The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Chicago Bears 24-15 on Black Friday, five days after they had lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-21.
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith practiced once between the losses, with the NFL team’s injury report listing shoulder, chest and illness as the former Alabama All-American’s issues.
So after the Nov. 28 setback against Chicago, Smith went home and used the extra days off to – make fruit juice.
“So, you know, it’s interesting,” Smith told reporters in the Eagles’ locker room when asked how he used his mini-bye. “I bought me a juicer, and I’ve been squeezing oranges, apples, and pineapples for the past four days. And let me tell you something, it’s amazing. The best orange and apple juice I’ve ever had was when I squeezed my own. So, you know, that’s what I’ve been doing since the Black Friday game — squeezing fruit.”
Smith answered “maybe” when asked if the juicer had anything to do with him feeling better this week.
“I do it by myself,” Smith said. “Somebody told me to get the automatic, but I was like doing it myself make me feel like I’m actually doing something instead of just putting it in the automatic. …
“I was on Tik Tok, and I can’t remember the guy’s name, but he had one, and I just went and ordered the one he had, and I was like, ‘Oh, this this nice right here.’”
Smith said his favorite product has been apple juice, but he’d learned a hard truth.
“You got to buy like a hundred apples just to fill up a jar,” Smith said. “But it’s worth it.”
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Smith returns to his real job on Monday, when Philadelphia tries to get back on track against the Los Angeles Chargers. Each team has an 8-4 record. That’s good for a two-game lead in the NFC East for the Eagles while the Chargers trail the Denver Broncos by 2.5 games in the AFC West.
“We just have to go out there and take care of our business,” Smith said. “You know, stop the little things, shooting ourselves in the foot, things like that, and just go out there and execute. That’s the biggest thing.”
Philadelphia and Los Angeles square off at 7:15 p.m. CST Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
The game also will have an animated alternate telecast on ESPN2 and Disney+ with the Eagles and Chargers entering Monstropolis and the world of the animated movie “Monsters Inc.”
But Philadelphia doesn’t scare easy, Smith said, about the sky-is-falling pessimism generated by the Eagles’ back-to-back losses.
“Ain’t no panicking here,” Smith said. “No overreacting here. That’s all outside.”
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