Jason and Travis Kelce debate solutions for hot turf fields, the Eagles’ run game, and more from ‘New Heights’
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts “is the reason why they have won these two games,” Jason says.
After Sunday’s scorcher in Nashville, Travis and Jason Kelce’s opinions reached a boiling point in Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, when the brothers discussed the turf temperature for the Eagles’ win.
In a nearly two-hour episode, the Kelce brothers broke down all the happenings of Week 2 of the NFL before an interview with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who were promoting their Apple TV show Brothers on a podcast with two ... brothers.
Too hot to handle
The turf on Sunday in Nissan Stadium in Nashville reached 157 degrees, and Nick Sirianni reportedly needed an IV.
So how hot is too hot?
Jason and Travis debated the extreme temperatures, which Jason said he initially shrugged off.
“I was like on WIP or something like that earlier in the week. They’re like, ‘Oh, you think the heat’s going to make a difference?’ I was like, ‘Ah, everybody’s playing in heat,’” Jason said.
» READ MORE: ‘Biggest catch of his life’ for Darius Cooper, Drew Brees’ Jalen Hurts take, and more
That was until he saw the actual temperature of the turf displayed on the TV and heard about Cam Jurgens, who said he switched his cleats about three times because of them melting.
“You shouldn’t be allowed to do that,” Travis said “You shouldn’t be allowed to put players on a field that does that.”
While Travis’ solution was simply putting down grass fields instead, Jason’s idea was a little more out of the box.
“We got to get some air-conditioned fields,” Jason said. “Come on guys, we can we can do it.”
Don’t rush the rushing game
You’ll take the wins “how you get them,” Jason said while discussing the Eagles’ 24-20 win over the Titans on Sunday. But he still saw plenty of good, especially in the form of quarterback Jalen Hurts, who Jason said “is the reason why they have won these two games,” and went 26-for-37 with 264 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, has been performing.
“What’s the most encouraging to me is that if Jalen is playing like this the way he has the two first two weeks, that run game gets going, it’s going to be a very fun offense to watch,” Jason said.
Jason said Hurts hasn’t gotten enough credit for being a reason the Eagles’ run game was so dominant for so long. He thinks issues with the rushing game this season are rooted in the offensive line, and continuity issues, largely because of injuries, have changed that dynamic and made it harder to establish.
While those issues sort themselves out, the Eagles filled a void at tight end following Dallas Goedert’s injury by getting “a dog back in the in the Eagles jersey,” Travis said of Zach Ertz. Jason added that Ertz is on the cusp of breaking Harold Carmichael’s franchise record for career catches, needing just 11 more.
“I’m always excited to see 86 in some green, especially if he breaks this record,” Jason said. “I think if anybody was going to break that record, I’d be happy that it was Zach.”
» READ MORE: What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 3 vs. the Bears
It’s a toss-up
Travis broke the record for the most yards after catch by a tight end in NFL history, and his wife, Taylor Swift, showed off her ring in a viral moment of her lauding the Chiefs overtime win with a cheer of “that’s my husband,” and still, the moment that New Heights listeners had the most questions about was a coin toss.
In a moment that has since gained a lot of traction, Colts safety Camryn Bynum tried to “defer” after winning the coin toss in overtime. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tried to take advantage of the moment by interjecting and saying “they get the ball.” Referee Craig Wrolstad ignored Mahomes’ attempts in favor of making sure he understood what Bynum and the Colts were trying to do.
Because there is no second half in overtime, deferring is not an option, which caused some confusion from fans. Still, Jason was quick to support his brother and the Chiefs in their attempt to capitalize on the blunder.
“I’m on board with, like, you saying the wrong thing, I think you should be penalized for that,” Jason said.
» READ MORE: Russell Wilson sees his approach to the game in Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. Having the same mental coach helps.
Brothers and Brothers
The sports conversations didn’t end when McConaughey and Harrelson joined in the second half of the episode.
Between talking about their careers, friendship, and new show, the group also talked sports.
That included a story McConaughey told from Texas’ BCS national championship win at the Rose Bowl in 2006. He spoke about the “intangibles” he saw Vince Young display during the game and taking off his helmet and running down to the other side of the field to shake the hand of three USC alumni veterans during a TV timeout.
“I was sitting there looking at that,” McConaughey said. “We’re going like, ‘We’re going to win this game.’ ‘Did you see that?’ ‘That’s how present this dude is.’”
As for Harrelson, McConaughey revealed he’s actually a “sneaky athlete” who can be ambidextrous while playing tennis or basketball. However, unlike his character in Kingpin, Harrelson isn’t much of a bowler.
“That’s a real hard sport for me, bowling, but sometimes I get lucky,” Harrelson said. “One time I actually bowled a 199. Imagine the last frame, all I needed to do was get more than like three, and I got three.”
The Eagles survived -- again. This time, instead of holding on for dear life as they did in their opener against Washington, the Eagles came from behind in the final minutes to pull out a gutsy win at Tennessee, with their quarterback leading the way. With the Eagles 2-0, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Mike Sielski examine Jalen Hurts’ promising performance through two games, and dig into the uneven play of the defense. Listen here.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
