Don’t talk to Jason Kelce about numbers. The All-Pro center doesn’t think they mean much so excuse Kelce if he doesn’t go out of his way to celebrate his 100th consecutive start tonight. He carries an old-school mentality into every game, a guy probably more suited for a leather helmet or single chin strap.
“I don’t think a number means much,” Kelce told reporters. “I think you just try and be available and do your job. 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’s just pretty good fortune.”
But no one should make light of what Kelce has accomplished. His 100th straight start is a big deal. It’s the longest streak among active centers and the longest by an Eagles center since 1970. The most consecutive starts in Eagles history is Herm Edwards’ 145.
Kelce will also become the first NFL center to start 100-plus games since Chris Myers did it from 2007-14. The all-time record for a center stands at 240 consecutive starts from Mick Tingelhoff from 1962-78.
Maybe more than the number itself is the way Kelce has done it. He’s blue-collar to the core, no doubt with a lunch pail hiding somewhere under those crooked pads.
“The way he comes in, he’s a no-bulls*** type of guy,” teammate Brandon Graham said. “What I love, he always has that edge when he’s on the field. You see it in his play. He’s great in space. You don’t want to be on the other end of Jason Kelce when he’s out there in space.”
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Kelce: Mentor, Friend, Teammate
The one thing that never gets brought up enough is Kelce’s unassuming mentoring of the younger players. Everyone from Jordan Mailata to Nate Herbig has mentioned it at times this year as the 10-year veteran has done his best to keep the Eagles’ injury-riddled offensive line together. His attention to detail is second to none.
“The thing that comes to my brain the most is the detail and how we’re going to do certain things between the guys between him and the guy next to him,” offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said. “Even when we build the game plan, he’s so awesome.”
Jason Kelce for president.
(📷: @photogthawk) #Eagles
Herbig famously declared “Kelce for President” and revealed being star-struck the first time they met. Mailata said Kelce truly wears his “heart on his sleeve” and credited him for teaching him the fundamentals of playing offensive line in the NFL. Another teammate, Isaac Seumalo, called him the ultimate professional.
“One hundred games, that’s pretty crazy,” Seumalo said. “You talk to anybody in the building, Kelce is the epitome of what kind of professional you want to be. The dude gives everything he’s got every day.”
Doing It with a Different Kind of Swagger
He was already the greatest center in Eagles history but after hearing that epic speech on the Rocky steps, Kelce levitated to new heights in Philly folklore. His profanity-laden ode to “Hungry Dogs” struck a chord, especially when he declared: “You know who the biggest underdog is? It’s ya’ll Philadelphia.”
But Kelce is deeper than that. As teammate Jalen Mills pointed out, he has his own unique “swagger” and style. He’s not going to roll into the stadium wearing the newest Air Jordans but he knows when to send the right message, like when he donned a Kobe Bryant high school throwback at practice. Kelce is quietly calculated and thoughtful in all he does, particularly that mullet.
“He’s not a flashy guy when it comes to maybe his clothes or his shoes or different things like that outside of football,” Mills said. “But definitely when he’s on the field, he definitely has a swagger about himself. Got that mullet going on. He’s dedicated to this team and this organization. I mean, I love him.”
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Eagles All-Pro Records NFL Milestone: ‘Dude Gives Everything He’s Got’