<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Eagles are down, but Lane Johnson still not buying into 'Patriot Way'

          play
          Cruz: Giants can 'run the table' in the NFC East (1:43)

          Victor Cruz joins First Take to break down why he thinks the Giants can win out and finish atop the NFC East despite their 3-7 record. (1:43)

          • Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterNov 21, 2018, 04:49 PM
            Close
              Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine's Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @Tim_McManus.
            Follow on X

          PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles tackle Lane Johnson is not conceding the merits of the “Patriot Way” despite his team’s struggles in the follow-up season to their Super Bowl run, telling ESPN that the Patriots’ string of success is not fueled by culture, but rather quarterback Tom Brady.

          “I don’t think it’s a 'We're,' I think it’s a Number 12. That’s what I think, personally,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how everything is going to tie up after he retires, but I think he is a big reason for the success up there, that’s what I think.”

          Following the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over New England in February, Johnson called the Patriots a “fear-based organization,” adding that he’d “much rather have fun and win a Super Bowl than be miserable and win five Super Bowls."

          “Not really,” Johnson said, when asked if the Eagles’ 4-6 start has changed his perspective. “I mean, I’m having fun playing. I’ve been in losing situations before. Everyone is going to come around and make sure to try and rub it in my face. I’ve had worse stuff than a quote come back to my face with these suspensions.”

          The Eagles are experiencing firsthand just how difficult it is to follow up a Super Bowl run with another successful season. Opponents have caught up to them schematically and injuries have hit hard. The 48-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday was the worst ever by a defending Super Bowl champion.

          “It felt like I was looking at our team last year from the other sideline,” Johnson said of the Saints. “That’s what it felt like, to be honest. Just the energy they had, the flow they had in the game, how they were playing, it felt like I was looking at a spitting image of our team from last year.”

          The Eagles’ chances of making the playoffs dropped to 19 percent following that loss, according to ESPN FPI. Still, Johnson says there is no secret sauce up in New England, just one whale of a QB.

          “I think Number 12 is probably the best player that has ever played,” he said. “You get that unique individual like that, you add a supporting cast around but you’ve seen people come and go throughout the years and one thing has remained constant throughout the whole equation.”