Praise for Birds of Pray If you’re a football fan you likely know the story of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles on the field. Winning the Super Bowl was a tremendous accomplishment, but it is only half the story. Birds of Pray will give you a look at what really made the Eagles special— the tremendous spiritual bond they developed through Jesus Christ. TONY DUNGY, Head Coach of Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts In Birds of Pray, Rob Maaddi captures the story of our brotherhood and the special bond we have in Christ that helped us become Super Bowl champions. CARSON WENTZ, Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl quarterback We wanted to win the Super Bowl. But we also knew making disciples of Jesus is our number one priority. Rob was there to see and hear that. From the pre- game huddles to baptisms in the cold tub and all the moments in between, this book tells you those stories. ZACH ERTZ, Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl tight end As a Bible ministry based in Philadelphia, we were thrilled to watch our courageous Eagles live out their faith and overcome the odds during an unforgettable run to the Super Bowl. Birds of Pray will inspire football fans and followers of Jesus to stand on the promises of God’s Word when facing challenges and adversity in their own lives. DR. ROY L. PETERSON, President and CEO, American Bible Society Rob Maaddi has been covering the Philadelphia Eagles for longer than I’ve been on the team. He has been on a faith journey with us and has witnessed our exploits both on and off the field. No one can tell the story better. COREY CLEMENT, Philadelphia Eagles running back 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 1 6/26/18 1:22 PM Inspiring, bold, and unforgettable— get to know the Philly spirit and Eagles’ pride like never before in this book that details the faith of the Super Bowl champions. BRANDON BROOKS, Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl left guard Looking for proof that faith and classic underdog grit can power you forward to victory? Look no further. Birds of Pray is exactly that. LANE JOHNSON, Philadelphia Eagles All- Pro right tackle Our team faced tremendous odds last year, and yet we overcame and went on to capture the Super Bowl title. The world knows the headline, but this book tells the inside story from someone— a fellow brother in Christ— who was with us the whole time. Don’t miss it. JORDAN HICKS, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker As a member of the Eagles for some time, I was drawn to this team for their faith in the Lord and the support for one another. Rob has covered the Eagles for eighteen years. He was there nearly my entire career in Philadelphia. He knows the team, he understands their faith journey, and I know he knows the Lord. Birds of Pray is a unique look at what made the Eagles Super Bowl champs. DAVID AKERS, Six- time Pro Bowl kicker I cannot wait to get my hands on Birds of Pray. As a guy who has been part of those locker rooms and Bible studies and gameday morning church sessions, even I can say that this team was special and a little different in its approach. For all the great things they would individu- ally and collectively accomplish, they made it very clear Jesus was going to be the beginning, middle, and end to every single thing they did. He would set the rhythm and heartbeat of all they did as players and everything would flow from that. Win or lose. Success or failure. As we all go through our own trials and difficulties, I’m excited to read how this Eagles team led by its quarterback with his own story of tribulation kept pointing to Jesus, no matter what. DAN ORLOVSKY, Former NFL quarterback 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 2 6/26/18 1:22 PM Also by Rob Maaddi Baseball Faith: 52 MLB Stars Reflect on Their Faith Football Faith: 52 NFL Stars Reflect on Their Faith Mike Schmidt: The Phillies’ Legendary Slugger 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 4 6/26/18 1:22 PM BIRDS OF PRAY THE STORY OF THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES’ FAITH, BROTHERHOOD, AND SUPER BOWL VICTORY ROB MAADDI 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 5 6/26/18 1:22 PM ZONDERVAN Birds of Pray Copyright © 2018 by Rob Maaddi Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546 ISBN 978-0-310-35585-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-310-35587-8 (audio) ISBN 978-0-310-35586-1 (ebook) All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan.® All® rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The® “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.® Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other— except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. This book is not authorized, endorsed, or licensed by the National Football League or any of its affiliates, which own or control the Super Bowl and Eagles trademarks. Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., www. wordserveliterary.com. Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst Cover photo: Michael Perez / ASSOCIATED PRESS Interior design: Kait Lamphere First printing June 2018 / Printed in the United States of America 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 6 6/26/18 1:22 PM Thank you, Jesus, for making the ultimate sacrifice for me and everyone. Thank you to my beautiful wife, Remy, for your love, support, encouragement, and inspiring me to be the best version of me. Thank you to my gorgeous daughters, Alexia and Melina, for being the best daddy’s girls. Thank you to my parents, Issa and Hayat, for your unconditional love. Special thanks to all the Philadelphia Eagles who openly and boldly shared their faith with me. Congratulations to the team, the entire organization, and all the passionate fans. 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 7 6/26/18 1:22 PM But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ROMANS 5:8 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 8 6/26/18 1:22 PM CONTENTS Foreword .......................................11 Introduction: Fan, Follower, Disciple ................13 1. Super Bowl Morning..........................19 2. The Rejected Stone ...........................25 3. Take Me to the Water .........................35 4. Audience of One .............................47 5. Making Disciples.............................59 6. Iron Sharpens Iron ...........................71 7. A Firm Foundation ...........................79 8. Faith without Works Is Dead...................87 9. Thankful through the Storm...................95 10. Unanswered Prayer ..........................107 11. We All We Got, We All We Need ..............115 12. Humility That Wins .........................121 13. Carson’s Team ..............................133 14. The Underdogs..............................141 15. Silencing Doubters . 151 16. Unfinished Business .........................157 17. Respect, Not Fear............................163 18. Super Sunday ...............................169 19. Parade of Champions ........................183 20. No QB Controversy..........................191 21. Always an Eagle.............................195 22. The New Norm .............................201 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 9 6/26/18 1:22 PM FOREWORD etting injured last season was extremely challenging. Ever G since I was a kid, I had envisioned myself holding that Lombardi Trophy up on that stage in my uniform. Obviously, my season was cut short. I still believed we would do that as a team, but now I wouldn’t be the guy up there. I had to swallow my pride and walk through that with God and really trust Him and his faithfulness. I truly believed that God was writing a different story and my reach would be so much more effective because of the hardships I was going through. My favorite thing about it was that at the end of the day, Jesus Christ took all of the glory through Nick Foles and Coach Doug Pederson on that stage. In Birds of Pray, Rob Maaddi captures the story of our brother hood and the special bond we have in Christ that helped us become Super Bowl champions. There are things the world idolizes, like money and fame, but that’s not what it’s all about. I see a lot of guys who have so- called “everything” but truly have nothing. I believe everyone, inside of themselves, is longing for something. Money, fame, sports, and so 11 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 11 6/26/18 1:22 PM Birds of Pray many things can be an idol and fill that void, but they won’t last. That void can only be permanently filled by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I challenge you to go to Him and to seek Him. The Bible says: “When you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him.” He will not only change your life here on earth, but He’ll give you eternal rest with Him forever. Carson Wentz 12 9780310355854_BirdsPray_4p.indd 12 6/26/18 1:22 PM INTRODUCTION: FAN, FOLLOWER, DISCIPLE used to party with professional athletes. Now, I pray with them. I I began covering Philadelphia sports teams full- time in 2000. It was a dream job for a kid who grew up a few miles from the stadium complex in South Philly.