Jason Kelce addresses viral “Roots” video, Eagles Identity

People had a lot of jokes about Nick Sirianni comparing the Philadelphia Eagles to flowers. The metaphor was meant to indicate growing from the inside out as the team slowly improves from week to week. Then the Eagles exploded for 350 total yards in a 44-6 victory.

The offensive explosion was no laughing matter as it ended a two-game losing streak. Jason Kelce was featured in a video posted by the Eagles where he breaks down the squad after Sirianni’s post-game speech in the locker room. In it, the All-Pro center yells, “Keep the roots growing baby, the roots out of three!” “

Kelce’s wording seemed carefully drawn, a fun way of relieving Sirianni who was criticized for it. Or was it just a whim? Kelce denied that there was any premeditation behind the celebration when he met journalists to discuss the Los Angeles Chargers. He doubled the theme.

“He [Sirianni] asked me to break it down, it wasn’t premeditated. I went there and the roots looked good to me, ”Kelce said. “It was the theme of the week. We won the game, but the whole point of that thing was that we were supposed to keep growing, getting better. We’re still not where we need to be, we’re still not good enough, so it seemed like the right thing to do.

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Don’t look for their identity

The Eagles rushed for a peak 236 yards against Detroit in a crushing and shattering game. Four touchdowns came to the ground, the other going to defense on a fumble recovery. Offensive linemen in fact put pressure on Sirianni to keep running after picking up 36 yards in their first five games. He listened to them.

“We can definitely be physical,” Kelce said. “I think we have shown if we have to be [physical] or if we are asked to be [physical] we can certainly do it.

Much has been said about the identity of the Eagles in attack since the final whistle. Jalen Hurts approached him immediately after the game, calling him a “melting pot” of passing and running. Kelce has since added his two cents to the identity question with one request: don’t lump them all into one thing.

“People ask, is this the formula for success for us? Or is it your identity? As soon as you make it into a formula or an identity or whatever, you become predictable, ”Kelce said. “And I think at the end of the day, the last thing you want to be Sunday is predictable. I want to go there and win football matches.

“And we have a good offensive line, we can definitely run the ball. We have good full backs, we have a quarterback who can do it all, and I think we’re very lucky in that regard. We can do a lot of different things.

Hurts, Sirianni grows together

People on the outside might have laughed at Sirianni’s flower speech. In the locker room, no one blinks. Several players have officially supported the head coach. They knew the point he was trying to illustrate with roots growing under the ground.

One of his basic tenets is connecting with his guys, something Hurts noticed early on in training camp. He also appreciates Sirianni’s passion and energy.

“He brings a lot of intensity and he has a good goal for what he’s trying to do,” Hurts said of Sirianni. “He’s going out there and he wants to affect everyone around him. He wants to build a good relationship with everyone and that goes a long way. So it’s been good for us to keep knowing him, him to keep knowing us as a football team, and us to grow together.