Liability Issues Forcing Some Fans to Stay Home

The reputation of Philadelphia Eagle fans grows.

Some Tampa-area travel agencies specializing in package tours to sporting events have told clients they will not be sponsoring trips for Buccaneer fans to Philadelphia for Sunday’s NFC championship game between the Eagles and Tampa Bay.

BucFanTours, on its web site, posted a statement detailing its reasons for not running a trip to Veterans Stadium:

“BucFanTours WILL NOT be doing a game package to Philadelphia. This is sad, but the potential for problems and client injury has our insurance agent lying awake at night! As much as we want to support our team, the Philadelphia fans just don’t get it. It’s just a game!”

The upper level at the Vet, the 700 level, as well as the parking lot, have become notoriously dangerous places for fans wearing the colors of opposing teams.

It is not uncommon to see fights break out between several Eagle fans and one or two visitors.

Eagle players are getting a kick out of the burgeoning fear down south.

“If we have more of a home-field advantage because of what people think might happen, then, great,” defensive tackle Darwin Walker said.

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Eagle tight end Chad Lewis has fond memories of Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden. When Lewis was signed as a rookie free agent out of Brigham Young by the Eagles in 1997, Gruden was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator.

Lewis said Gruden was so enthusiastic about Lewis’ untapped potential that it would both embarrass him and inspire him.

“He used to call me Rocky Balboa,” Lewis said. “All the time, he’d call me Rocky. He said, ‘You’re from nowhere and you’re going to the top.’

“I’d be embarrassed about it, but it also gave me a lot of confidence. That’s what he does to players. He fires you up.”

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Eagle special-teams coach John Harbaugh may be biased but he doesn’t care. Harbaugh thinks kick returner Brian Mitchell is the best ever.

“I don’t think there’s any question,” Harbaugh said. “If you take all things into consideration, I think he’s the best at what he does now, as well as being the best ever. He not only makes big plays, but he makes great decisions. He does not turn the ball over, knock on wood. He runs really hard. I don’t see a better guy.”

Mitchell became the NFL’s all-time postseason leader in kickoff returns with 32, and kickoff return yardage, 750, last weekend when the Eagles beat Atlanta. Against San Francisco last November, Mitchell, 34, became the NFL’s all-time leader in punts returned for touchdowns, 13, when he ran one back 76-yards against the 49ers. And Mitchell is behind only Jerry Rice on the NFL’s all-time list in combined net yards. Rice has 22,248 rushing, receiving, returning punts, kickoffs and fumbles. Mitchell has 22,001.

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Philadelphia offensive tackle John Welbourn, who is from Torrance and is a graduate of Peninsula High in Rolling Hills Estates, says the trash-talking reputation of Buccaneer defensive tackle Warren Sapp is overrated.

Welbourn said, “He’s never really said anything to me, other than, ‘How you doing? How’s everything going?’ He plays hard. He’s the emotional leader and a guy that likes to get things fired up. If you can go out and have a little success against him, I think that calms him down.”

Welbourn said he has heard Sapp get a little chatty about Eagle fans.

“In terms of players and trash talking, I’ve never really heard Warren say anything to me or in the media about any players. He just rips on some fans and the terrible Vet. We can all agree that the Vet’s pretty bad.”