Jason Kelce Critiques Three Key Eagles
Jason Kelce isn't Joan or Melissa Rivers but the Eagles All-Pro center might want to pitch a new project to the Eagles Entertainment Network.
Maybe "Kelce Critiques."
The 10-year veteran is an honest quote and if you ask Kelce a question, you'll get a thoughtful response.
For that reason, some of the Philadelphia players who bulked up in the offseason were on the receiving end of commentary from Kelce, starting with the guy he hikes the ball to on every play, star quarterback Carson Wentz.
Wentz, a recent first-time dad like Kelce, got the chuckle-hut routine from his good friend.
“He’s got some dad weight going on, which I’m sure will be very good for injury prevention,” Kelce joked to reporters via Zoom on Tuesday afternoon.
In reality, Wentz looked bulked-up in all the right places when videotaped returning to the NovaCare Complex last month.
"For me, the last couple of seasons I was dealing with injuries and trying to bounce back from injuries," said Wentz when asked about being bulked-up. "So, this offseason I was really able to get after it and work out a little harder in the gym and all those things so I haven't gained anything insane for weight but I've definitely gained some weight and I feel really good with where I'm at, so appreciate the compliment."
Kelce mentioned that Wentz wanted to get to a comfortable space now that his two years away from a stress fracture in his back that ended his 2018 season prematurely.
“I think that it looks a lot more natural," said Kelce. "I know that is something that he put a big emphasis on in the offseason, was getting to a comfortable weight, now two years after the injury.”
Second-year running back Miles Sanders has also been putting on the pounds in an attempt to break more tackles, estimating that he left between 200 and 300 yards on the field during his rookie season.
The social-distancing going on at the NovaCare Complex has kept Kelce from being too observational with Sanders but noted that whatever Sanders has gained isn't impacting the Penn State product's explosiveness.
“I can’t say I’ve noticed too much-added weight with Miles if I’m being honest,” said Kelce. “I haven’t looked too closely at him but he’s still blazing fast. If he has added weight I can assure you that it hasn’t taken away from his explosiveness.”
The final player asked about is second-year left tackle Andre Dillard, a player everyone has acknowledged needed to get stronger in the offseason, something that isn't a rarity with young offensive linemen making the jump from dominant college player to just another prospect with upside in the pros.
While noting Dillard did the requisite work in the weight room, Kelce turned toward technique with the former first-round pick instead.
As for the man himself, Kelce has admitted that it's a year-to-year proposition for him at this point but the COVID-19 pandemic didn't result in a double-take.
“For myself and my family, there wasn’t too much of a discussion about it,” said Kelce. “We kind of had already known that we were going to go back and try and do this thing.
"I don’t think hunkering down and watching everything go by (was the right thing to do). I have a responsibility not just to my family, but to an entire organization and an entire career of people who have gone to great lengths to put this thing together."
Kelce even mentioned listening to offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland install inside zone "for the 85th time," was a welcome respite.
“Getting back to some sense of normalcy has been therapeutic,” said Kelce. “This whole experience has made me appreciate just how awesome it is to be able to come in here and have the ability to make these decisions and come to work with this group of people."
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
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