Behind the Scenes with FOX's NFL crew: Injuries, A.J. Brown tell the story in Philly

By Richie Zyontz
FOX NFL Lead Producer

Editor's Note: Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as the lead producer. He has more than 40 years of experience covering the league and has produced seven Super Bowls. Throughout the 2024 NFL season, he is providing an inside look as FOX's new No. 1 NFL team, including NFL legend Tom Brady, makes its journey toward Super Bowl LIX. Read more behind-the-scenes stories from Richie Zyontz here .

The biting chill of a late Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia was a perfect backdrop for a wild-card contest between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. 

This city is steeped in history — where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the United States Constitution was adopted. 

It’s also a city rich in NFL history.

The City of Brotherly Love was once the literal center of the football universe. 

From 1947-1959, league headquarters were run out of a Walnut Street office building. The commissioner was Bert Bell, a Philly native and Penn graduate, who not only founded and owned the Eagles but once coached them too. 

The post-World War II NFL was more of a mom-and-pop operation than the slick, heavily marketed product we see today. A call to the league office back then would occasionally result in Commissioner Bell answering the phone. He was Philly through and through, and even died of a heart attack while attending a Steelers-Eagles game at Franklin Field in 1959. 

Too bad old Bert wasn’t around in 1960 to see his beloved Birds defeat Vince Lombardi’s Packers in the NFL Championship Game. It was Lombardi’s only playoff loss en route to winning five titles. For the Eagles, well, they would have to wait 57 years before winning