BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — When LeGarrette Blount left East Mississippi Community College following the 2007 season, he picked Oregon and won a lot of games.

Blount was drafted into the NFL by Tampa Bay, and that first season, the Buccaneers won a lot of games. He then went to New England, which always wins a lot of games, including Super Bowls.

This offseason, he chose to sign with Philadelphia, which, oddly enough, has won a lot of games.

“I’m blessed enough to pick the right teams,” he said.

Blount will be playing in the Super Bowl for the third time in the last four years Sunday when the Eagles take on the Patriots. He already has two championship rings from his time with the Patriots, winning the Lombardi Trophy in 2014 and 2016.

“(The Patriots) are going to come out swinging,” Blount said. “Full force, lot of energy. The intensity level is going to be high, the energy level is going to be high, and we have to match that. Unlike the World Series or NBA Finals, you only get one chance.” 

Blount, a two-time All-America running back at EMCC, rushed for 2,292 career yards and 18 touchdowns during the 2006-07 seasons. Since joining the NFL, he has 5,888 yards and 51 touchdowns in eight seasons.

In 2016, he had 18 touchdowns rushing. This season, he’s rushed for 766 yards and two touchdowns, scoring two touchdowns so far in the playoffs. As one of the Eagles players who have competed in the Super Bowl, he’s been open to teammates’ questions about the best ways to prepare and enjoy the experience.

“You don’t have any time to sit back and think about how things are going,” Blount said. “I’ve just jumped on board and gone full force preparing for this game. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Not many players have gone to the Super Bowl and beat Tom Brady, that’s for sure.”

Blount still stays in contact with many of the Patriots’ players, and he’s become good friends with quarterback Tom Brady. After paying with the Patriots for three seasons, Blount knows it won’t be easy to win on Sunday.

“You have to get out there and play as close to a perfect game as you can possibly play, because they’re never out of it,” he said. “You have to play a full 60 minutes to win. There are not a lot of opportunities to hit big plays, so when we get them, we have to make sure we maximize our chances.”

Having only been in Philadelphia for one season, he’s already aware of what it would mean to the city to win its first Super Bowl. He said there are billboards around town, meant to inspire the players, and the small restaurants have good luck messages on their signs.

He witnessed how crazy the fan base got when the Eagles won the NFC Championship game, and he can’t imagine how much more wild it would be if the Eagles were the champions on Sunday.

“You can sense it,” he said. “We want to win this one for them.”