Jake Elliott has one slice of pizza and one slice of cheesecake the night before every game.
The Eagles kicker has had the same eating ritual since his freshman year of college. In Memphis' ninth game that season, Elliott kicked a school-record 56-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through the uprights. He also connected on two other tries in the victory.
Elliott believed there was something karmic about his kicking success that day, and thought back to what had not been a typical pre-game meal.
It had to be the pizza and cheesecake!
He's had his ups and downs since, but overall, the routine seems to be working. Last year, the night before the Eagles were to face the Rams in Los Angeles, he sat at dinner waiting for dessert.
"They had cheesecake, but it wasn't coming out and I was kind of freaking out," Elliott said. "Made sure they got it done."
Elliott didn't disagree with the notion that he's superstitious. Most Eagles players don't use that characterization when talking about their pre-game customs. In most cases, they are performing acts that help prepare them mentally and physically to play at the highest level of a violent sport.
They eat certain foods, wear certain gear, treat their bodies and warm up a certain way, and pray, meditate, and visualize in a certain manner. After a while, it becomes a professional routine.
"I've just calculated this is the best way to do everything on game day," guard Stefen Wisniewski said. "I've played so many games in my life, and just like the fact that I know exactly what I'm going to do gives me nothing to think about.
"I don't want to wake up on game time, and be like, 'Oh, what time should I wake up? What time should I eat? What should I listen to?' I don't want to have to make big decisions on game time."
Wisniewksi, now in his eighth NFL season, said that he eats the same meals, listen to the same music, and warms up the same way every week. For early games, he eats eggs, wheat toast, and blueberries. For late games, it's steak and pasta. And contemporary Christian singers such as David Crowder and Shy Lyn are always playing through his headphones.
Linebacker Nate Gerry suits up in the same order every week. Left sock first, followed by right sock, left shoe, right shoe and all the way up to his helmet.
"It's a mental thing," Gerry said. "I don't feel as prepared. I'm out of my comfort zone if I'm rushing and I might miss something. It mentally gets in my head."
Like Elliott, Gerry admits that he's superstitious. Both are second-year players, though. A poll of most of Eagles, found that the younger players generally copped to irrational activity more than the older ones.
"If you play long enough, you change your superstitions enough to realize, like, they don't work," defensive end Chris Long said. "For a superstition to work it has to work."
The 33-year-old Long does have some habits that change on a yearly basis. He's been wearing a Johnny Cash T-shirt this season. Last year, it was the Grateful Dead.
"The ju-ju wears off after a little while," Long said. "I feel like you got to switch it up."
He's been having vanilla ice cream the night before games. Last year, it was chocolate. Maybe he should have stuck to chocolate since the Eagles won more games a year ago.
"It's not superstition," Long said. "I just like ice cream."
