EAST RUTHERFORD – John Michael Schmitz has studied Jason Kelce for several years now. If you want to play the position in the NFL, there is no better game to model and player to emulate than Kelce, the five-time All-Pro center for the Philadelphia Eagles who will one day punch his ticket to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Jason Kelce is the standard,” Schmitz told NorthJersey.com after practice Thursday. “The way he goes about the job, the command he has, the attitude and the technique, earning respect. That’s what you aspire to be.” Kelce has the set a tone for the Eagles-Giants rivalry for a decade as an enforcer and a technician, earning Big Blue’s respect, and why not, given his presence up front heading into their Christmas Day meeting in the City of Brotherly Love.
So here’s the question: can Schmitz eventually become for the Giants what Kelce has been for their bitter rivals? It’s OK to dream about finding one of the greatest players to ever play the position in the history of the league. But this much is true: if Schmitz gets anywhere close to the impact Kelce has had once the Eagles’ five-time All-Pro walks away from the game he has come to dominate, the Giants might just have a chance to finally turn this thing around in their favor. The Eagles have won 10 consecutive games against the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field dating back to when Tom Coughlin was the coach, Victor Cruz was the leading receiver and Chip Kelly’s offense in Philly was being credited for revolutionizing the NFL.
Overall, in the last 19 games, the Giants have beaten the Eagles just three times. A lot of that success for the Eagles can be attributed to how well they have controlled the trenches, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and that starts with Kelce. He’s not alone, but he is the center piece. Younger brother Travis, the star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has garnered unparalleled attention this season. That tends to happen when you’re dating the biggest celebrity in the world, Taylor Swift.
Jason Kelce is certainly not an afterthought. He and Travis have transcended the game as co-hosts of their extremely popular podcast, “New Heights.” Jason’s life with his wife Kylie and their young family was a big part of the Amazon Prime documentary “Kelce” from last season, which ended with the Kelce brothers facing off in the Super Bowl.Travis Kelce might be part of sports’ most talked-about couple, but the scruffy-looking Jason was the one nominated for People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive award this year.
All of that is notable. But the football – the football from the Kelce brothers remains outstanding. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was extremely complimentary of the 36-year-old Kelce, calling him a first ballot Hall of Famer and comparing his influence at the line of scrimmage to that of Peyton Manning, considered the greatest mind in the history of the game in that respect.
