Jake Elliott made two field goals from over 50 yards, helping the Philadelphia Eagles secure a narrow preseason win against the New York Jets on Friday. After making a 51-yard field goal in the first quarter, Eagles Network analyst Ross Tucker referred to Elliott as “Jake the Make,” believing he had come up with a new nickname. The Eagles’ social media team quickly informed Tucker that fans have used the nickname for several years.
“That is funny. I mean, I think it’s a newer one. It’s definitely a fan-driven one the last couple of years. But that is funny. Ross got to stay up on the social media game, I guess,” Elliott said.
“I’ve heard it. I mean, it’s more so being yelled at me. I’m aware of it. I’ve heard of it.”
Elliott was asked if he has a favorite nickname and responded, “I do not. That’s not up to me. That’s up to the fans.”
Elliott finished the game 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and scored 13 points overall. He noted that working with new long snapper Charley Hughlett has gone smoothly since Hughlett joined from Cleveland in the offseason.
“We obviously get a ton of reps during camp and you get a lot of realistic opportunities, but to have them in a game setting, and especially with the new operation with Charley (Hughlett, long snapper) and everything, just good to build those reps and be able to go back on those,” Elliott said.
“It’s just clean. It feels the same every time. A lot of credit to him for kind of just jumping in here and kind of just making a seamless transition,” Elliott added about Hughlett’s impact on special teams. “He’s done a great job.”
Quarterback Kyle McCord played every offensive snap against the Jets after splitting time in an earlier preseason game against Cleveland. McCord completed 15 passes out of 35 attempts for 99 yards with one interception.
“Every single day is a new adventure and seeing coverages you’ve never seen before and trying to fix problems on the fly and sometimes that’s failing forward,” McCord said postgame. “If you make a mistake, as long as you just continue to learn and get better from it, sometimes that’s part of the process. Obviously, you want to minimize those as much as possible, but that’s just the reality of being a young guy in the league.”
He also commented on how playing an entire game helped him adjust: “I think you definitely start to get a feel for what the defense is doing and it feels like a normal football game, if that makes sense… So it definitely helped playing the whole game.”
John Metchie III caught his first pass as an Eagle early in Friday’s contest after joining Philadelphia via trade from Houston earlier in the week.
“It felt good. Start the game off the right way. Start fast. It’s a great way to start with a new offense,” Metchie said.
Metchie played 17 snaps in his debut for Philadelphia and plans to focus on learning his new team’s playbook during roster cutdown weekend.
“Keep the main thing the main thing, which is football, acclimating to a new team,” Metchie stated.
Defensive back Jakorian Bennett has been adjusting since arriving three weeks ago via trade as he competes for an outside cornerback position ahead of Philadelphia’s regular-season opener against Dallas.
“I’m close to where I want to be, for sure,” Bennett said after Friday’s matchup with New York.
Bennett played significant preseason snaps over recent weeks: “I’m glad I played last week… so I need those reps, just to feel comfortable because I know the type of player I am…”
Linebacker Patrick Johnson continued his productive preseason by recording another sack against New York after earlier strong performances including an interception versus Cincinnati.
“I got a lot of confidence right now. I’m looking forward to this regular-season game against Dallas. Just got to keep on building on this and keep growing,” Johnson said.
Johnson reflected on his growth: “I’ve always had confidence in myself… Just given the right opportunity now… Just building, just keep on getting better and better…”
Veteran defensive back Parry Nickerson made three tackles and grabbed an interception late in Friday’s first quarter while vying for one of Philadelphia’s final roster spots against his former team.
“I really approach everything the same way,” Nickerson said regarding roster cuts looming ahead.
Nickerson described his play: “I felt like I was long overdue for me… It was good to get my hand [on] the rock…”
He advised younger teammates: “Just take it one day at a time and just continue to get healthy, stay healthy, and be ready.”
