Nobody covers the Philadelphia Eagles quite like Zach Berman.
The Senior Writer at The Athletic has been following the Eagles for 14 years during the franchise’s most successful period, which includes two Super Bowl titles in the past eight seasons.
Berman has a new book on the defending champions called Leap Year. The name is, of course, a reference to Saquon Barkley’s iconic backwards hurdle over a Jacksonville Jaguars defender.
We recently caught up with Berman to discuss the book as well as his observations about last season and this season. Leap Year is now available for purchase.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: Why should someone buy your book?
Zach Berman: “This takes you behind the scenes from the time the Eagles lost the Super Bowl in February 2023 to winning the Super Bowl in February 2025. From the red confetti to the green confetti. And then also, in addition to the week-by-week accounting and how the roster was put together, I really tried to introduce you to a lot of the main characters of this story, whether it’s Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter, Zack Baun, or Darius Slay. There are cutaway sections on those players, and I think that there are rich details in there that come from being around the team every day.”
What would you consider the most fascinating detail in Leap Year ?
“I think the first chapter. Bringing the reader into the locker room after they win the Super Bowl. It was fun to chronicle. It’s raw emotion, going person to person in the locker room and really using your senses as a reporter. This isn’t me interviewing all these people. It’s observing, seeing them celebrate, seeing the weight of the season, the ecstasy of winning. Brandon Graham wrote the foreword. I deliberately started with the Super Bowl celebration, and then went backwards to losing the Super Bowl two years earlier.”
Available TODAY…
Leap Year: The Philadelphia Eagles’ Ascent to Super Bowl Champions
…Relive the Super Bowl season, go behind the scenes of the unforgettable moments, and learn about the characters who helped make 2024 the Eagles’ Leap Year.https://t.co/n2DeZVmnxC pic.twitter.com/B8fuVHi41N
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) September 23, 2025
How popular is Saquon Barkley?
“Saquon really fit in well in that locker room, in the city, obviously in the offense. It’s one of the most successful free-agent signings there has ever been. But the thing is, in free agency, you never know, especially when a guy is an established star like that. I remember asking Saquon about that when he first signed here. Here’s this star coming to a team of stars. How’s he going to fit in? I went to Saquon’s hometown in the Lehigh Valley. I was at his high school. I asked Saquon for a recommendation on where to eat. He told me about this restaurant across the street from his childhood home. I walk in there. My waitress is Saquon’s neighbor. Saquon really fit in well with the team, which he didn’t know, the city, and the area.”
What’s something about Jalen Hurts that you were able to reveal?
“It would seem obvious to say, like, this guy is obsessed with winning, right? Everything’s about winning. I try to paint that anecdotally. I’ll give you an example. The day after the Eagles won the Super Bowl, I go straight to this press conference at the convention center with the head coach and Super Bowl MVP. Before they do it, there’s this photo op, and Jalen’s taking the picture with the Super Bowl MVP trophy, and the NFL’s ready to usher him along. Jalen says, ‘No, wait.’ He wants to take (the photo) with the Lombardi trophy, and if you recall, when Jalen won Super Bowl MVP. When he was told on the sideline that he was Super Bowl MVP, his reaction was, ‘No. Super Bowl champ.'”
What do you make of the drama surrounding A.J. Brown?
“A.J. is in the news this week, again. A.J. should want the ball because A.J. is one of the best players in the NFL, and he’s paid accordingly. He’s not paid to block. He’s not paid to be a decoy. He’s paid because when the ball is in his hands, he’s a force multiplier. The Eagles’ offense is different when A.J. is playing well. You brought up that playoff game against the Bucs. The Eagles didn’t have A.J. Brown that day. The offense did not look the same. So, A.J. changes everything.”
SAQUON BARKLEY TO THE HOUSE!
Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady with the Commanders-Eagles NFC Championship Game call for Fox. 🏈⚡️🎙️ #NFL pic.twitter.com/Os8bxJpt5p
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 26, 2025
How close did Nick Sirianni come to being fired after the postseason loss to Tampa Bay?
“So, the loss to the Bucs in the playoffs after the 2023 season, I can’t tell you specifically that this was going to happen. What I can tell you is that he was hanging in the dark longer than you typically are, and then they replaced both coordinators. I think he had to explain and execute a vision for how this was going to get fixed. It certainly was not a foregone conclusion that he was going to be back. But I couldn’t tell you specifically how close he was. It’s a question that obviously has come up. He kept his job, he replaced a big part of his staff, he made a lot of changes, too, from his core values to his practice schedule.”
What’s your take on these Eagles?
“They’ve beaten Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and the LA Rams. Those are teams that I expect to see in the playoffs. The Cowboys might even be a playoff team. For them to be 4-0 says something. That’s commendable, but the offense needs to play better. The way they played in the second half against the Bucs, the way they played in the first half against the Rams, that’s not going to win you the Super Bowl. The Eagles are graded on a different curve because they’re one of the few teams in the league that start the season with realistic expectations to win the Super Bowl.”
There’s a perception that Eagles fans are only happy when they’re miserable. Is that true?
“I’m going to stand up for Eagles fans here. I’m happy to do that because they’re my customers. They’re fans who expect their team to win, and they’re emotionally invested in it, and they want that investment to be rewarded. I think that’s probably part of the joy of fanaticism. But I would also say those Eagles fans have experienced the best run in franchise history. I hope Eagles fans appreciate this era of football. I’m fortunate. I get to travel to different cities and see what different fan bases are like. There are a lot of fan bases where winning 10 games or making the playoffs is considered a good season. That’s not in Philly.”
Btw, we’re controlling Zach’s twitter account while he’s in Brazil. He might miss twitter more than he misses us! pic.twitter.com/xX5vIS5PEM
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) September 4, 2024
What was the experience like of having your wife, Emily, ghostwrite your posts for X last year when the team was in Brazil?
“It was a great experience, but at the time, Twitter was not allowed in Brazil. My wife is incredible, but she’s not really a Twitter person, and she’s not a football person. She was home with our two kids. It was their first week at school. She had enough on her plate, and here’s her husband, who is in Brazil, saying, in addition to managing all that, can you please put out these tweets from practice? Can you put out these tweets from pre-game? Can you put out these tweets from the games I was texting her, ‘Please tweet this.’ I didn’t have access to Twitter, so I couldn’t really see what was going on when she posted. I was a little taken aback when I heard that my wife put out a picture of her and the kids, but she did an awesome job, and I think she’s more popular with fans than I am.”
Did the experience turn her into a football fan?
“No. She gets enough of the football fix from being married to me because I’m obsessed with this. She probably had the adrenaline running for a night, but then I don’t think she cares so much if Devin White’s inactive for a game like he was in Brazil last year. Similarly, I don’t care what’s on Bravo as much as she does. I think that’s kind of what works in our marriage.”