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ding, former Nittany Lion tight end An- drew Szczerba, and five other teammates: Matt Stankiewicz, Shane McGregor, An- thony Tortorelli, Jon Rohrbaugh and Kyle Johnson. Super Bowl players receive only two complimentary tickets, and Stefen paid for the additional seats. He wouldn't say how much, noting only that "it was worth it. How many times can you have family and close friends see you play in a Super Bowl?" A new position The Super Bowl was far from his mind in his first season with the Eagles. After starting 77 consecutive games beginning with his rookie season in Oakland in 2011, he found himself fighting for playing time on a 7-9 team that finished fourth in the NFC East. It was a humbling experience. "The Raiders offered me a good con- tract in my last year [2014], but I turned it down because we were playing with an interim coach," Stefen said. "When they hired a new coach and signed another center, I looked at other teams and ended up with the Jaguars for one year and then with Philly." The Eagles moved Wisniewski from center to guard, but his lack of profes- sional experience at that position was evident. He was a reserve, starting six games because of in- juries, and was not pro- jected as a starter in 2017. "That was tough, not playing much after being a starter for five years, and I didn't play as much as I wanted to," Stefen said. "But my faith car- ried me through. [Playing at guard] was an opportunity, and I learned a lot." His opportunity came in the third game of the 2017 season against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. The Ea- gles' starting left guard was getting man- handled by the Giants' defensive line, and Stefen was sent in to replace him. He went on to start every remaining game. "My goal was always to be a starter – not just a starter but to be a really good player for my team," Stefen said. "And for the rest of this sea- son, I've been able to do that. It's been a blast, playing on a great offensive line in a great offense and being part of a great team." Stefen does not thrust his reli- gion on his teammates. Most of them don't realize his beliefs can be summed up succinctly in his first name. Stefen is a popular ALL ON THE LINE Stefen Wisniewski (61) became a starting guard early in the regu- lar season and held onto the spot throughout the Eagles' run to the Super Bowl championship. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles

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