Jason Peters Talks Chip, Next Head Coach

Photo by: Jeff Fusco

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Asked what he wants in his next head coach, Jason Peters evoked the name of Andy Reid.

“He’s like a father figure to all the players. You just kind of didn’t want to let him down so you always played hard for the guy,” he said. “Somebody like him.”

Questions were raised down the stretch this season whether Peters felt inspired to “play hard” for the man who was just shown the door, Chip Kelly. He exited the game against Washington last week once the outcome was decided. Reports surfaced that he pulled himself because he didn’t want to risk further injury for a team not going to the playoffs.

Peters said the theory that his actions were somehow related to his feelings towards Kelly is off base.

“I banged my elbow up and I didn’t want to go out there and continue to hurt it so that’s when [Dennis] Kelly went in. They tried to say I came out and took myself out and all that but I was banged up. [Darren] Sproles chipped me. He wasn’t trying to chip me but he chipped my elbow and it swolled up on me. We were getting blown out so I just…they sat me down.”

Peters said he had a “great relationship” with Kelly and that he “bought into what he was doing,” adding that Kelly’s dismissal is just part of the business. It’s fair to say that Peters did not always agree with Kelly’s methods, however, and hinted towards that when discussing the tempo attack that appeared to be pulled back more in spots against New York with Pat Shurmur at the helm.

“Tempo is a great operation but sometimes you need to slow it down to get into the proper play [because] when we call a play and go out there, it might be into the wrong defense, but when you slow it down and you get the right play call, we’ve got a better chance to get positive yards,” he said. “So slowing it down a  little bit is good…like we did today.”

Peters said he wants to return and plans on retiring an Eagle. It appeared to hit a nerve with the 33-year-old when asked if he thinks the time is now to transition from tackle to guard.

“No, no. I can still play tackle. I’m the best we got. Who are they going to put there? Who is better than me in this locker room? Nobody,” he said. “Who can they draft better than me? Nobody. Who can they pick up better than me? Nobody. I mean, you are going to get beat here and there. That’s part of it. As part of this offense, I’m one-on-one every play — 90 plays, 80 plays, you get beat one or two times, that’s just part of it. They get paid, too.”