Proving doubters wrong, Britain Covey still doesn't care what you think of him

Proving doubters wrong, Britain Covey still doesn't care what you think of him originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

At some point, even the Britain Covey detractors are going to have to admit it.

He’s a pretty darn good punt returner.

And the second-year UDFA out of Utah proved it again on Monday night against the Buccaneers. He returned 3 punts for 81 yards and had a career-long of 52 in the first quarter that set up a field goal to get the Eagles on the board.

While Covey is acutely aware there’s a faction of the Eagles fanbase that hasn’t trusted him much in his young NFL career, he tries really hard to not pay it any mind. He’s not even concerned about winning them over.

“You can’t put your mind there,” Covey said. “It’s difficult. I think the Philly saying is, ‘No one likes us, we don’t care.’ Maybe my saying is, ‘No one likes me, I don’t care.’ You can’t put your mind into that. Even if I play great over the next however many times, at some point, people won’t like me again. You can’t put your mind into that.

“You trust what your teammates say about you, what your coaches say about you, what they know about you, and what you know about yourself. So I’ve never doubted or wavered and I never will, regardless of what happens in the next few weeks.

“It’s kind of like, as cheesy as it is, that Rocky quote. It’s not how hard you hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. I think a lot of times, that’s all Philly wants to see, is how much can you take and keep going forward. I know people have kind of made fun of me for getting absolutely destroyed out there a few times but you’ll never see me stop. Just keep going forward, keep learning, keep improving.”

But even all those folks who have been clamoring for the Eagles to replace Covey — it’s not like it’s all Eagles fans — are probably starting to see that he’s exactly who the Eagles want at the position. Sure, that muffed return in Week 2 wasn’t good but the numbers speak for themselves.

Through three games, Covey has returned six punts for 113 yards and his 18.8 average is tied for second-best in the NFL. But what makes it even more impressive is that his long is just 52 yards, so he’s actually been more consistent than the other two players in the top three.

Rashid Shaheed (Saints): 24.5 (4/98, 1 TD) Long of 76

Charlie Jones (Bengals): 18.8 (8/150, 1 TD) Long of 81

Britain Covey (Eagles): 18.8 (6/113) Long of 52

And Covey’s success pre-dates the beginning of this season:

“We know we have maybe a hidden gem that not everybody always fully appreciates. We sure do,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “He is a locker room favorite here. These guys love Britain Covey because he's tough, he works his butt off, great personality. So, yes, the 50-whatever-yard return got the sideline excited, but it's the connection that our players have and our coaches have to Britain Covey the person, that even made that maybe look a little bit even more uptick.

“He put one on the ground last week which he was upset about, so it was a great redemption there. I'm so glad he's our punt returner. Man, he is a great, great punt returner. You saw that in college. And he's a great teammate. Man, I can't say enough good things about the player and about the person.”

After Covey’s big return on Monday night, it was clear just how happy his teammates were for him.

Covey was absolutely mobbed on the sideline.

“It feels good,” Covey said. “I think I’m like the goofy little brother on the team in a way. I’m kind of the comic relief.”

Covey, 26, takes his role on the Eagles seriously and it goes beyond his on-field contributions. He has offered his goofy brand of comic relief in the receiver room since he arrived as an undrafted rookie last season. And Covey joked that even though he’s just 5-foot-8, he always lends a shoulder to lean on. He’s been an important piece in the receiver room ecosystem.

Sirianni on Wednesday called Covey a great punt returner and a great teammate. When asked which one means more to him, Covey chose the latter.

“Because people underestimate how impactful great teammates can be,” he explained. “Sometimes I view it as my job to keep A.J. and Smitty and Quez’s confidence high on the sideline. Even things like that, that’s kind of what you want to do. You just want to be an energy-giver.”

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