10 greatest Philadelphia Eagles of all time

7. MLB Bill Bergey

He began his career with Hall of Fame head coach Paul Brown and the Cincinnati Bengals. But he eventually made his way to the City of Brotherly Love via trade. Middle linebacker Bill Bergey was a huge part for the final seven seasons of his 12-year NFL career. It was there he really blossomed as a defender and he and the team certainly benefitted from the arrival of a new head coach in 1976.

“Dick Vermeil instilled the discipline that was so obviously lacking by the Eagles’ players…,” said Bergey in an interview with Ken Crippen of the National Football Post. “It was the simple stuff, like you don’t take a knee on the field unless you are told to take a knee. You keep your chinstrap buckled all the time. We will have a water break when we want to give you a water break.”

With Cincinnati, Bergey earned a Pro Bowl invitation as a rookie in 1969. With the Eagles, he reached that all-star game five consecutive years from 1974-78 and was named All-Pro in 1974 and ’75. He certainly had a nose for the football and in just his seven seasons with the Birds, there were 18 interceptions and 15 fumbles recoveries. His final NFL season was in 1980, when the Eagles reached the Super Bowl (XV) for the first time.