The Eagles drafted 7 players before Jason Kelce in the 2011 draft, but the center from Cincinnati was probably their best rookie. So in his second year, they're upping his responsibility. As we discussed during the previous OTAs, Kelce will take over the line calls duties from Michael Vick.
It's a job usually reserved for centers, but given the lack of an offseason and a rookie starter at the position last year, it made sense to give Vick the responsibility. But with a real offseason, Kelce says he's comfortable making the calls.
"Just having a year under my belt, having a year with Mike in the film room, and having a year with this unit, I feel much more comfortable and I think the guys feel much more comfortable with me being the guy to make the calls."
So as the guy barking out the orders to the rest of the line, does he see himself as the leader of that unit?
"I don't want to say that it's any one guy's in particular. I think we're a unit. Every single person has their role, and my role is to get us started and get us all on the same page. The center is the vocal guy and he's the one who makes the calls so that's my role in the unit. [RT] Todd Herremans' role is to really be the leader out there. He's the guy who has been doing this for the longest time with the Eagles so he has the most seniority and the most experience. Everybody has a different role, so it's really just knowing your role, fitting into your job, and being the best unit you can be."
We may need to break out the buzzmeter soon for Kelce after Marty Mornhinweg referred to him as the best young center in the game yesterday.
"Obviously that is something that I take great pride in. I put a lot of time into film study and pay attention to details. The fact that Marty recognizes that and my other teammates recognize that - I try to be cerebral and it's something I take pride in."