If anybody’s an expert around here on bouncing back from adversity, it’s Nelson Agholor.
He's had plenty of opportunities.
His five-year career with the Eagles has been marked by some pretty wild highs, like three straight first-down catches on the game-winning drive in the Super Bowl, and some pretty grim lows, like getting benched during his miserable 2016 season.
Here we go again.
“Man, I’m a professional,” Agholor said. “I know I work hard and at the end of the day no one feels sorry for me and they don’t need to. I’m in this position because I’m a tough player and I’m a tough person and I’m just going to keep on fighting.”
By now, you’ve probably watched Agholor's pectacular whiff Sunday night 100 times.
Slowed down. Sped up. Coach’s tape. End zone angle. You name it, you've seen it.
It was the latest in a series of unfortunate plays — drops, misses, fumbles — for the Eagles’ $9.4 million former first-round pick.
“Most important thing is to stand and fight and that’s something I’ll do,” he said. “I’m going to stay in the ring, keep throwing punches, keep working. My confidence doesn’t waver at all in terms of what it takes to win football games. Practicing hard and having great focus and to execute on game day.”
The numbers are ugly.
Agholor is 55th in the NFL with 25 catches, 71st with 254 yards and 91st with 10.2 yards per catch.
Of the 54 wide receivers who’ve started at least five games, he ranks 47th in receiving yards.
He does have three touchdown catches.
The Eagles are 3-4 and go into Buffalo this weekend coming off back-to-back miserable blowout losses.
What’s next for Agholor
“Honestly, just keep fighting,” he said. “I went into that game vs. Dallas very confident and ready to play fast and make plays. I watch that tape and I thought I play very hard. I would have liked to have connected on the play we missed on. But I didn’t leave that game with a lack of confidence or my skill set. I thought I made plays in that game in the passing game and the running game and only can build on those.”
Agholor spoke about the ill-fated bomb after the game Sunday night in the Eagles’ locker room at AT&T Stadium (see story).
On Tuesday, after watching the play extensively in film study, he explained what he believes happened:
“When I located the ball all I could do from that point on was to dig, was to try to run as hard as I could, and I was running, running, and I don’t feel like I was in position with the way my stride was to leave my feet, and for those that think that they would have done that, I think that’s respect to them,” he said. “I asked one of the best deep-ball players in DeSean Jackson what I could have done to be better, and he said, ‘Nelly, if you see it earlier, you may be able to run under it perfectly.’ … If I could do it again, I probably have would sold the corner a little less so I could get out of it and be able to track the ball a little earlier.”
At least nobody catching babies out of a burning building has mocked Agholor for his latest mishap.
Yet.
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