Asante Samuel expects to hear cheers in Philly

Surely, Asante Samuel is kidding when he says they need to cheer for him on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Right?

The former Eagles cornerback will be coming to town as a member of the Atlanta Falcons with the Eagles fans anxious coming off a bye week in which coach Andy Reid fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.

“They better cheer for me," Samuel said, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “They're going to cheer for me or we're going to have a problem right there in Lincoln Financial (Field). All you all fans, all I did for you all, you all better cheer for me. Deuce here. Got nothing but love for you all.”

The Eagles are scuffling at 3-3 and have had problems on both sides of the ball. Castillo took the fall for a defense that has underperformed.

"It’s kind of hard when 22 ain't there," Samuel said, making reference to his jersey number. "Twenty-two keep things going for you. You just to deal with it. You make you bed. You got to deal with it.”

We’ll see how the fans treat Samuel come Sunday.

Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs

Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune