Deep Dive: New ESPN Documentary ‘The Philly Special’ Revives Super Bowl LII Glory with Rivalry Jabs and Beer Conspiracies
ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 installment, “The Philly Special,” premieres February 6, offering a comprehensive and nostalgia-fueled look at the single most famous play in Philadelphia Eagles history. Directed by Shannon Furman and Angela Zender, the documentary reunites the key figures of the audacious trick play—Nick Foles, Trey Burton, Corey Clement, Jason Kelce, and Doug Pederson—to break down the moment that helped topple the New England Patriots dynasty in Super Bowl LII. Beyond the X’s and O’s, the film serves as a cultural capsule of the 2017 season, highlighted by unvarnished shots at Tom Brady, digs at the Dallas Cowboys, and a bizarre conspiracy theory involving a popular beer ad campaign.
The “Philly Special” and the Brady Contrast
At the heart of the documentary is the play itself: a fourth-and-goal gamble just before halftime where backup quarterback Nick Foles caught a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton. However, the film uses this moment to twist the knife into Patriots legend Tom Brady. The documentary juxtaposes Foles’ athletic catch with a play that occurred earlier in the same game, where Brady famously dropped a pass from Danny Amendola.
The contrast is presented not just as a difference in execution, but as a symbolic shifting of the tides. Players and fans interviewed in the film relish the irony, with the “Brady drop” serving as the perfect foil to the “Foles catch.” This narrative choice reinforces the “underdog vs. dynasty” theme that defined the Eagles’ 2017 playoff run, casting Brady’s mistake as the crack in the armor that allowed Philadelphia to claim its first Super Bowl title.
The “Dilly Dilly” Conspiracy Theory
One of the more unusual segments of the documentary delves into a “conspiracy theory” surrounding the play-call’s name. In the huddle, Foles famously asked Pederson, “You want Philly Philly?”—a phrase that became instant folklore. The documentary explores the uncanny timing between this call and Bud Light’s massive “Dilly Dilly” advertising campaign, which was saturating NFL broadcasts during the 2017 season.
The film highlights fan theories and player perspectives questioning whether the synergy between “Philly Philly” and “Dilly Dilly” was a cosmic coincidence or something more scripted. The segment connects this linguistic overlap to offensive lineman Lane Johnson’s famous promise of “beer for everyone” if the team won, a pledge Bud Light eventually honored. While likely a case of life imitating advertising (or vice versa), the documentary presents the “Bud Light conspiracy” as a peculiar subplot that fueled the city’s party atmosphere.
Rivalry Renewed: Shots at the Cowboys
Despite the documentary focusing on a game against the Patriots, the Dallas Cowboys are not spared. The film captures the raw sentiment of the Eagles’ fan base, ensuring that the team’s NFC East rivals catch strays even in a story about the Super Bowl. Through interviews with players like Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, the disdain for “America’s Team” is framed as a necessary fuel for the squad’s “us against the world” mentality. The inclusion of these jabs serves to ground the high-stakes Super Bowl narrative in the gritty, week-to-week reality of Philadelphia sports culture.
Critical Perspective: Living in the Past?
While the documentary is a celebration for Philadelphia faithful, objective viewers might question the necessity of reliving a single play from 2018 in such granular detail. Critics may argue that the focus on “Philly Philly” glosses over the broader context of the game—which was a record-breaking offensive shootout—or that the “conspiracy theory” angle is merely a way to stretch the runtime with marketing fluff. Furthermore, with the Eagles facing new challenges in the current NFL landscape, the intense focus on a victory nearly a decade old could be seen as a distraction from the team’s current trajectory. However, for a fanbase that waited 57 years for a championship, the chance to see Tom Brady drop that pass one more time is likely worth the price of admission.
patch.com
