The war of words continues between Eagles center Jason Kelce and Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips.
Flashback to last week, in the days following the Eagles’ 34-31 overtime win over Buffalo, Kelce blasted Phillips for one particularly questionable play where Phillips tried to jump the snap count and barreled over guard Cam Jurgens.
“I thought it was bulls--- at the time, I really did,” Kelce told 94 WIP radio. “And I said so to the official on the field, I said I’ve been running that play a lot of years. I’ve seen people jump offsides. [Phillips] made zero effort to stop after he jumped offsides. He purposely tried to hurt Cam Jurgens. I thought it should have been a personal foul… I thought that play in particular was absolutely a disgrace that the NFL should not allow.”
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Deliberate intent to injure is a serious allegation. Below is video of Phillips from the Bills-Eagles game.
As shown in the video, that play wasn’t the only time Phillips straddled the line of aggressiveness and illegal. Phillips was not fined for any illegal play against the Eagles.
Those antics don’t even include his role in battling with Eagles fans seated behind the Bills’ sideline during the game.
Philadelphia Eagles
Phillips clapped back at Kelce Wednesday, questioning his style of play while speaking to the media today.
“When you look at the Tush Push, [Kelce] dives at somebody’s knees every play, tries to roll them up,” Phillips told WROC in Buffalo. "So, for him to speak on somebody being dirty, I don’t think he has any right or any means to call for a fine, when he does a whole bunch of stuff like… so I just think that’s kinda crazy for him to even mention that.”
Phillips went on to answer Kelce’s charges on the QB sneak attempt where Phillips threw Jurgens into the Eagles’ backfield.
“I am 335 pounds. How am I gonna stop regardless?” asked Phillips. “How do I know that the ball wasn’t going? After I saw [Jurgens] move, I put my eyes on him, and I’m gonna go.”
“Even if they were to got that play off, it’s either them hitting us or us hitting them. Like, you can dish it out, obviously, but you can’t take it? That’s just soft.”
“He is a well-respected guy around the league for whatever reason. Now he suddenly has a voice because he’s on his brother’s podcast and whatnot, so he thinks he can use it. But the way he’s using his voice doesn’t make any sense.”
First, Kelce has never been accused of being a dirty player. The Eagles have run the Tush Push dozens of times, and it’s been heavily scrutinized around the league. Rarely, if ever, is anything outside the rule book involving Kelce voiced by the throngs of fans and players who want the play removed from the game. In fact, Kelce was a finalist for the 2020 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. They don’t give that award out to dirty players.
Regarding the New Heights Podcast, hosted by Kelce with his brother, Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, Jason hasn’t breathed Phillips’ name in the two episodes since the Eagles played the Bills.