PHILADELPHIA — Sure, you had more constructive things to do with your time than watch the second half of the Eagles’ ugly and disturbing 27-10 loss last week to the New York Giants.
You deserved a break before the playoffs. But you missed what could turn into earth shattering franchise news.
Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson not only played 33 snaps at center, but he did so while looking like a legitimate successor to Jason Kelce.
Let me say that again: When the 36-year-old Kelce hangs up his cleats (and that time could be fast approaching), Dickerson, not the smaller Cam Jurgens, looks like a slam dunk at the pivot.
Dickerson was seamless yet explosive taking over when Kelce was given the second half to rest up for Monday’s wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He felt comfortable doing so, and on Thursday it was clear from his answers how much he enjoyed it, although he framed it as innocuously as he could with Kelce within earshot.
“I’ve done it in the past,” Dickerson said. “We practice it, obviously. We have quite a few guys here who play backup center and you always need to have just-in-case scenarios. I felt comfortable going into the game. I was little rusty snapping the ball but got into a rhythm of things.”
Always the master of understatement, Dickerson was the Rimington Award winner at Alabama, bestowed upon college football’s top center. After a couple of knee injuries, he’s been almost the iron man like Kelce is, making 46 starts the last three years.
Most interesting about Dickerson’s NFL debut at the pivot was how well he made the calls up front between guards Sua Opeta and Jack Driscoll. Did it like a veteran.
“We do a lot of communicating,” Dickerson said. “Kelce does a lot of it, but being beside him and knowing how he sees things and treats things, it’s easy sliding over.”
Dickerson is savvy, a sponge who talks scheme and strategy the way motorheads discuss horsepower, torque, fuel additives and rebuilds. He’s detailed-oriented. He doesn’t have to be told something twice, which you could seen in the offense that scored all its points in the second half with a lot of backups, including quarterback Marcus Mariota.
“He got us lined up in the right spots,” Driscoll said of Dickerson. “He did a really good job, a great job. I was trying to help him any way I could.”
The Eagles didn’t run the tush push with Dickerson in the middle, but Driscoll said he could “100 percent” make it work.
Beyond demonstrating skill at the pivot, Dickerson is one of the Eagles’ strongest players. He’s listed at 6-6, 333 pounds. And he plays big. Picture one of those devastating cruise missiles you see on the national news. You’re awed by the flash when it hits and too numb to check out the damage it inflicts.
Kelce has had an amazing 13-year career playing center for the Eagles. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection is headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only tool the 6-foot-3 Kelce doesn’t have is size. He strains close to his playing weight of 295 pounds, though he has unmatched mobility in his run-blocking. Jurgens (6-3, 303) is stronger but about the same size as Kelce.
Dickerson is a beast. Given his size, athleticism, and energy, moving him into the middle would be a coup for Jalen Hurts or whoever else is under center, as Dickerson physically is next to impossible to get around. Dickerson would seal the A gaps against mammoth defensive tackles Kelce cannot anchor against, including Vita Vea (6-4, 347) of the Buccaneers. Pressure up the middle is a play killer.
Dickerson, like Kelce, is a leader by example. He’s always around, respectful of teammates, despises excuses and from his days at Alabama, appreciates the 24/7 work it takes to win championships. Dickerson won’t give you a 30-minute rant on the steps of the Art Museum. But he knows how to enjoy a title game win.
Dickerson’s “Nick Saban moment” came after the Crimson Tide crushed Ohio State to win the national title in January of 2021.
“I was coming off an ACL surgery,” said Dickerson, who played two snaps with a massive protective brace on the knee. “Just running and picking him up was my first thought after we won. I don’t think the docs were happy about it. But I mean he was just the first person I went to. I was like … he meant a lot to me. He changed my life and put me in a position where I could be where I am today.”
Likewise, Dickerson would be a game changer for the Eagles when Kelce exits.
To contact Bob Grotz, email rgrotz@delcotimes.com
Source: Berkshire mont