FRISCO, Texas – Jason Peters might know a thing or two about the fierce rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
After all, the nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro did spend 11 seasons in the City of Brotherly Love while winning a Super Bowl title.
But this week, Peters is on the flip side of that coin as the Cowboys travel to the Eagles on Sunday night in a highly anticipated matchup against the last remaining undefeated team in the league.
"It's going to be a dogfight," Peters said. "I had a few [former teammates] text me this morning. But they know what I bring to the table and they're going to be prepared for it, no doubt. But they know what's coming to them."
Peters is right in that regard. It's no secret the vitriol Eagles fans hold when it comes to the Cowboys, and they certainly don't mind letting it be known just how much they despise their division rival in the south.
"They pride themselves on being nasty, vulgar, they're going to cuss at you," Peters said. "They're going to throw stuff at you, they pride themselves on that. Philly fans are the wildest fans out there to me."
Peters of course has been nursing a chest injury in the last week but was clear that it was a thing of the past and that he would be good to go against his former squad this week. And while he has not been a starter, he has more than justified why the Cowboys brought him in beyond his play in the field.
Sure, the 40-year-old playing in his 17th season has transitioned nicely over to left guard in limited time since rookie Tyler Smith grabbed hold of left tackle following Tyron Smith's injury at the end of training camp.
But make no mistake, Peters has had a huge hand in Tyler Smith's ascension this season. Upon his arrival in September, Peters quickly took this year's first-round draft pick under his wing.
So far, so good. Even helping Smith make in-game adjustments -- like last week against the Rams and all-world pass rusher Aaron Donald -- has been the type of guidance from Peters that Smith greatly benefited from.
After Smith struggled in the first half against Donald, Peters reminded him to get back to his fundamentals to put himself in a better position. That technique has been a point of emphasis for Peters and his encouragement of Smith.
"Even during the game when Donald beat Tyler, I was just telling him, 'Go back to your technique,'" Peters said. "'You're beating yourself. You're turning, just the stay square, get to your spot and everything else will handle itself.'"
Though Smith has gone through the natural ebbs and flows that any rookie would during their initial campaign, he has overall been very impressive given that he primarily worked at guard during training camp before going back to his natural tackle position.
But Peters has been impressed with him as well, knowing full well just how steep the learning curve in the NFL can be for a young tackle.
"He's going to learn from his mistakes," Peters said. "He's a young guy, he's learning right now. I tell him once [he] gets beat just to leave it alone. That play is over with, go to the next."
For an offensive line that had plenty of question marks surrounding it outside of All-Pro right guard Zack Martin, Peters has been able to serve as a veteran mentor to not just Smith, but the rest of the position group that is fairly inexperienced.
"It starts with us," Peters said. "Offensive line and defensive line, it starts with us. And right now, the defensive line is balling, and we have to step our game up just a little bit. I always try to talk to Zack and all of the guys."
Of all the weeks to potentially step up, this week might just be the week. And it's a good thing Peters is on the Cowboys' side for once.
