As if it wasn't enough, the Eagles were getting more than a four-time Pro Bowl tight end when they traded with Detroit for Jimmie Giles in 1987. They were also adding a proven team leader to their roster.
"I was with the Lions and I was just fed up with pettiness. They really weren't doing anything to win and I was in my 10th year," says Giles, who had also played for Tampa Bay and Houston. "I was tired. I knew that I didn't want to play for them anymore, so I actually had left and came back to Tampa. I was just absolutely excited when I heard that I was going to be playing for Buddy Ryan."
Ryan, Philadelphia's second-year head coach after eight seasons as Chicago's defensive coordinator, was excited too.
"Buddy called and said, 'I just traded for you. And all I want you to do is play for me like you used to play against me,'" Giles says. "And I remember what I said, 'Coach, you will never have any issues with me because that's all I ever wanted to do. Play for somebody that's going to respect me for my talent and reward me for the play that I put on the field.'
"Up until that point, I had never spoken to Buddy Ryan. I'd heard a lot about him from players like (Eagles defensive tackle) Jerome Brown because Jerome lived in the Tampa area and we used to go to the same park to train sometimes. He said, 'Man, Buddy Ryan loves some Jimmie Giles.'"
The following season, Giles added the title of mentor to his résumé when the Eagles drafted Oklahoma tight end Keith Jackson in the first round.
"Buddy Ryan, before he drafted him, he called and said, 'I'm thinking about drafting this kid, Keith Jackson. I want you to teach him how to play football.' Those were his exact words. And I said, 'Coach, I'm here for you and the Philadelphia Eagles. Whatever you want me to do.' And actually, that's what I did. I would coach Keith," Giles says.
"It was a different era, a different breed of players. Keith, he would catch a 5-yard pass and jump up and down and be so excited. And I would just go over there and grab him and say, 'Keith, what have you done? That's your job, to catch a ball. When you score a touchdown to win a game, that's when you get all excited. Stay calm. Keep your composure. Conserve that energy because you're going to need it for four quarters.' I saw him mature."
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Where are they now? TE Jimmie Giles - PhiladelphiaEagles.com
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