Patriot through and through

Being a South Philadelphia native, Kyle Eckel, like other diehard Eagles fans, rooted for the Birds to beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. Like the rest of the Delaware Valley, he was heartbroken when the Patriots won, 24-21.

If the two meet again in Super Bowl XL, the 23-year-old Eckel, originally from 17th Street and Packer Avenue, will have a tough time cheering for the same team. It has nothing to do with bitterness or the off-season antics of Terrell Owens, but simply because the 5-foot-11, 244-pound rookie fullback hopes to be wearing number 39 for the Patriots. The 2005 Naval Academy grad signed a free agent contract with the defending Super Bowl champs April 29 and has seen action in all three preseason games.

"That would be funny," Eckel said during a phone interview from Foxboro, Mass., of the potential Super Bowl match-up. "I always liked the Eagles being from Philly, but I am not too concerned about it."

This week, making the Patriots 53-man roster is the only thing on Eckel’s mind. It’s his chance to fulfill a childhood dream of playing in the NFL and possibly winning a Super Bowl. His final preseason tryout takes place tonight at Gillette Stadium against the New York Giants. Teams will finalize their rosters Sunday. The fullback is doing his part to make a lasting impression on the coaching staff.

"The coaches are telling us to just play consistent and play hard and the rest will fall where it falls," he said.

In three preseason games, Eckel has carried the ball 10 times for 46 yards and scored two touchdowns. The majority of those yards were in last week’s 27-3 win over the Green Bay Packers. In that game, Eckel carried the ball four times for 33 yards, which included a 17-yard run.

"When you are standing on the sidelines waiting for the personal signal to go in the game, it’s a little nerve wracking," said Eckel, the only Navy grad currently on an NFL roster. "As soon as the whistle blows and the ball is snapped you get right into football mode."

LIKE OTHER NAVY grads, economics major Eckel is required to make a five-year military-service commitment. The athlete is temporarily stationed in Newport, R.I., so he can pursue his NFL dreams. Eckel said he isn’t sure how his service commitment will pan out if he makes the final cut, but added it’s a huge honor to represent the Naval Academy in the NFL as few graduates get the chance.

"It has really kept me going being that my teammates didn’t get an opportunity," said Eckel, who attended Holy Spirit School and played football for the St. Monica Catholic Youth Organization.

In four seasons at Navy, Eckel tallied 13, 100-yard rushing games, fourth most in the school’s history. The midshipman also graduated as just the third player to rush for more than 1,000 yards twice. Eckel was named MVP of the Army-Navy game his junior and senior seasons.

Prior to Navy, Eckel, who moved to Haverford as an eighth-grader, was a three-year letter-winner at Episcopal Academy and earned First Team All-City honors as a senior.

Prior to the 2005 NFL Draft, Eckel was rated as the second best fullback in the country by The Sporting News and the top NFL fullback in the country by draftboardinsider.com.

When the 32 NFL teams passed, Eckel became a free agent, allowing him to sign with the squad of his choice. After talking with head coach Bill Belichick, Eckel said the Patriots seemed like they were the best fit because they did not have a true fullback on their roster.

He said the NFL experience has been exciting.

"It’s eye-opening when you first get here because you don’t believe how hard the players work," he said. "Practices are intense in [the] beginning of the week, just like college. They are high tempo and physically grueling.

"You have to [be] willing to put in the time and take the coaching that goes along with it."

Eckel doesn’t have to wait much longer to see how his NFL destiny unfolds. Tonight, he’ll get a chance to shine following last week’s strong performance and he is doing everything he can to make an impact.

"I’ve been working hard and whether I make the club or not, it’s not going to be from a lack of effort," he said. "Hopefully, the team will see that I can contribute in a bunch of ways."