For the last two months, Eric Weddle stayed on an intense training regimen designed to get him ready for a Super Bowl run.
He went from playing in the NFL at 36 years old and not being able to bench press more than 185 pounds, now he can do 200lbs. His diet is also drastically different with lots of lean proteins like quinoa and various other plant-based foods. He even had his wife make sure that there were no added sugars or preservatives in any food product they brought home from Costco.
Eric Weddle is a safety for the Los Angeles Rams. He has been playing football since he was young and has had to stay in prime shape to prepare him for an impromptu Super Bowl run.
In 2019, Eric Weddle announced his retirement from the NFL. While he relished the time away from football, he never forgot how much he loved it. The 37-year-old defensive back will now play in the 2022 Super Bowl for the Los Angeles Rams versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
It’s no easy achievement to return to the football after a two-year hiatus, particularly during the NFL playoffs. Weddle, on the other hand, employed one of his favorite activities to keep in shape in case he was called upon by a team.
Before joining the Rams, Eric Weddle used to play pickup basketball.
Safety with the Los Angeles Rams Eric Weddle celebrates his team’s victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL playoffs’ Divisional Round | Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox
Eric Weddle finished his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams. Many people were surprised when head coach Sean McVay and his staff brought the six-time Pro Bowl selection out of retirement.
Weddle was thrown into the fire by LA, but he hasn’t showed any signs of rust throughout the playoffs. Even though he wasn’t playing football for a job anymore, the Fontana, California native made sure he kept in shape.
NBC San Diego reports that during his retirement, Weddle played pickup basketball on a daily basis. Outside his house, the Rams safety has a full-length basketball court where he often welcomes a bunch of his friends to play against one other.
“I used to play five-on-five once or twice a week,” Weddle added. “I’m a huge basketball fan.”
According to Weddle’s buddies, the Rams defensive back gives them a run for their money on a regular basis.
Grant Sawyer claimed, “He was out here murdering us.” Brett Durham stated that Eric Weddle’s professional football experience helped him on the basketball floor. Durham said, “There’s a reason he’s a paid professional athlete.” “There’s a significant difference between him and the rest of us out here.”
Weddle couldn’t have predicted that he’d still playing football in 2021. He’ll now be vying for the Lombardi Trophy.
The retired safety met a vital demand for the city of Los Angeles.
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At the close of the regular season, the Los Angeles Rams found themselves in a difficult situation. For the most of the 2021 season, the defense was healthy, but the injury bug struck at the worst possible moment.
Taylor Rapp and Jordan Fuller, LA’s starting safeties, were injured in the team’s Week 18 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
Since the season finale, Rapp has been in concussion protocol. According to NFL.com, the Washington product has returned to practice after missing the playoffs. Fuller’s ankle injury, on the other hand, ended his season. It was a huge blow to lose the second-year defensive back. Fuller was the defensive signal-caller for the Rams and a captain. During the regular season, the former Ohio State star led the club in tackles.
General manager Les Snead went to a familiar figure — Eric Weddle — to fill a significant vacancy in the defensive backfield.
As the injuries mounted, LA got desperate. Fortunately, the former safety officer was ready to assist.
The Rams gradually reintroduced the veteran, but his importance has grown during the playoffs. Weddle has 13 tackles and one tackle for loss in three postseason games. He’s no longer a Pro Bowl-caliber player, but he did enough to help Los Angeles reach the Super Bowl.
Why does Weddle deserve to play in the Super Bowl?
Near the conclusion of his career with the Chargers, Eric Weddle sought guidance from Kobe Bryant.
“Make them pay in the most inhumane manner conceivable.”
The Chargers’ front office was referred to as ‘them.’
H/T to @SDUTKrasovic for this exchange. pic.twitter.com/BG7hb4zX3n
— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) February 8, 2022
Eric Weddle played 13 seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2019. The Utah native played his first nine seasons with the San Diego Chargers, followed by three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and a final season with the Rams.
Weddle will make his first Super Bowl debut in Super Bowl 56, and the road to get there wasn’t easy.
Weddle felt underappreciated by the Chargers’ executive office after devoting his blood, sweat, and tears to the team. During his time in San Diego, he was named to three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. He was one of the NFL’s most reliable safeties. Despite this, the Chargers considered him expendable.
Weddle recently remembered Kobe Bryant’s words of encouragement to him when the safety departed for free agency.
Bryant urged Weddle, “Make them pay in the most heinous manner imaginable.”
He has a chance to achieve exactly that by assisting the Rams in winning the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, the same venue where the Chargers play.
Eric Weddle had no idea his career would turn out this way, but he’s earned the right to savor this moment. Those pick-up basketball games have unquestionably paid off.
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READ MORE: Rams Safety Eric Weddle Talked About His Surprising Comeback After 2 Years Off: ‘Isn’t it true that I’m the best option you can think of?’
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