we beat them pretty bad. I think me and Charles Woodson held their receivers to one or two catches.
"You have to go downtown to visit the 'Rocky' statue. It's just legendary to run up those steps and take that picture next to Rocky. Geno's Steaks in South Philly, you've got to hit that. The Market downtown is always a cool spot. And Chickie's and Pete's, we have one in Las Vegas, but there's one right by the stadium that's always a good place to go and hang out."