Eagles’ Kelce to make 100th straight start
PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce wore a brace on his injured elbow and needed help from a teammate to buckle his chin strap.
Pain wasn’t going to stop him from playing. It hardly ever does.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ three-time AllPro center will make his 100th consecutive start Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
For a moment, it appeared the streak would be over when he got hurt in a loss at Cleveland last Sunday. Kelce threw his helmet in frustration after leaving the field, refused to enter the blue medical tent for an evaluation and stomped along the sideline. He finally went to get an X-ray but only missed five snaps before going back in.
“I don’t want to miss time,” Kelce said. “There are guys counting on me. There’s people counting on me.”
While players around him have gone down at an alarming rate, Kelce has been the anchor on the offensive line. The Eagles are on their 10th different line combination in 11 games.
Three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson announced this week he’s having season-ending ankle surgery. Three-time Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Brooks hasn’t returned from offseason surgery on his Achilles. Left tackle Andre Dillard tore his biceps in training camp. Left guard Isaac Seumalo just came back last week after knee surgery in September.
“I got so much respect for him as a football player on and off the field,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s somebody that does things right all the time and his game may not be perfect each week, but this guy, he practices, and plays hurt. He gives of himself for his teammates. He’s a great leader, not only in the offensive line room but I think on this football team.
“I love this guy. What he can do as a center, how he moves, how he gets to secondlevel defenders, how smart he is in protection, it’s just amazing to me. I’ve never really been around a player, an offensive lineman of his caliber that does what he does day in and day out and a ton of respect for Jason.”
Kelce, with his long hair, long beard and flannel shirts, looks like a lumberjack and he fits the image of a tough, blue-collar lineman. He downplayed the significance of his streak.
“I don’t think that a number means much,” Kelce said. “I think you just try and be available and do your job. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that, and obviously, injury rates in this league are pretty substantial. I’ve been pretty lucky, all things considered, to not have injuries over the course of 100 games that would sit me down. But I think that a lot of it is just pretty good fortune. I’m happy that I’ve been able to do it.”