Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
For Thirteen Seasons, Jason Kelce Gave Philly Everything That He Had.
In 1959, not long after the death of legendary Eagles founder and NFL Commissioner Bert Bell, “Concrete” Chuck Bednarik (another six-time All-Pro Eagles Center) and the last of the NFL Sixty-minute men retired from the Eagles. The Eagles even had a celebration for him, until he found out that his wife was pregnant again. So Concrete Chuck played on.
One year later the Eagles won the Championship. In 1962, after winning two NFL Championships, Chuck Bednarik finally called it quits.
With only moments left in the Eagles Wildcard Game against the Buccaneers on Monday night, the camera caught Jason Kelce standing in front of the bench with his helmet off, was overcome with emotion on the Philadelphia sideline. He embraced offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.
Kelce, who reportedly informed his teammates of his impending retirement from the NFL after the game on Monday night, will undoubtedly go down as one of the finest players to ever wear an Eagles uniform or an NFL uniform for that matter.
For years, Jason Kelce raged against the dying of the light.
Last offseason, in the process of purging himself of a crushing Super Bowl loss he agreed to work on a documentary called Kelce. The documentary was supposed to take viewers through Kelce contemplating retirement. He quickly transformed into Kelce’s preparation to return for another NFL season.
His thirteen NFL seasons saw the end of Andy Reid’s (the man who drafted him) era in Philadelphia. He saw Chip Kelly transform the Eagles offense into something that the NFL had never seen before, only to have him fired three years later. He saw Doug Pederson lose an Eagles locker room that was previously Super Bowl Champions. This year was perhaps his most challenging.
Disappointing lows come with incredible highs.
Still, he raged against the dying of the light.
Jason Kelce saw the Eagles play at an incredible level in 2022-2023, win an NFC Championship and then come within one possession of winning a second Super Bowl that is seemed they were destined for. He saw his 2018 team defy all odds, and win a game that many said they couldn’t against the best quarterback and coach combination in NFL history.
After becoming a Super Bowl Champion, Jason Kelce stepped to the podium on the Art Museum steps and proceeded into a 5 minute, 58 second tirade echoing the feelings of all of Philadelphia and talked about everyone who doubted the Eagles.
It will no doubt be as remembered as Rocky.
At the end, Jason Kelce gave it all he had to the Eagles.
He did not go gentle into that good night.
Special Thanks to Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.”
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Categorized:Eagles