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Eagles in Awe of the Tom Brady Age Game

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Tom Brady won his first championship on Feb. 3, 2002. On that day, Brady was exactly 24½ years old. He led the Patriots to a 20-17 win over the Greatest Show on Turf. 

That was 16 years ago. 

There's just one player on the current Eagles roster who was old enough to have a legal drink that day: Donnie Jones. 

"I did not know that," said Jones, shaking his head. "That was a long time ago. How old was I? I was 21. Wow. 

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"I was probably having a drink watching him."

For many Eagles players, thinking about how long ago it's been since Brady won his first Super Bowl and thinking about how long the G.O.A.T. has been able to play at this high of a level is pretty mind-boggling. 

Jones was 21 years, 6 months and 29 days old for Brady's first Super Bowl. 

Brent Celek, the Eagles' longest-tenured player, was 17 and just a few months shy of graduating high school. 

Veteran leader Malcolm Jenkins was a 14-year-old freshman in high school. Brandon Graham was 13 and was on the B team in Little League. Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox had just turned 11. Jordan Hicks was 9. 

Derek Barnett and Sidney Jones, who are now 21, were 5 years old back on that day. 

"I guess when you really do think about it, it is crazy," said Barnett, who is the youngest player on the Eagles' roster by about a month. "I don't try to look at it like that. When we're on the field, we're on the field. We're both football players."

Brady, at 40 years old, is the oldest player on either of the two teams. When he takes the field on Sunday, he'll become the oldest quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl, taking over another one of Peyton Manning's records. 

Over the last week, it's become a fun question to ask Eagles players: Where were you in 2002 when Brady won his first Super Bowl? 

"Whoa, 2002?" Hicks asked. "Man, I graduated high school in 2010 and I was 17, so ... 9. I was 9 years old. Wow! That's wild. Well-deserved, greatest quarterback of all-time. I've got a lot of respect for him."

Celek is thought of as the elder statesman of the Eagles, but even he was still in high school in 2002. While Brady has won five Super Bowl rings, Celek will play in his first world title game in a few days. 

"To be able to do that at his age, being 40 years old, it's unbelievable, man," Celek said. "I wish I knew his secret."

Veteran special teamer Chris Maragos has been in the NFL since 2010 and won a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks in 2013. In 2002, he was a freshman at Park High School in Racine, Washington.

The veterans in the league probably find Brady's longevity even more impressive than the younger players. 

"Just because you understand the commitment that this game takes," Maragos explained. "You can have one good season in the NFL but this is a very humbling league. You have to play at a high level, you have to train at a high level, you have to keep your mind sharp at a high level. So the fact that he's been able to do what he's been able to do for so long is extremely impressive. As a competitor, you give him hats off. Just really appreciate what he's been able to do and what he's been able to do for the betterment of our game and our league."

When asked the question, linebacker Mychal Kendricks pulled up the calculator on his iPhone. For the record, he was 11 years, 4 months and 5 days old. 

Chris Long was 16. Vinny Curry was 13.  Zach Ertz was 11. Ronald Darby was 8. 

"It's definitely wild," Sidney Jones said. "I'm 21 years old. I was born in 1996. It's wild."

NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark contributed to this report. 

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