Aaron Donald recorded 111 sacks over his decorated 10-year NFL career, but the legendary Rams defensive tackle never took down a Philadelphia Eagles quarterback.
The reason, as he told former Eagles defensive end Chris Long’s podcast, was a good scheme, a hefty dose of double teams, and an athletic center in Jason Kelce.
‘I hated playing against Philly,’ said Donald, who entered the NFL three years after Kelce’s celebrated career began on the banks of the Delaware.
‘Kelce, his little fast a** always ran full [speed],’ Donald continued. ‘He would snap the ball and run over right now, and I’m like ”Bro, you got some good guards. Let them work. You don’t got to help them every time.”
‘He was like: ”I’m not going to let you ruin the game.”’
Jason Kelce gave everyone fits on the field, even the great Aaron Donald pic.twitter.com/iTTsi0Yi3Y
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) April 6, 2024
Aaron Donald (left) told Chris Long (right) that Jason Kelce frustrated him during his career
Like Donald, Jason Kelce retired after the 2023 season and is eligible for the HOF in 2029
The strategy appears to have worked. The Eagles are the only NFC team to deny Donald a sack in his career. In fact, the All-Pro considered to be among the strongest players, pound for pound, in NFL history recorded only five tackles in five games against Philadelphia.
‘Every single play now, every time I played the Eagles, bro, I really never got no 1-on-1s,’ Donald continued.
‘I probably had like one or two during a game and that would be it. If you don’t win it 1-on-1 that time, you’re done. You’re gonna get doubled or triple teams the rest of the game.’
Both Kelce and Donald are entering retirement together and are both likely to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2029.
Kelce (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) and Donald (6-foot-1, 280 pounds) were both somewhat undersized for their respective positions, but overcame that deficiency with superior quickness and strength.
As Kelce mentioned during his retirement speech, he owed much of his success to former Eagles offensive line coach Howard Mudd, who ‘valued offensive linemen for their athleticism more than their size.’
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald looks on from the bench in 2022
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris worked with Donald as an assistant in LA, where the defensive tackle made a significant impression.
‘The coolest part was to watch the evolution of who Aaron was as a player,’ Morris told the LA Times in a phone interview. ‘To come in this league, take it by storm — with people kind of questioning his size at that time — he really took over what the prototype of the position looks like and how it plays.
‘And then to watch him turn into this beloved older figure by a bunch of guys that he was able to play with at the end, I thought was just the story of Aaron Donald.
‘To see that genuine enthusiasm that last year together with him out there in L.A. playing with those young guys and getting the best out of everybody around him just epitomizes who he was as a player and a man.’
