Ed Stefanski likes to say he has spent his whole life "rooting for the helmet." He bleeds Eagles green. The same way he bleeds for the Phillies and the Flyers, not to mention the 76ers, for whom he is the current president/general manager.
Stefanski and his family are Philly-born and -bred. There is no question where their pro allegiances rest.
Except, maybe a little . . .
Such as when the Eagles are playing the Minnesota Vikings.
Such as when Kevin Stefanski, Ed's 26-year-old son, is a special assistant to Vikings head coach Brad Childress.
That, of course, is the way things will be Sunday when the Eagles meet the Vikings in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
Split allegiances?
"With me personally, none," Ed said in a telephone conversation, taking a break from a scouting mission. "I'm a huge Eagles fan, but blood comes first."
Ed said he began last Sunday going through the scenarios by which the Eagles, on the final day of the regular season, could qualify for the postseason.
"I'm dying for Tampa Bay to lose, for Chicago to lose, and then the Eagles go out and smash the Dallas Cowboys," Ed said. "I kept saying I didn't care who they played next, as long as they got in."
And then, he said, "I cared a little bit."
Kevin, a former Penn captain as a defensive back, worked a season as assistant director of Football operations for the Quakers, then interned for the Eagles when Childress was an assistant coach.
"Then Brad got the Vikings job," Ed recalled. "It was a Thursday night when Kevin got a call. He said, 'You won't believe who just called and what he offered.' I said, 'Are you taking the job?' He said, 'Of course.' "
This, then, will be a doubly emotional Sunday for Ed Stefanski.
"I'm a father, and Kevin's very sharp, has a good Football mind," Ed said. "What's happening for him is terrific."
But, remember . . .
"I've rooted for the Eagles helmet my whole life," Ed said. "Minnesota's a tough one, but if Brian Westbrook is healthy, the Eagles are awfully good." *
