Eagles fans give LA Rams rookie OLB Jared Verse the Santa treatment

LA Rams rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse may be inexperienced in terms of his NFL career. But he is one of the most impressive rookies to grace the Rams roster in some time. And his methods, while unorthodox, have a purpose. While some thought his pregame taunting of Eagles fans may have been a rookie mistake, I wasn't ready to stand on that hill.

Playing in front of the Eagles fans is much like facing a junk yard dog that is unleashed. Despite the certainty of snarls and growls, you only make matters worse by showing fear. And for Verse, fear is simply not in his vocabulary or modus operandi. He is never going to be a type to back down from a challenge. And perhaps playing in Lincoln Financial Field in front of a hostile Eagles fanbase is as hostile as it gets.

Verse is the type of player who channels the reactions of fans to fuel his game. So taunting Eagles fans before their Divisional Round clash in the 2025 NFL Playoffs merely added nitro to his funny car engine. It may have been a crazy strategy, but it was crazy like a fox.

Snow and the Philadelphia Eagles fans have a nefarious reputation. Snowing during a football game for Eagles fans is the equivalent of giving pre-schoolers a pellet gun. You just know that they will fire at something regrettable. But what will that target be? Well, thanks to rookie Jared Verse's pre-game drama, he put himself into the firing line of any Eagles fan with a snowball.

And it's a given that all Eagles fans know how to make and throw a snowball:

The narrative about Eagles fans and snowballs is legendary. It all traces back to December 15, 1968, when the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles snowballed Santa Claus. Well, the national media never got the story right. At the time, the media buried the story in a small column on the back page. But the reputation grew.

Over time, the emotional backstory to the event was shed and a new narrative was rewritten. Philadelphia Eagles fans are so vile, they snowballed Santa. It was a narrative pushed to vilify Eagles fans as the opposite "America's Team," moniker was thrown upon the Dallas Cowboys. That story stuck for years.

Fast forward to January 19, 2025, as the Los Angeles Rams arrived at Lincoln Financial Field to battle the Philadelphia Eagles. The passionate Eagles fanbase did what all passionate NFL fans do, they arrived en masse to cheer on their team. And they booed the opposing players.

That is exactly what Jared Verse was counting on. He silenced the fans with 2.0 quarterback sacks, perhaps the best performance in his rookie season. By the game's end. he recorded five pressures, four tackles, 2.0 QB sacks, three tackles for a loss, and two quarterback hits.

But he also emerged with a sense and appreciation and respect for a fanbase that showed up in cold snowy weather to cheer on its team and boo him. Whether they admit it or not, Jared Verse has earned the respect of Philly fans as well.

As always, thanks for reading.

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