PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Huff had an out when asked about his rough first game in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform. He chose not to take it.
The field in Sao Paulo wasn't ideal for professional football. Mekhi Becton and Avonte Maddox both called the field "terrible," as the conditions weren't favorable for defensive linemen. Owning up to a performance in which he finished with no pressures and a 0.0% pressure rate while playing just 45% of the snaps, Huff took the high road.
"It's unfortunate how that kind of played out for the rush and stuff," Huff said. "But it is what it is."
Huff was one of many defensive linemen on the Eagles who struggled in Week 1 because of the field conditions, yet his performance is under the microscope. Signed to a three-year, $51 million deal this offseason, the Eagles essentially signed Huff as a replacement for Hasson Reddick when they traded Reddick to the New York Jets.
Reddick had 27 sacks in two seasons with Philadelphia, but the Eagles decided to move on from the 29-year-old Reddick and a hefty new contract in favor of the 26-year-old Huff. The team's highest-paid pass rusher didn't show up on the stat sheet in any of the significant pass-rushing categories.
"I feel like I did a good job getting off the ball," Huff said. "I feel like I was able to get off the ball and beat my guys to the point. But then when it came to actually planting that foot and bending the edges is where we came into some adversity."
No excuses for Huff, who hasn't looked like the player the Eagles thought they signed thus far. The struggles from training camp carried on into the regular season, which is why Huff wants to turn the page when he actually plays a home game with the Eagles.
"I've been ready to get out there for a while now, just training camp and all summer, just thinking about that first time in the Linc so I'm excited to go in there and show what I can do," Huff said. "You don't want to make excuses, you want to promise to continue to get better and regardless of how the other field conditions (are).
"Just find a way to get the the QB."
Just one sack can change that narrative.
