WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Notes, Quotes

The Sports Xchange

October 11, 2018 at 3:02 am.

–Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is a former head coach of the Eagles. OK, it only lasted one game after he took over on an interim basis when Chip Kelly got fired prior to the last regular-season game of 2015, which was, ironically, against the Giants. Shurmur and the Eagles won that game.

“That was a battlefield promotion where Chip goes,” said Shurmur. “It was an honor to be the head coach. I coached there for 13 years. Ten with Andy (Reid) and then three with Chip. That’s a big part of who I am, that experience with the Eagles. And it was an honor to be their coach for one game.”

The connection between the Eagles and Giants runs even deeper, with defensive end Connor Barwin facing the team he played with for four seasons (2013-16) and against a city in Philadelphia where he still lives and said will continue to live once he retires.

“I’m healthy and feel good and this is a big game for us and a big game for (the Eagles) as well,” said Barwin, who had 31.5 sacks during his time with the Eagles.

–Defensive end Brandon Graham notched his first sack of the season last week. He led the team with 9.5 of those last year.

“BG, he obviously can rush well against tackles, but when they put him in there on a guard sometimes, that quickness is a little bit of a surprise for a guard,” Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said. “With all those yards and all those points scored in the Super Bowl, it came down to one rush by Brandon Graham against a guard to knock the ball out of (Patriots quarterback Tom) Brady’s hand.”

–Creating turnovers has been a problem so far for the Eagles, who had 19 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries in the regular season last year. This year, they have just three picks and two fumble recoveries and are ranked 29th in the league at minus-four in the takeaway/giveaway department.

“That’s what we always crave,” said rookie safety Avonte Maddox. “It’s big for any difference. You want turnovers. That can create points and momentum, so we want to get them.”

BY THE NUMBERS: 7 — Fumbles the Eagles have lost this season, including two in their loss to the Vikings last week. It is a number that leads the league. The Giants, though, are right behind them, with six. In the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl winning season, they lost just nine fumbles in 19 games.