INTERVIEW: PHLSportsNation w/ TouchdownWire Contributor, MARK SCHOFIELD

Following the firing of head coach Doug Pederson and the trade of quarterback Carson Wentz, it was evident that the Philadelphia Eagles were in line for a rebuild.

A rebuild unlike the most recent that saw the team make one the greatest ‘worst to first’ jumps in the history of the NFL, as Philadelphia rode a massive wave of momentum to the first Super Bowl in franchise history.

This rebuild, however, is expected to be much different; much more patient, much more calculated, and most importantly much more collaborative. The selection of the coaching staff seemed to be quite methodical as the team interviewed ten head coaching candidates over the span of ten days until Roseman and Lurie landed on what they project to be the best candidate. The candidate that they believe will lead Philadelphia back to the promised land and many years of success. Where few fans and media outlets will immediately point to the unconventional enthusiasm Sirianni brings to the job, proclaiming how ‘this excitement better translate to immediate success, of else.’ That narrative is best kept for your most recent social media outburst or 94 WIP phone call.

Instead, the Eagles brass has come to the conclusion of my favorite quote of all time; “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

In fact, it took approximately 1,010,450 days in order to build the legendary phenomenon it has become today.

During the time of the rise of the Roman Empire, there was one particular name that would soon begin to ring bells for possibly an eternity. One, Gaius Julius Cesar was born on either July 12 or 13, 100 B.C. as the son of Roman regional governor Gaius and mother Aurelia Cesar, who were part of the patrician class of the Roman Republic. Influenced by his uncle Gaius Marius who was a legendary Roman general and politician who became famous for many of his war victories and charismatic personality. Not too long following the death of his father after Cesar married, he chose to join the army fighting along with his Roman comrades in Turkey and received what is known as the civic crown; a garland of oak leaves granted by the Senate to someone whom they considered saved lives of fellow Roman citizens in battle. Though in 78 B.C. when Cesar returned to his homeland of Rome, he discovered that his family property and much of his inheritance had been confiscated by the Sulla government (former rival of his uncle upset about his marriage to his daughter, who died suddenly recently).

In order to rebuild his family name, Cesar used his prominent voice and oratory skills to pursue a career in politics himself. At this time he temporarily relocated to Rhodes to study philosophy, however at some point during his voyage while he was traveling through the Aegean Sea his ship was attacked by a group of pirates. During the attack, many were killed and those from wealthy families were extorted for large sums of money. Once the attackers attempted to assault Cesar and demand ransom from his family, the legendary figure being the prideful man he was, boasted that they should demand even more money for his life because when he was set free he would just find them and make them pay for their actions. This is exactly what he did once he was released, recruiting a group of sailors and warriors forming a modified naval alliance that dominated the seas en route to further enhancing his vastly growing status.

However, it was here where the argument can be made that Cesar’s want for dominance was born. Following another successful army stint, Cesar spent some time in Spain as a high-ranking Roman official where he saw a statue of Alexander the Great. This soon became his great influence, to say the least to the point where he thought it would be good to make a run as the Pontifex Maximus (Roman’s highest-ranking priest). With his influence was quickly growing in Rome, Cesar chose to align himself with some of the best assets Rome had to offer including the richest man in Rome; Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompey Magnus, another powerful and feared political leader. Thus allowing himself all the funds and influence needed to obtain multiple high-ranking roles, including the Consul which basically gave him full immunity for Roman rules. When alliances started to become unsure of the in-placed deals, Cesar ever helped orchestrate what became known as the First Triumvirate — which was a triangular partnership that saw Crassus help establish trade routes, Pompey supply soldiers, and Cesar commanding the military units out at war. A deal that saw the three most powerful men in Rome working together, all put together by the savvy, and collective Roman.

There is so much more to this story but listening to Julius Cesar and his role and helping build the Roman Empire sounds like a certain somebody dawning the midnight green. A figure who arguably overachieved for most of his rise to fame. Took the time to use his motivation as his lasting drive, and use the resources around himself to help propel to prominence. You marvel until you sit back and realize that you’re dealing with a prospect who is 38-4 in his career and has slowly but surely built himself into a force to be reckoned with based on his alliances and self-development. Let’s just view Crassus as Nick Saban; the man with arguably the most power and influence in the country with an endless supply of funds (recruits) to keep the business flowing and Pompey as Lincoln Riley; the man whose success at a young age helped launch him to dominance and bring respect to his name. Both of them played a major role in how both Jalen Hurts and Julius Cesar rose to power.