Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson & Brandon Graham Deserved More Respect
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — The Eagles are 12-2. They have the best record in the NFL. They're one victory shy of hosting the NFC playoffs. Usually, the best teams are comprised of the best players. Yet, three key Eagles players received a bit of a jolt this week when the Pro Bowl teams were announced.
Center Jason Kelce, having his best season in seven years in the NFL, and defensive end Brandon Graham, who's also having a stellar year, did not make it, and right tackle Lane Johnson, arguably the best offensive right tackle in the NFL (ask superstar Von Miller), received a second-team selection.
"Hey, I'm playing for a ring, so none of this affects me too much," Graham said. "I have bigger things in mind. I know the season that I'm having. What matters to me is what the people in this locker room think. That means more."
Kelce has been amazing this year, and his game against the New York Giants was a Pro Bowl advertisement in itself. He even received a huge, ringing endorsement from Giants man-mountain defensive tackle Damon "Snacks" Harrison, who tweeted that Kelce "1000% deserves to be a starter in the Pro Bowl ... this is robbery this is why I question the format."
"It's awesome whenever other guys in the league pay you some respect," Kelce said. "I thought 'Snacks' deserved to be in the Pro Bowl, too. He's the hardest run-blocking guy I go against every year. To get that from him, and to hear that from him, the toughest guy I go against, that means a lot. I thought it was great."
Kelce went on to say, "I've been asked a couple of times recently whether or not I thought this was my best season. There are probably one or two other season that are right up there with this year. I feel like this year, I'm certainly playing the best I have in my career. It's a credit to a lot of things going on."
Kelce also deserves credit for tuning out and overcoming some of the unwarranted criticism he's received the past three years.
"I've always heard about me being too small for an NFL center, I'm used to it by now," Kelce said. "In the beginning of last year was certainly a struggle. We started to improve in the second half of the season and we carried that on into this season. Questioning my size is an easy thing to point to, and I'm happy to be playing the way I am now. Hey, the two centers going to the Pro Bowl are really good players, Alex Mack (Atlanta) and Travis Frederick (Dallas)."
As for Johnson, he was selected behind Dallas' Tyron Smith and Washington's Trent Williams.
But all anyone had to do was ask Von Miller about Lane Johnson, who tweeted, "Lane Johnson (is) probably the best right tackle in the league. If not THE best, he's tied for the best."
Does anything further have to be said?
The six Eagles who were selected to the Pro Bowl are guard Brandon Brooks, quarterback Carson Wentz, tight end Zach Ertz, Johnson, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and safety Malcolm Jenkins.
