Eagles' vets warn about Super Bowl nonsense

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They've never experienced anything like it before, and they never will again.

The Super Bowl and the week leading up to it are like nothing else in sports. Or on Earth.

It's seven days of insanity, and the Eagles' numerous Super Bowl veterans have been counseling the rest of the team since the NFC Championship Game victory not only on what they're about to face but also how to deal with it.

"They might think it's going to be like a bowl game," Torrey Smith said. "But it's nothing like a bowl game."

The Eagles spent the last week practicing in the relative calm of the NovaCare Complex in South Philly. On Sunday, the team travels to Minneapolis for a week of hype leading up to Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium a week later.

"There's a lot going on," said Corey Graham, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2012. "A lot of parties. A lot of shows, events. Your family wants your time. They want to enjoy it with you. Everyone's always calling you for this and for that. 

"You have to try to avoid all that. If you're not a strong-minded person and don't know how to say no, you can get caught up in it. You have to realize why you're there. You're there for a football game. You're not there to enjoy it. 

"You're not there to be out there partying and going to all that nonsense. The better you are at understanding the main purpose, the better off you'll be."

Smith and Graham are among six Eagles on the 53-man roster who've played in a Super Bowl: Smith, Graham and Donnell Ellerbe with the Ravens, LeGarrette Blount and Chris Long with the Patriots, Malcolm Jenkins with the Saints and Will Beatty with the Giants. Chris Maragos, who's on injured reserve, won one with the Seahawks. 

Doug Pederson has used most of those guys in the past week to address the players, both as a group and individually, to share their wisdom and experience.

“You’ve got to be a professional," Blount said. "I told the young guys that you've just got to be a professional. It’s hard to control your emotions. 

"As rookies and stuff, even if they’ve played in a national championship, they still haven’t played in a game of this magnitude. It’s tough. It’s a long week, and you’ve just got to control your emotions.

“There’s going to be a lot of distractions as far as family and friends and media. You’ve got to put all that in the drawer, toss all that aside for however long it takes us to prepare for this game. 

"Don’t worry about anything that’s going to cause you any stress or any kind of emotional backup. Whatever it might be, you just put it away and focus 100 percent on this game."

Maragos said one positive that's come out of his season-ending knee injury is his ability to see the big picture in a way the guys on the active roster can't.

"Unfortunately, I'm not playing, but I'm grateful to have the opportunity to see things from a broader perspective," Maragos said. "All these guys are narrowed in on their job and what they're doing and maybe I can really give these guys a different viewpoint, having been through it.

"Just give these guys a foreshadowing of what's to come. 'Hey, listen, on this day, expect this, on this day, expect that.' Trying to give them the ability to kind of see things ahead of time, so they're a little bit more prepared when they get there."

Media Night is Monday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Tuesday through Thursday, there will be extensive media obligations at the Mall of America in Bloomington. Friday and Saturday everything shuts down. Sunday is game day.

It will take forever to get here.

"Don't get caught up in all the stuff that's going on outside," Graham said. "Don’t get caught up with your family and all the festivities and all the nonsense. Keep it exactly the same way it is when you're at home. 

"Normal work week. If you normally get your message on Tuesday and your chiropractor on Wednesday and all that stuff, keep it the same. Don't do anything different. 

"Obviously it's an important event and a great time for you and your family, but don't get caught up in the nonsense. You can enjoy it afterward. You’ve got to focus on the task at hand because with the Super Bowl, if you're not winning, it's a waste of time."

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