Super Bowl backups embracing championship mentality despite limited roles
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former Clemson running back Will Shipley was the first player in ACC history named first-team all-conference in three categories — at running back, specialist and all-purpose. Now he backs up Saquon Barkley and Kenneth Gainwell for Philadelphia.
It may be the Super Bowl, but Shipley likely won’t see the field much on offense. Still, like other backups and role players, he’s taking it in stride.
“It’d be a travesty if I was in the wrong perspective and didn’t learn as much from them as I could,” Shipley said.
He’s received less than 5% of the Eagles’ total carries this season, but Shipley has shined on special teams, including a forced fumble in the NFC championship. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith said it’s where Shipley’s made the biggest impact.
“I’m going to prepare like the starter, but also understanding I’m not sure when that opportunity is going to come,” Shipley said. Starters have “got so much experience and they’ve got so much knowledge that they’re willing to share.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts praised Shipley and the reserves who don’t receive “alpha roles.” Hurts said Shipley brought an “eagerness in the offseason to work,” and his effort caught the attention of Barkley, who said “the most impressive thing for me is just how locked in he is as a rookie, coming in, asking questions and how smart he is.”
Head coach Nick Sirianni recognized that players like Shipley and wide receiver Jahan Dotson can make a difference in a Super Bowl, and said “one of the major truths of football is you can’t be great without the greatness of others.”
Though he holds the title of starter, Dotson is another player who has gone under the radar, overshadowed by a star-studded offense. Though he was a highly touted recruit and first-round pick out of Penn State, Dotson’s production has dropped throughout his professional career with Washington and now Philadelphia. He echoed Shipley’s mantra and said he prepares as if he holds the role of fellow standout wide receivers A.J. Brown and Smith.
“I feel like this year I’ve had to embody that more than any year I’ve ever played football,” Dotson said. “I don’t see the type of targets that obviously other guys see, so I got to prepare as if I’m going to see those so when my opportunity comes I can make the most of it.”
Fellow Penn State alumnus Hunter Nourzad was another All-Big Ten starter in college who now takes a backseat to three-time All-Pro center Creed Humphrey on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Nourzad has appeared on special teams in all 19 games this year between the regular season and playoffs, with all 31 of his offensive snaps coming in Week 18. He established his routine under Nittany Lions offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and said he has adapted it in the NFL.
“It’s really about embracing your role,” Nourzad said. “Everybody has a set role on the team and we all embrace it, whatever you may be, and really embodying it as much as possible and taking pride in it.
“Literally any little thing that I can do to make the team .001% better, I’ll take every opportunity I can to help us win.”
While Chiefs’ star tight end Travis Kelce draws the lion’s share of attention, backup Noah Gray has been productive in a limited role. The 2021 fifth rounder totaled 437 receiving yards and five touchdowns during the regular season but has just 13 receiving yards in the playoffs to Kelce’s 136.
Despite a lack of recognition, Gray is amid a career year and is eyeing a third consecutive championship. For him, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy is the only thing that matters.
And you never know. Relatively few fans had heard of David Tyree when he made a critical catch when the Giants upset the Patriots in the 2008 edition of the Super Bowl.
“I just worry about wins and losses and (I’m) fortunate to be here playing in the Super Bowl,” Gray said. “So this is all that matters, and really excited about playing a great Philadelphia Eagles team.”
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Joel Haas and Tyler Millen are students in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.