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THE FIRST LESSON came before his very first game. Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks saw the NFL logo etched onto into the grass. His eyes squinted as the national anthem played. He looked across the field at Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, figures who seemed to be around since before he started dreaming of this moment.
"I'm in the NFL," he thought, and his next thought was to convey this feeling to the rest of his Eagles teammates. To Cullen Jenkins, a Super Bowl champion. To Jason Babin, another grizzled veteran. To DeMeco Ryans. To Nnamdi Asomugha.
To Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
"DRC was like, 'C'mon, man, shut the [bleep] up,' " Kendricks recalled yesterday. " 'It's preseason.' "
Yup, preseason. Game 1 of the preseason two summers ago.
"He was like, 'You, calm down,' " Kendricks continued. " 'Chill out. You've still got to make the team.' And I'm like, '[Bleep], you're right.'
"After that I never said nothing the whole year. Not a word."
"I'm in the NFL," he thought, and his next thought was to convey this feeling to the rest of his Eagles teammates. To Cullen Jenkins, a Super Bowl champion. To Jason Babin, another grizzled veteran. To DeMeco Ryans. To Nnamdi Asomugha.
To Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
"DRC was like, 'C'mon, man, shut the [bleep] up,' " Kendricks recalled yesterday. " 'It's preseason.' "
Yup, preseason. Game 1 of the preseason two summers ago.
"He was like, 'You, calm down,' " Kendricks continued. " 'Chill out. You've still got to make the team.' And I'm like, '[Bleep], you're right.'
"After that I never said nothing the whole year. Not a word."