Philadelphia Eagles open practice gets fans excited for football season to begin

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Philadelphia Eagles held their highly anticipated annual open practice Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field. It's the one day during training camp fans get to see the team before the pre-season begins.

Held in the midst of another hot and humid heat wave , excited fans braved the temps to see the Birds.

It's almost a rite of passage. When the Eagles hold their open practice at the Linc, you know summer is winding down and football season is right around the corner.

That's why several fans who spoke to CBS News Philadelphia said they traveled from more than an hour away in North and Central New Jersey for the big night.

That includes Brooke Williams, who drove to South Philly from Westfield, New Jersey, all because her 8-year-old son, Brandon, asked her to.

"You can't put a price on his face. He was so excited. We love Penn State, so he got to see Saquon Barkley take the field," Williams said.

For others, like Eric Husosky of Brick Township, New Jersey, it's all about preparation.

"I think it's a way to get hyped for the season," he said. "I'm ready for it."

For some, it's all about family.

Anyanwu Carter, of Newark, New Jersey, said his brother just lost his father. On Thursday night, the brothers were able to spend time together doing something they love and get their minds off the loss.

Another storyline Thursday night was the extreme heat, but fan Arturo Lester said he doesn't care about the temps because he fixes air conditioners for a living.

"I make people cool," he said.

Last but not least, we caught up with 8-year-old Carter Brown, who got tickets to the practice for his birthday last month.

He also received a Mummer's hat resembling the one former Eagle Jason Kelce wore to the Super Bowl parade in 2018. Kelce was Carter's favorite player, so now he has to find a new favorite.

A source tells us Carter's choices for his new favorite player have been narrowed down to three: A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts.

With the Eagles season opener now just 36 days away, the clock is ticking for Carter.