Brent Celek Draws Praise for Game-Ending Slide

Brent Celek's game-ending slide at the ten-yard line to end Sunday's game has become one of the hot topics in Philadelphia Sports this week. 

Brent Celek's slide through the snow which sealed the Eagles victory over the Lions is already one of the most talked about plays in Philadelphia sports.

Tuesday Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur heaped praise on the veteran tight end for thinking of his teammates, rather than his own statistics by sliding to a stop at the ten-yard line instead of trudging into the end zone for an exclamation point touchdown. 

Celek's decision to give himself up and allow the Eagles to take a knee while leading by 14 points has drawn reactions on both ends of the spectrum across the Delaware Valley.

Many look at Celek's decision as the ultimate act of selflessness that embodies the 'team first' mentality this Eagles team in the midst of a five-game winning streak has adopted.

Others say that the game was so-far out of reach that the touchdown would have put a further stamp on the ability of Chip Kelly's offense to thrive – even though the Eagles scored 34 points Sunday including 28 in the fourth quarter alone- and would have sent the fans home even more jubilent thanks to an exclamation point touchdown. 

Count Shurmur firmly in the camp of the former. 

 “The guys know that if we score, or if we got a first down, then we’d be able to kneel and end the game,” Shurmur said. “What Brent did was very unselfish. He could have scored there, which would have made it 20 points. But what he did was, he didn’t expose his defensive teammates to injury by having to go out there and play some more. That’s what you’re trying to do is win the game. So it was very unselfish.

“I guess if he was on your fantasy team, or if you were crunching the numbers on red-zone efficiency, because we did take a knee in the red zone, then that would bother you. I thought it was unselfish.”

Celek said after the game Sunday that he had no intention of scoring and planned on sliding as soon as the play was called, with just under two minutes remaining in the game, knowing that it would take a kneel down to seal the victory. 

“I knew as soon as we called that play, if I caught it, I was getting a first down and sliding,” Celek said. “Listen, you do a kickoff, guys can get hurt. They go back on defense, guys can get hurt. It’s just not a smart move for the team.”

Celek's contributions to this team, 25 catches for 348 yards and four touchdowns this season won't land him many Pro Bowl votes or accolades. However, to his teammates and coaches, the things he does away from the ball such as his blocking or the kind of veteran leader he is in the locker room are anything but unnoticed. 

“We as coaches see what he does as a player and a teammate behind the scenes,” Shurmur said. “We appreciate what he does on plays where he may not get production. He’s an outstanding blocker. He’s an unselfish player, as he displayed [Sunday]. He does all the things you want as a coach. He’s embraced all the changes that have happened and how we do things, preparing to practice and our training sessions. He’s bought into everything.” 

 Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.