A lot of the attention leading up to Super Bowl LVII is on the two most athletic people on the field: Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. However, a lot of the Eagles’ success starts in the trenches.
Philadelphia is one of the best teams in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Eagles had four different players with 11 or more sacks in the regular season, but their offensive line anchored by Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson might be even better.
Former offensive lineman turned NFL analyst Brian Baldinger of the Audacy Original Podcast “In The Huddle” explained what makes Kelce and Johnson so special on the offensive line.
“They’re the two best athletes at their positions in the NFL,” Baldinger said (11:25 in player above). “That’s a combination of power. That’s a combination of speed.”
Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds at the combine leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft. He’s usually much faster than the defensive linemen he’s going up against.
Baldinger has been able to see firsthand just how much goes into Johnson’s play on the field.
“I’m friends with Lane, I work out at his house. His barn’s always open to me. So I see him all the time,” he continued. “He never stops training. Ever. Even during his injury. The training never ends.
The Eagles drafted Johnson with the fourth overall pick in 2013, two years after finding Kelce in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Despite the difference in pedigrees, both linemen have been stalwarts on the Eagles’ offensive line.
“Kelce is an amazing player, Carl. He’s been there 12 years,” Baldinger said. “When you see him run, and like he’s blocking Dre Greenlaw in the NFC Championship Game, Dre Greenlaw runs as fast as any linebacker in this league and he’s on him and Dre Greenlaw can’t get off him. Kelce is running step for step with him blocking him down the field.”
The Eagles go as Kelce and Johnson go, and usually that’s going pretty well.
“They’re the two best athletes at their position. They run better. They’re balanced, they’re never on the ground,” Baldinger said. “Kelce’s a little undersized but his power and how he hits people – knocking Nick Bosa to the ground – he still is a very powerful guy.”
Kelce and Johnson were a major problem for the Patriots back in Super Bowl LII and they could pose the same issue for the Chiefs on Sunday.
“You watch those guys, athletically, in that game. That was a problem for the Patriots all game long in how they were able to get to the second levels,” Baldinger said. “How they’re able to pull and lead on the perimeter. They have the ability to really stretch the running game, literally, Carl, from sideline to sideline because of their ability to run.”
Related
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram