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The Center Of Attention: Jason Kelce Gearing Up For Return

By Joseph Santoliquito

Jason Kelce, one of the NFL's top centers, shares his weekly thoughts with CBS Philly's Joe Santoliquito.

PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — He looked great, he moved great, but that was in a restaurant full of Eagles fans all hoping to see Jason Kelce move as well as he did before suffering a sports hernia in the Eagles' 37-34 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sept. 21.

Kelce is the hub that turns the Eagles' offense. If there is one constant about the four-year center, it's that the Eagles have a greater chance of winning with him than without him. The Eagles are 23-14 in games in which Kelce has started, according to Comcast Sportsnet's Reuben Frank, and just 2-13 in games that he hasn't played in.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Kelce, who is 280 but looks around 260, had surgery to repair the hernia injury, something which had lingered to a small extend since the beginning of the season. A week later, Kelce, about 10 pounds lighter, was back on his nimble feet feeling edgy about playing again.

"I feel good; the surgery went really well and Philadelphia has the best type of surgeon for these types of injuries and they really revolutionized the surgery, so I was able to get fixed really quickly," said Kelce, who was on the verge of an All-Pro season before getting hurt. "Hopefully, it will be a quick recovery.

"I feel great. The difference between how I felt just between the last five days is incredible. A sports hernias people with a lot, and it hadn't been diagnosed. But I had been dealing with some pain [in the abdomen] area that was probably bothering me since the first game. But it was right around [the Washington] game when it started to get pretty bad."

Kelce said the Eagles' sports science department kept working on it, enabling him to be ready to play. And Kelce, if you remember, even outran Jeremy Maclin during the course of the Eagles-Redskins' game, getting called for a dubious block above the waist penalty midway through the second quarter.

The hernia "just didn't hold up," Kelce said. "I began noticing it more in practices than leading up to the game. In the game, I didn't have an idea it was going to happen. Just one play, I dug into the nose guard and started driving him and it just went—it tore. I haven't torn many muscles before, but the muscle didn't really tear. It's a chronic thing that every player has some degree of a tear. It depends on how bad it gets. Unfortunately it got to a point with me where the whole thing went."

Kelce said some players play through a whole season with a partial tear.

"It was inevitable," Kelce said. "There are two schools of thought, one being I would have played the whole season injury free, but there is a positive in this, where I'm not playing 17, 18, 19 games on something that could have caused other damage, too. I got fixed and I want to rehab it correctly."

Kelce's goal is to be ready to play for the Eagles' Monday night game against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 10.

"I want to return as soon as possible, but the early target is the Panthers' game." Kelce said. "It was frustrating watching [the Eagles' loss on Sunday], sitting there wondering what's leading to the stalled out drives. But I'll be there this Sunday against [the St. Louis Rams] I'll be on the field and I hope they'll me to have some input. I want to be on the sideline trying to help out any way I can. I can see some things that I can help."

In 2012, Kelce missed 14 games after partially tearing the ACL and completely tearing the MCL in his right knee. He returned last season to start all 16 regular-season games and the Eagles' playoff loss to New Orleans. In February, the Eagles rewarded Kelce with a new seven-year contract extension worth $37.5 million, including $13 million in guaranteed money.

Joseph Santoliquito is a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly.

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