Jason Kelce Takes Responsibility For 'Stupid Holding Penalty'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You probably know the story by now.
4:15 left in the game. The Eagles trailed the Falcons 26-24, but they're offense was cruising down the field again.
It was 1st-and-10 from the Falcons 35-yard line and the Birds dialed up a perfect screen pass to Ryan Mathews, who rumbled down to the Atlanta 10-yard line. The Eagles seemed to have taken control of the game.
But no. That hideous yellow banner flashed across the TV screen. Flag. Eagles center Jason Kelce was called for an unnecessary hold and the drive stalled. They lost the game.
"I tried to torque him [the safety] out, to give a running lane for Ryan Mathews, and ended up throwing him to the ground," Kelce told the 94WIP Morning Show on Friday. "Anytime you throw somebody to the ground you run the risk of being called for a hold. So there's no question about it that regardless of what point in the game, or any type of game, any officiating crew, that's gonna be a chance to be called a hold.
Listen: Jason Kelce on the 94WIP Morning Show
"I didn't know he [Mathews] was already passed me. I thought he was still behind me."
Other than the crucial holding penalty, Kelce had dominant second half. When talking about the late penalty, you could hear the displeasure in hisvoice.
"Stupid play, stupid penalty, ended up costing our team potentially a win," Kelce said. "And that's not the way I am accustom to playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and it's something I'm still reliving right now."
Terry McAulay, who has been an NFL ref since 1998, is known to be a little flag-happy. McAulay and his crew called 10 holding penalties in Monday night's Eagles-Falcons game.
"We knew that they had the most holding penalties called last year in the whole NFL, in that crew," Kelce said. "We did not play to the game that was being called, myself included, right to the bitter end."
Make no mistake, however, Kelce is not deflecting any of the blame for his team's opening loss. The 27-year-old Pro Bowl center has become a leader of the Eagles over the past five years and he continues to sound like one.
"Well I'm gonna be real upfront and honest, the first half was all---in my opinion---on the offensive line," Kelce admitted. "Up front we did not get it done, at all. Not from a pass protecting stand point, not from a run blocking stand point. And the shame is, we knew the way they were going to play us. We knew the techniques they were going to use to play us.
"I think guys went out there too emotional, too high, and they didn't remember the little details."
