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Every year since 1992, USA Today releases their NFL "All-Joe Team" to honor some of the league's more underrated players. Players are only eligible for this honor if they have never made a Pro Bowl before. This year, only one Eagles player made the cut: center Jason Kelce.
Center — Jason Kelce (Eagles): All he did was come back from a torn ACL in 2012 to anchor a high-tempo offense that demands ability, smarts and conditioning from coach Chip Kelly.
I recently wrote about Kelce in my Eagles Position Reviews.
Jason Kelce is the perfect mold of a center in Chip Kelly's offense and it showed in 2013. The Eagles ran for an average gain of 6.09 yards with rushing plays that went up the middle. Kelce's athleticism is a great asset that allows him to move and make blocks in space. Kelce's performance was especially impressive considering he came back from an ACL injury that caused him to miss most of the 2012 season. Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was very excited to work with Kelce when he took the job last year. He praised Kelce's tireless work ethic and communication skills. There's no question Kelce is deserving of a new contract.
Despite Kelce's valiant efforts, he did not receive any kind of award consideration (Pro Bowl, All-NFL team, All-Pro team, etc.) after the season ended. Kelce will have a chance to add another award next week when he competes in the Wing Bowl.
Past Eagles All-Joe Award winners include:
2012: Evan Mathis
2011: Brent Celek, Todd Herremans
2010: LeSean McCoy, Antonio Dixon
2009: Jason Avant, Brent Celek, Winston Justice
2008: Todd Herremans, Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson
