Jason Kelce has made several newsworthy speeches since his Eagles won the Super Bowl, but the one that he delivered while addressing the thousands of fans who convened at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Thursday, February 8, will likely live on in documentaries to come about the self-proclaimed underdogs' championship run.
Decked out in Philly's staple Mummer costume, Kelce revved the block party crowd up by going down the list on how individuals at every level of the organization were counted out early on in the season. For VP of football operations Howie Roseman; for head coach Doug Pederson; and for each one of the team's players, there was something to prove each time they took the field, and Kelce made note of it.
"Jason Peters was told he was too old. Didn't have it anymore. Before he got hurt, he was the freakin' tackle in the NFL. Stefen Wisniewski ain't good enough. Jason Kelce is too small. Lane Johnson can't lay off the juice. Brandon Brooks has anxiety. Carson Wentz didn't go to a Division I school. Nick Foles don't got it. Corey Clement is too slow. LeGarrette Blount ain't got it anymore. Jay Ajayi can't stay healthy. Torrey Smith can't catch. Nelson Agholor can't catch. Zach Ertz can't block. Brent Celek is too old. Brandon Graham was drafted too high. Vinny Curry ain't got it. Beau Allen can't fit the scheme. Nigel Bradham can't catch. Jalen Mills can't cover. Patrick Robinson can't cover. It's the whole team! It's the whole team!" Kelce shouted as his teammates swelled with emotion behind him.
The All-Pro center then capped off what was the quintessential underdog speeches by bringing it all back to what the Eagles' triumph all boiled down to. "It's a quote in the O-line room that has stood on the wall for the last five years: Hungry dogs run faster. And that's this team. Bottom line is, we wanted it more," he said.
