[GameSpot] - Best Team In NFL Plays GTA Online Together

[343iBot]

The NFL's Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the league right now, boasting a record of 10-1. What's the secret to their success? Lots of hard work and dedication to their craft, of course, but also a healthy amount of Grand Theft Auto.

CJ Gardener-Johnson, a safety for the Eagles, told The New York Times that he and his teammates play GTA Online during their downtime and it helps improve chemistry. "It's kind of like our secret sauce," he said.

In addition to Gardener-Johnson, defensive backs Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox join in, along with linebackers Haason Reddick and Shaun Bradley. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata plays, too.

"It just builds a friendship at the end of the day," Reddick said. "Then, when you get on the field, we're all happy for each other, and we all want each other to do good."

Another appealing part of playing GTA Online together with teammates is an escape from talking about football all the time, Reddick said.

Gardener-Johnson, who owns the esports team 2X Global, spent $10,000 on his at-home gaming setup, NYT reported. The athlete also credits video games with helping him to change his attitude and mindset to be less of a trash-talker than he was in previous seasons in the NFL.

"That's why I ain't been so loud this year," he said. "I just been, like, quiet and chill. I just want to play football, come home, and play video games."

This isn't the first time that video games have been credited in part with helping improve team chemistry for an NFL squad. Before this, NFL star JuJu Smith-Schuster said he and his teammates won three Warzone games in a row and leveraged that momentum to help improve their on-field performance this season.

In other news, NFL player Blake Martinez sold one of the most valuable Pokemon cards at auction for nearly $700,000 and then promptly retired.

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