The Eagles’ first open practice of the 2018 season was still two hours away, and 25-year-old Veronica Ortiz of North Philadelphia already had worked herself into a quasi-religious frenzy as the heat of a 95-degree Sunday afternoon rose from the steamy parking lots outside Lincoln Financial Field.
As her tailgate group of 16 friends and relatives put down their beer and sandwiches — briefly — to cheer her on, Ortiz sang a full-throated “Fly Eagles Fly” and danced in her Underdog mask just like any dyed-in-the-wool, bleeding-green Birds fan.
So, how long, exactly, have you been an Eagles fan, Veronica?