Numerology and the Philadelphia Eagles

In the 2015 offseason, I purchased a LeSean McCoy jersey, a retired running back for the Philadelphia Eagles. He started with the team in 2010, breaking the 1,000-yard rushing barrier. And four years later, became the all-time leading rusher for the Eagles; a record previously set by Wilbert Montgomery from the late ‘70s. During that offseason (and before the jersey was shipped), he was traded to the Buffalo Bills. His career was profoundly incredible, as he helped to bring an end to a nearly 17-year playoff drought for the Bills (though, unfortunately, not a Superbowl win), became one of a few to surpass 10,000 career rushing yard record, and received two Superbowl rings as a player on the Chiefs and Buccaneers in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

During that time, I was embarking on my own journey in a relationship with my now husband, Michael Biele. And my jersey of LeSean McCoy was a numerological sign of great things to come, as his number was 25. Ten years after meeting Michael, we got married. Seven years after the Eagles first Superbowl win, they won a rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs to garner a second Superbowl win in their franchise, only two years after their first matchup with them.

Seven, ten, twenty-five… the numerological wonderments continue! Saquon Barkley, who was snagged up as a free agent from the New York Giants in 2024, catapulted his career statistics by surpassing over 2,000 rushing yards in his first season with the Eagles, along with pushing the team to the championship. His jersey number is 26, the same age I was when I moved out of my parent’s place and started living with Michael.

Cooper DeJean, drafted in 2024 from Iowa, recorded his first career interception in the second quarter of the Superbowl, returning a 38-yard touchdown. His jersey number is 33, my current age. Both Saquon Barkley and Cooper DeJean were also born on February 9th, the date of Super Bowl LIX. Even more fantastical? Add their jersey numbers together… 33 + 26 = 59. Super Bowl LIX.

These findings are certainly the epitome of coincidence and have no real use aside from being fascinating. But it illustrates the incredible benefit of being in the present moment and finding those little details that people overlook. My family has always been fascinated by those tiny details, even the way the Motion Picture Association (of America) numbers their movies; usually listed near the end of the credits.

Back in the early 2000s, my family would head to the movie theater on a regular basis to see the latest flick, or even to catch the low-cost movies on weekend mornings. And given my parents penchant for numbers, we started to notice the MPAA certification numbers marked at the end of each movie. Especially as the number got closer to 50,000, a big achievement at least in our minds. (The movie that made that mark was titled Chloe and Theo, released in 2015).

These numerological surprises are wonderfully nerdy to behold, as most people will roll their eyes. But it is something to appreciate in a world that seemingly feels random.

The Eagles second time returning a win after a Superbowl loss, the first being in 2005 and 2018 against the New England Patriots, was pretty astonishing. The season (and the championship game) offered a host of incredible plays, nail-biting plays, and masterful accomplishments by everyone involved.

The team’s defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, directed a powerful force against the Chiefs, thanks to an incredible showing of every defensive lineman on the field. They sacked Patrick Mahomes six times and held the Chiefs to 23 total yards in the first half. As Jalen Hurts stated at the end of the game, “defense wins championships. And we saw how they played today. We saw the difference they made in the game. They gave us opportunities and we were able to do what we do.”

After the incredible 38-yard interception touchdown by Cooper DeJean in the second quarter, Mike Sielski put it best, describing, “the sound within the Superdome kept rising, a crescendo that reaffirmed what had been clear all week here: New Orleans was overflowing with Eagles fans, and now they knew what was coming.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Mike Sielski illustrated the peculiar coaching attitude of the head coach, Nick Sirianni, stating, “[he] wears his heart on his sleeve, on his shirt collar, on his pants, and on his socks. His players love him for it. They respect him for always being himself. Sirianni does what a 21st-century coach has to do, first and foremost, to succeed: he connects.” With that description, Sirianni reminds me of my grandfather, Charles Palladino Sr., who passed away last October. His outward emotions were a staple of his character, creating a heartwarming atmosphere to whomever was in his presence.

And with a resounding and incredible show of force, the Philadelphia Eagles clobbered the Kansas City Chiefs and took away their chance of cementing a three-win dynasty. Among our Palladino family in New Jersey, in the home of my Uncle Charles Palladino, all of us proclaimed the words, “This is for you, Pop-Pop!”