Andrew DeCecho here from inside thebirds.com.

Welcome to our Rookie Diary Series with Eagles running back Will Shipley.

Each week, I'll talk to the fourth round pick from Clemson to get his thoughts on his first season in Midnight Green.

We hope you enjoy.

So, So talk to me about what it's like before the opening kickoff.

You hear the Rocky song playing.

You see the towel swirling.

Yeah, the crowd's on an 11.

And, yeah, I see you out there dapping everybody up and getting ready for the opening kickoff.

And then you see Oren go down there and deliver a hit.

Walk me through what that was like for you and what was running through your mind.

Yeah, it was an unbelievable experience, you know, a hell of a way to start off, you know, my playoff career.

You know, just being out there on the first play, you know, whether it's KOR or kickoff coverage. And, you know, I mentioned it to you

earlier, but everybody says playoff link is a little different. And I believed them, but, you know,

I still got surprised just about how much energy was in the atmosphere, you know, just how all the fans, you know, just brought it. And, you know, it relayed right onto the field with us. You know, OB to go out there and make a first play like that, you know, get the momentum going our way, you know, get some quick points on the board, help the offense out, was huge for us.

So, yeah, just to be out there and to be a part of it was a special experience, for sure.

Now, you played in some big games, Clemson, but what was running through your mind before that game?

Do you have jitters? Were you

excited? You know, you go out there and you get to feel the pulse of the crowd. What was running

through your mind? Yeah. You know, I would say just definitely was a little nervous, you know,

just butterflies, you know, with it being our first playoff game and me being a

rookie, my first playoff game. And, you know, regular season is long, but I just feel like,

...