SCOTTSDALE -- Ndamukong Suh didn't want to play for anyone, not at a stage in his career where playing for championships matter. Suh has been in the league for over a decade, staring down Father Time at 36 years old with his best days in the league behind him.
Suh is still a good player, yet didn't want to waste his talent on a team that wasn't going to contend. He knew what he wanted from his next team, even if he had to wait until that team -- the Philadelphia Eagles -- reached out.
He scoped the terrain -- and Philadelphia was the right fit. The Eagles were the team that was Suh's best chance to go to the Super Bowl for the third time in five years, and he was right.
The Eagles have 49 sacks in the 10 games since Suh arrived. More than just a coincidence.
"It was just an opportunity to come in and add value, be a part of the defensive line that was already good," Suh said earlier this week. "Helping them get to great and get to elite."
The Eagles signed Suh and Linval Joseph just one day apart after the Washington Commanders handed them their first loss of the year. General manager Howie Roseman didn't mess around in adding proven veterans with Super Bowl titles on a defensive line that was already very good.
Philadelphia needed some help stopping the run. The Eagles got that with Suh and Joseph -- and a ridiculously good pass rush.
"I just think we're trying to do the best we can do," Joseph said. "We understand our role and we want to go out and help the team win, inspire the young guys. We wanted to keep everybody together -- and I feel like we did that."
Robert Quinn can't be omitted from the mix, even if he's only played eight games with the Eagles since being acquired in late October. Quinn has been battling a foot injury and hasn't been as productive as he'd like, yet he's far from enjoying the ride.
His first Super Bowl is right in front of him.
"We're just doing our role and obviously we wanna produce and have our own crazy numbers too, but we're winning," Quinn said. "It's hard to complain. Those guys are balling out. For what's going on with this team, I'm happy to help."
Does Quinn feel his presence is helping the locker room? The results are transparent.
"I guess when we give out coaching points, they'll believe us a bit more," Quinn said of being one of the veterans on the team. "That's the main thing, right? If we give our two cents, they put in their pocket because we've been doing this for a while."
Getting to the Super Bowl is difficult. Suh makes it look easy being there three times in the last five years, but Joseph hasn't been to the big game since the 2011 season -- part of that nine-win New York Giants team that allowed more points than they scored.
Joseph is making sure his veteran words of wisdom roam to the young guys in that locker room.
"It's nice to have those old guys that are vocal, that wanna talk about things, to be better at their craft," Joseph said. "We talk about the path all the time. What did it take to get here? We didn't come this far to mess it all up.
"You gotta stay involved, you gonna stay in tune. It's all about paying attention to small details."
The Eagles brought in Suh, Joseph and Quinn for this week. Their impact may be significant, or each will play a small role in the franchise hoisting its second Vince Lombardi Trophy in six years. They aren't going to allow this opportunity to go to waste.
"It's been a long time coming," Quinn said. "It would be nice to win a Super Bowl this long into my career. It's a great feeling to reach it, but the goal is not finished. Come Sunday, hopefully we have that better feeling."
"To get everything we want," Joseph said. "We got one more game to go."
