Lifelong fan finally set for NFL debut

On draft day, Vinny Curry didn’t want to let the TV cameras inside his boyhood home. He was embarrassed at what they might discover, namely all the Eagles’ memorabilia and posters that lavished the doors and walls in his room.

Growing up in nearby Neptune, N.J., Curry was born and raised an Eagles fan. He lived and died with the Birds, and hoped that one day he might get the chance to represent them on the field. Well, seven months after getting that draft-day phone call from Andy Reid, Curry is set to make his Eagles debut.

While Reid hasn’t made it official, Curry confirmed that defensive line coach Jim Washburn told him he’d be playing tonight vs. Carolina.

“Let’s go! I can’t wait, that’s basically what it is,” Curry said. “I’m not going to approach it like anything special. I’m going to continue to get better, doing what I’ve been doing, going out early and being the best teammate I can be, and compete.”

Curry anticipates some nerves, but once that all subsides he’s hoping he can make an immediate impact for a defensive line struggling with its pass-rush.

“I’m very hungry,” he said. “I just want to show everybody what I can do and what I can bring, and add to our d-line.”

Curry hasn’t been informed how many snaps he’ll see. That’s one of the reasons he didn’t tell a lot of people about his first NFL game. Curry didn’t even tell his family right away.

“They’ll be watching from TV. I didn’t really tell anyone, just trying to get this monkey off my back,” Curry said.