Rasheed Bailey Inspires On WIP: 'Chase Your Dream'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For most people, it was a beautiful 18-yard one-handed snag to end the third quarter in a rather meaningless preseason game, by an unknown player.
For said unknown player Rasheed Bailey, an undrafted wide receiver fighting for a job, it was a dream catch.
"Tebow rolled out, I had a guy on my left hip, and I just said, 'OK. Let's just go make a play. Let's go see what you got Rasheed.' And I went up, I knew I couldn't go up with two [hands]," Bailey told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Tuesday. "I stuck one up and if you could see, I brought it down with one to catch with two."
Listen: Rasheed Bailey on the 94WIP Morning Show
Bailey, 22, a Philadelphia native and life-long Eagles fan, played tight-end at Roxborough High School before becoming the all-time leading receiver for Delaware Valley University (3,138 yards). As a senior in 2014, he caught a ridiculous 80 balls for 1,707 yards and 19 touchdowns in 11 games.
This summer, Bailey was given a chance by Chip Kelly. And that's all he needed.
"I feel like if I continued to do my job, I can have a job here," said Bailey, who caught two balls for 23 yards in the Eagles' preseason opener on Sunday. "And if I continue to make plays like that on a consistent basis, I can be here. And just watching the other guys, listening to most of the older guys---Jordan Matthews, Miles Austin, and things like that. It's all about what can you do consistently."
So what motivates the perspicacious Bailey?
"I am so passionate," he explained. "I am so determined. I'm so---I have a chip on my shoulder. Coming through this process being undrafted, I had no time---it's something that I'm destined to do. My passion is to play this game and I have an ultimate goal. I want to give back to the people of Philadelphia. I want to do so many things for this city, that I can't be starry eyed. I have to be on that field. I have to be ready to go at all times.
Bailey, who looked up to Eagles running back Brian Westbrook as a kid, certainly appreciates the opportunity to play professional football in his hometown.
"One of the best feelings in the world," Bailey said of playing for the Eagles. "I mean, to wear that jersey, to be a part of something so amazing in Chip Kelly. I mean, this is one of the best feelings in the world and to do it at the highest stage and to go out there and to compete every day, it's one of the best feelings."
Bailey's message to the world had even Cataldi speechless.
"If I could tell any little kid that's listening, any parent, anybody that's listening," Bailey said. "Your dream, your dream is what keeps you going. Nothing else keeps you going, but your dream. Don't lose sight of that because once you figure it out what it is and what your purpose is in life, you're gonna enjoy your life. And right now, I'm at a point where I found my joy. I found my heart. I found my destiny.
"It's the best feeling in the world. Chase your dream, please."
