The Real Reason Philadelphia Eagles Fans Love Kelly Green

Philadelphia Eagles fans will finally have the opportunity to buy newly-made Eagles Kelly Green gear starting at 9 am on Monday, July 31.

The team’s official website hyped up the new releases, stating that “The color, jersey, and style that symbolized the grit and grind of the early '90s Eagles is finally hitting the shelves.”

It’s great that fans are excited about new merchandise, but why is Kelly Green such an incredible appeal to the Philadelphia fan base?

The “grit and grind” of Reggie White, Jerome Brown, and the ferocious Gang Green defense will always hold a special place in the hearts of Eagles fans. However, shouldn’t Midnight Green be the color that’s glorified?

The Birds started wearing the Midnight Green in 1996, shortly after Jeffrey Lurie bought the team from Norman Braman.

The improvement of the team came gradually and consistently. The era of Andy Reid and Donovan Mcnabb in the new millennium began a period of sustained success. It's reached a point where Adam Schefter called the Eagles one of the “marquee franchises” in the NFL in 2023.

That simply wasn’t true while the Eagles wore Kelly Green. They wore the glorified color in only one Super Bowl after the 1980 season. Their NFL Championships don’t typically play much of a factor in the minds of Philadelphia fans in modern times.

The Eagles have worn the new style in three Super Bowls in the new millennium. Teams in Midnight Green clearly have a more important place in franchise history, so what gives?

Sure, Irish people from Delco will buy pretty much anything that's Kelly Green, but there's more to it.

The Eagles are as central to the identity of Philadelphia as Benjamin Franklin and the Declaration of Independence.

If you need proof of that, think back to the night of Super Bowl LII. Eagles fans of all ages ran around the streets of Philadelphia praying to deceased relatives and thanking the Lord that the long-awaited Lombardi Trophy had finally come.

Rooting for the Birds is a beloved tradition passed down through generations. Wearing Kelly Green reminds some younger fans who weren’t even alive to see the Dick Vermeil era or the dominance of Gang Green that their parents and grandparents passed the passion down to them.

Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles have been through hardship, but they’ve come out on the other side with the reward of watching one of the most successful organizations in the NFL since 2000.

Wearing Kelly Green does not belittle the success of teams wearing Midnight Green. It reminds Eagles fans that they’ve taken a few punches to get to a point when they can appreciate modern success while honoring the roots of the tradition and the identity of the fan base.

The Philadelphia Eagles are almost ready to begin training camp at the Nova Care Complex.

The city of Philadelphia has the luxury of a baseball team in contention for the World Series once again in 2023. Are the Phillies actually overshadowing the Eagles less than half a year after an appearance in Super Bowl LVII though?

The offseason buzz hasn’t been as loud as in past years. Howie Roseman focused mostly on retaining key players that helped the Eagles win the NFC Championship Game in January.

The biggest splashes came at the NFL Draft. The Eagles entered the spotlight by adding a trio of Georgia Bulldogs in Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo.

It was an offseason without too many big-name free agents or blockbuster trades. However, the most passionate fan base in the NFL always has the hunger to watch the most prominent franchise in town. 

Training camp battles will always draw attention. The competition for both starting safety positions and the right guard spot in between franchise legends Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce will be the most impactful.

Nick Sirianni and the coaching staff will have their eyes on Cam Jurgens vs. Tyler Steen, Sydney Brown vs. Terrell Edmunds vs. (Ed) Reed Blankenship, and even a potential... punter battle.

However, the real draw of training camp and the NFL preseason is the lure of a looming season. As much as football fans like to write off the storylines, they’ll still slurp them up as quickly as an ice-cold beer at a tailgate before the home opener.

Remember the dates when you’ll overreact to every detail that comes out of daily practices in anticipation of the defense of an NFC Championship and a quest to avenge the sour taste of a Super Bowl loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The days at Lehigh University are over. An excellent tradition that included several other stops throughout franchise history ended in 2013.

Modern accommodations at the Nova Care Complex provide a sensible option for professional athletes, but some fans do miss the excitement of a late-summer trip to Eagles training camp (especially the ones who don't have the opportunity to see regular-season games in an era when tickets are in such high demand).

However, you'll see the practice notes, injury updates, and press conference takeaways from your favorite Eagles beat reporters beginning on Tuesday, July 25.

Philadelphia fans still have one opportunity to watch the team live during training camp.

Eagles Training Camp Public Practice presented by Independence Blue Cross will take place at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, August 6 at 7 pm.

Tickets are $10, and proceeds benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation.

Before you say that open practice has never mattered, remember that Nelson Agholor was public enemy number one entering the 2017 season. The roaring crowd at the Linc cheered Agholor on August 14, 2017, and the confidence he built as a preseason star actually mattered.

Agholor became a dangerous game-breaker throughout one of the most memorable seasons in Philadelphia sports history.

The Eagles will head south on I-95 for the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, August 12.

Most Eagles fans have two immediate reactions when they hear Eagles-Ravens preseason.

The first: the cringy moment when the organization canceled a game because of sloppy field conditions at Veterans Stadium. The second: when the era of Terrell Owens in midnight green started with an 81-yard bomb from Donovan McNabb.

The Eagles will hold joint practices with the Cleveland Browns the week leading up to Philadelphia's second preseason game.

The teams have not announced the official dates. Whatever you do, please don't buy into the notion of "winning" a joint practice.

The Eagles will take the field at the Linc in front of the home crowd against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, August 17.

It's not clear yet which starters will dress. It could be the first chance that fans have to watch (backup) Marcus Mariota after the Eagles have finally...done the deal.

Mariota provides a serviceable option behind Jalen Hurts, but his legacy in franchise history probably won't change.

The NFL preseason finale isn't the most dazzling football you'll ever watch. 

However, Eagles fans can still point to one of the most impactful final roster decisions in franchise history as a reason why the game can actually matter.

Corey Clement snuck onto the 2017 roster and later went for 100 yards in Super Bowl LII.

The Birds wrap up the preseason at home on Thursday, August 24 against the Indianapolis Colts at 8 pm.

NFL teams trim the rosters from 90 to 53 on August 29.

The announced rosters, however, don't always last until opening day. Surprise cuts frequently find ways onto other rosters in the final days of August or early September.

Why has Hard Knocks taken so long to get off the ground?

We finally found out that the New York Jets will be the featured team. As Adam Schefter told The John Kincade Show last week, HBO usually has boots on the ground at team facilities weeks before training camp.

At some point, you'll see what Pat Egan considers the one thing "scratching the football itch that's missing in our lives" late in the summer. Hard Knocks has aired on Tuesday nights in most past seasons.

This day can't come soon enough.

You can wash the hype away on Sunday, September 10 when the Eagles visit Foxborough to face the New England Patriots.

Nothing would wash away the anxiety of preseason like spoiling a ceremony honoring Tom Brady's jersey retirement.

Watch The John Kincade Show streaming live on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on weekday mornings from 6am-10am.