I live in Philly Philly.
Bet you’re thinking: Uh, another typo there, Mark.
But Philly Philly is not a typo.
It’s not a place.
It’s not the name of a new band.
And it’s not a discount website.
In fact, it wasn’t anything until February 4, 2018.
That’s when during the Super Bowl, Nick Foles, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, asked his coach, Doug Pederson, if he wanted to run Philly Philly (aka Philly Special), a trick play, on 4th and goal.
“Yeah, let’s do it,” Pederson said.
They did.
And they scored.
But scoring on a trick play isn’t what Philly Philly is either.
To understand Philly Philly we have to backtrack some.
The Eagles started out the 2017 season smoking hot, but during the third game they lost one of their clutch running backs, Darren Sproles, to an achilles injury.
Sproles wasn’t the only key player they’d lose during the season.
Next to fall was special teams captain Chris Maragos.
Then All-Pro tackle Jason Peters and ace linebacker Jordan Hicks were both side-lined with season-ending injuries.
But here’s the thing, even through all these injuries, the Eagles continued to win.
How?
They filled some holes with new players.
And back-up players stepped up.
It was as if the more adversity these guys faced, the stronger they got.
Strong enough to win a Super Bowl?
Yes.
We started to believe…
…until game #13, the day when Eagles’ star quarterback, Carson Wentz, blew out his knee.
We gasped.
The Eagles did manage to win the next two games with back-up QB Nick Foles, but their play was deteriorating.
And after the last game of the season, the Eagles did not look like a team that was ready for the post-season.
They’re toast, analysts said.
Yep, agreed Vegas oddsmakers. And they picked the Falcons over the Eagles by 3 for NFC Divisional playoff game.
When the Eagles started the game it didn’t seem like a question of whether they were going to be toast, but rather what kind of toast they were going to be.
Simply burnt toast or the kind of charred toast you have to dig out of the toaster with a knife?
But the Eagles settled down as the game went on.
And to everyone’s surprise, they pulled it off.
They beat the Falcons.
But fairy tale endings only happen in movies, not on spreadsheets, right?
Vegas knew that. And for the NFC Championship game they picked the Vikings by 3.
Again, the Eagles started the game like how everyone expected them to–as a team destined to lose.
But that didn’t last long and the guys in green went on to rout the Vikings 38 – 7.
Huh…
Vegas thought really hard about the upcoming Super Bowl with the Eagles and the Patriots, but it was Brady, and the Pats had been to the Super Bowl a bazillion times, come on, and Vegas made the only reasonable prediction they could: The dreamers’ luck stops here.
Believing in a dream is a weird.
It’s hard to tease apart why you’re dreaming.
It could be escapism.
One day I’ll be out of this crappy job and I’ll be basking in the Key West sun.
Or avoidance.
Yeah, I’ll apply for that better paying job soon…hmm, wonder what the weather is like in Key West?
But there’s another part of dreaming that’s not passive or inhibiting.
It has to do with hope.
Hope, as in if I push on, if I continue to do what I need to do, I’ll make my dream come true.
Nothing about pushing on is easy.
The self-doubt is relentless.
I’m wasting my time again.
I’m out of time.
I wasn’t meant to succeed.
I should’ve never have dreamed.
But the catch is that it’s only through pushing on that you stand a chance at accomplishing your dream.
It’s deep in the second quarter of Super Bowl LII. The game is tight. The Patriots have just scored and the Eagles lead has been cut to 3 points.
It’s 4th and goal for the Eagles. The safe decision would be for Eagles to kick a field goal. That would give them a 6 point lead.
But it’s becoming apparent that the game is gonna be a shoot-out. And the Eagles need points to keep pace with the Patriots. A lot of them!
Pederson makes the call to go for it and that’s when Foles asks him: “You want Philly Philly?”
Not only is Philly Philly a high risk play—the ball exchanges hands 3 times—it has to be perfectly executed for it to work.
And this is what happened: A rookie running back pitches the ball to a third string tight-end who throws the ball to a backup quarterback. (Modified quote from here.)
Touchdown!
And the Dreamers go on to win the Super Bowl.
But just like scoring a touchdown, winning the Super Bowl isn’t Philly Philly either.
What is Philly Philly?
It’s not the Lombardi trophy.
It’s not the Super Bowl ring.
It’s not the beginning.
It’s not the end.
Philly Philly happens during the in between.
You know the in between.
The dream seems real, then it seems ridiculous because everyone is telling you to stay down, give up, go home, you’re too old, you’re too young, you’re a dreamer.
Unfortunately, just wanting it really bad won’t keep you in the game.
Don’t get me wrong, wanting it is important, but that’s not going to carry you through the tough times of dreaming.
You stay in the game because after you make a mistake,
you make another mistake and another,
but just before you’re about to quit
something clicks,
and you jump through the flames,
only to find a razor wire fence now in your way.
But this time is different.
Your palms are not sweaty.
Your heart’s not racing.
In fact, you’re a little pissed.
Because there are no magic thoughts swirling in your brain anymore.
No pixie dust in your pockets.
The land of make believe from where you dreamed is long gone.
You are day in, day out.
Get up.
Take a step.
Get up.
Figure it out.
God damn it, get up!
Take a step.
Another.
And another.
Until you stand at the door.
It opens.
You leap.
And it looks like you were born for the moment.
Philly Philly is not for sale.
And it’s not reserved for the elite.
It favors no race or gender.
And no one can steal it from you.
Ever.
Philly Philly is ugly.
Is hard.
Is beautiful.
Is life-giving.
Can you feel that?
I can.
That’s Philly Philly.
And that’s how dreams come true.
Need more nuts and bolts to your Philly Philly?
Check out: How to Follow A Dream: Massage Bridge Business.
And if you want my latest everything, sign up for my email group.
It’s free too:-)
