Jason Kelce Takes Responsbility: 'I Have To Be Better'
Jason Kelce, one of the NFL's top centers, shares his weekly thoughts with CBS Philly's Joe Santoliquito.
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — Jason Kelce has been wrestling with a problem these last two weeks. The Eagles' center is better than he's played—and he knows it. Anyone who's watched the Eagles the last four years knows it. What's plaguing Kelce is the feeling that he's letting down his teammates who have grown to depend on the steadfast heart and soul of the Eagles' offensive line.
Sunday's 53-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers left a bitter taste. It also caused Kelce to take a look at himself and be accountable, which is typical for one of the most stand-up players on the Eagles.
"We still feel we have a very good team and that as long as we make the corrections we need to make, we'll continue to improve and get better," Kelce told CBSPhilly.com. "I personally can do a lot better. The last two weeks for me have not been great weeks. I did fine my first week back against Houston. Mainly, it started with the snaps. I have to get the snaps fixed right now. It's hard to be successful as an offense if the quarterback-center exchange is off."
"On top of that, physically I have to do better," Kelce continued. "Mentally, I have to make better calls. I have to be a better player and a more accountable player to my teammates. That's something that bothers me a lot. That's something I have to get corrected and it's something that I will get corrected."
Kelce said the Eagles' loss was frustrating, especially up front, with the run game, protecting the quarterback.
"Offensively, we have to cut down on the mistakes and the snaps on my part hurt us big time," Kelce said. "There is no injury reason. It's something I've really struggled with since I've gotten back [from hernia surgery on Tuesday, Sept. 23] for whatever reason. I think it could be a timing issue. I just have to get back to snapping the football accurately. It's something that we've really worked on the past couple of weeks.
"I thought for the majority of the game on Sunday that they were really good. Then there were two that got away from me, and I can't let that happen. This hasn't been something that I historically struggled with. It is very, very frustrating for me, to tell you the truth. It's more attention that's paid to it. When you're out on the field, it's something you can't worry about too much because you have so many other things to think about. You have to do your job and make the right call. I have to continue to work in practice and make sure things are going right. We're better than how we played against Green Bay."
Despite the painful loss at Lambeau Field, Kelce is certainly not panicking.
"We have to get better and hone in what we did wrong individually," Kelce said. "The Green Bay loss is one game and obviously there is plenty of the season left to be played to make corrections and get better. I don't think anybody is thinking the sky is falling. For the vast majority of the season we've been in every game."
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