With an improbable victory this weekend over the Minnesota Vikings, the Eagles advanced to their third Super Bowl in franchise history.
The Birds were an underdog in both the Divisional Round and the Championship, but that didn't stop them.
Philadelphia has been bogged down by injuries at key positions all season – quarterback, left tackle, running back, middle linebacker, and a key special teams player.
And yet, these injuries never stopped this team.
With the Eagles on the verge of history, it's time for me to cash in on a decade plus old bet.
My grandfather made a deal with me after the last Eagles' Super Bowl loss in 2004 – if they make it again in his lifetime, the two of us, and my dad, would go to it.
And at 90 years old next month, it looked like it might happen at the halfway point in the season.
But back in November, my dad and grandfather pulled the trigger and purchased Super Bowl tickets three months in advance.
While excited, it felt like a betrayal because I wasn't sure if I could stomach going to the biggest sporting event in the country if my Eagles weren't a participant in it.
Of the three of us, I naively consider myself the biggest Eagles fan.
I look at the sport and the team in particular, both emotionally and analytically, whereas they are strictly emotionally tied.
I bring stats to the dinner table.
They reference old games and old players to suggest a trend as if one player from decades ago has an effect on the game the next week.
The three of us are a representation of our respective generations of Eagles fans.
My grandfather remembers the days of Chuck Bednarik and Stan Van Buren.
He recalls the 1960 Championship team fondly.
My dad brings up the original running quarterback in Randall Cunningham and the best defensive lineman in Reggie White.
My references are much newer, focusing on the best safety in franchise history in Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, and four straight conference championships games in the early 2000s.
Each of our favorite players and the memories we have with them represent the time they played and the nostalgia of years ago.
I feel the pain of the Eagles going to four consecutive NFC Championships and only advancing to one Super Bowl in the early 2000s.
But I was just a kid. That pain was met with the naivety that suggested the ease of continued success in the NFL.
But my dad and grandfather knew better.
They have experienced the pain of being a win away, or an injury away from something tremendous happening happening.
The two of them have experienced some of the best moments of Eagles history – miracle in the meadowlands, Chuck Bednarik’s hit on Frank Giffords, and 4th and 26.
Three generations of diehard Eagles fans are taking a journey to Minnesota with one goal in mind – seeing our Eagles win their first Super Bowl.
Friends and relatives keep mentioning what a great experience it will be but that's not how we're looking at it.
We're happy to be going, but we won't be happy watching them lose.
Fly Eagles Fly!
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Mike Brest is a WUSA 9 intern who will not be receiving another birthday gift from his grandfather or dad until he’s 50.
