Tom Krasovic: As NFL season opens, I’m seeing green

They have a very good quarterback, the league’s best set of offensive tackles, a 234-pound running back who’s faster than many cornerbacks and a wide receiver tandem that’s unsurpassed.

On defense, they boast a wrecking-ball defensive tackle. He’s 24 and one of up to six starters under age 25.

They’ve made two Super Bowls in four years under the head coach, who taught Chargers receivers and quarterbacks late in the San Diego era. His offensive line coach and defensive coordinator get top dollar.

So I’m seeing green.

I’m picking the Eagles to win the 60th Super Bowl this winter in Santa Clara, a year after they buried the Chiefs in New Orleans. Philadelphia opens the NFL season on Thursday night against the visiting Cowboys.

Three decades have passed since an NFC franchise won consecutive Super Bowls. Those were the Cowboys squads of 1992 and 1993 that oozed talent deep into their depth charts.

The Super Bowl chalk isn’t universally green, though.

Lamar Jackson’s Ravens get top odds on several betting lines. And Josh Allen’s Bills share the top spot on some lines, while the Chiefs get the shortest odds from an NFL media partner, among others.

If the Chiefs do raise the trophy, it’ll be their fourth in seven years. The internet crashes a day later when Taylor and Travis announce they’re expecting their first child.

Skepticism about the Eagles goes beyond the rarity of repeating. They lost starters at cornerback, defensive tackle, edge rusher, and right guard in free agency.

If you’re reading this article, the Eagles hold this appeal, too:

A.J. Brown, one of their star receivers, struck a much-publicized blow for reading and for books.

Shown reading a book on the sideline during a playoff game, Brown reached a much bigger audience than national campaigns by libraries could have.

The book, “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy, purports to train the mind for extraordinary performance and the best possible life. Brown said he brings the book to every game.

No, he told reporters after the win over the Packers, it wasn’t in-game frustration that led him to dig into the book. “Dang, I like to read,” he said.

Brown has appeared in media profiles while reading to his son, further endearing the former Padres baseball draftee to literacy advocates.

The book on this Eagles era will highlight that Howie Roseman was right to go large on Brown three years ago.

Roseman paid up: the 18th and 101st draft picks in 2022 went to the Titans, while the Eagles agreed to sign Brown for more money than Tennessee was willing to pay.

“Coach has a vision,” explained Roseman, who met Brown’s price of a four-year, $100-million contract. “He has a vision for what we’re going to look like offensively, and this guy was just a good fit for us.”

The head coach, Nick Sirianni, said Brown’s friendship with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, then coming off his first year as the starter, was just one enticing factor.

Sirianni, drawing upon his San Diego run, said Brown’s rare play strength and reliable hands would provide a much-needed complement to slender Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith, a first-round selection in 2021.

“I saw it firsthand with Keenan Allen,” said Sirianni, who was a quality control coach on head coach Mike McCoy’s staff when Allen had a big rookie season. “He had a little bit of a slip from Year 1 to Year 2 because defenses were keying on him a little bit more. Well, this is going to make it an awful lot harder for defenses to do with a proven commodity like A.J. Brown on the opposite side of him.”

Sirianni’s vision was 20-20.

Brown was instrumental in the Eagles reaching two Super Bowls.

Outscored 38-35 by the Chiefs the first time, the Eagles entered the rematch last winter with a much better defense, featuring young uber-tackle Jalen Carter, whom Roseman drafted after his off-field behavior scared off teams, and Saquon Barkley, the great running back Roseman got for cheap in free agency.

The Chiefs didn’t come close to keeping up.

If the Eagles can’t get back to the Super Bowl, the pick here is the Rams.

In the AFC, it’s the Ravens.

But if San Diego’s Josh Simmons can protect Patrick Mahomes as a rookie left tackle, Super Bowl advertisers stand to get more bang for their buck. The Taylor & Travis Show will return.