Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith has earned the reputation as one of the best at contested catches in the NFL.
“I mean, you’re going to get hit regardless whether you catch the ball or not,” Smith said during an appearance on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s “Take Off with John Clark” on Thursday, “so you might as well just go ahead and catch it.”
But to be able to do that, Smith said, “it always comes down to just working on it. It’s not something that just happens overnight. You have to get those contested catches in whenever you can, so in between practice, whenever I can, just making sure that I get those catches.”
How many catches?
“Well, the JUGS is usually 25 balls to a bucket,” Smith said, “and I usually do seven buckets, so whatever the math is on that. …
“It helps a lot, man. You know, you can never just go through a practice and get that amount of catches, so to go out there after practice to get those -- that’s the job description, to catch the ball.”
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This season, the former Alabama All-American has 49 receptions for 665 yards and three touchdowns. But the production has been uneven. Smith had nine receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown in a 28-22 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 19 and one reception for 8 yards in a 16-9 victory over the Detroit Lions last week.
The Philadelphia offense ranks 25th among the NFL’s 32 teams in yards this season.
“I think we can be better,” Smith said. “You know, we have up and down weeks. But right now, we’re just trying to play at the level that the defense is playing. Defense is playing lights out. We have to be better, but, you know, we’re trying to figure it out.”
Despite the offensive inconsistency, the Eagles have an 8-2 record and currently hold the top seed in the NFC playoff field as they seek to return to the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons.
“I tell (general manager) Howie (Roseman) all the time, man, ‘You just draft guys from Alabama and Georgia,’” Smith said of Philadelphia’s winning formula. “‘You’re going to be all right.’”
The Eagles have seven Alabama alumni and six Georgia alumni on their active roster.
Philadelphia plays the Dallas Cowboys at 3:25 p.m. CST Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in an NFC East game. The Cowboys are in second place in the division standings at 4-5-1.
The Eagles are in the driver’s seat to become the first team to repeat as the NFC East champion since Philadelphia won the division crown annually from 2001 through 2004.
“Definitely trying to get the division,” Smith said. “It’s the biggest thing. I think he said it’s no been no repeat winner since whenever it was, but it’s been a long time, so that’s what we’re trying to get to right now. That’s a big accomplishment that we’re trying to take care of.”
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