If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours.

Can the Eagles’ offensive line be a strength next season? What does the future hold for Danny Watkins? And might Todd Herremans go back to playing guard? Answering those questions and more in today’s Eagles’ offseason primer.

The game clock read 11:45 in the third quarter at the exact moment Ed Reed made contact with Jason Kelce’s right knee.

It was Week 2, and the Eagles were trailing the Ravens, 17-7. The line of scrimmage was the Baltimore 30-yard-line, and the call was a stretch play to LeSean McCoy to the right side. Reed started 12 yards back as the single high safety. The ball was snapped, McCoy took the handoff, and Kelce used his athleticism to control nose tackle Terrence Cody. Reed, meanwhile, charged towards the ball-carrier.

At right around the 28, he got low and dove at McCoy’s legs. The running back felt some contact, but stumbled forward for a 9-yard gain. Reed failed to hit McCoy squarely, and his dive continued into Kelce’s right knee. After the whistle blew, the Eagles’ center was on his hands and knees in pain. The training staff came out, and he turned over to his back, grabbing his knee.

The result was a torn MCL, a partially-torn ACL and the end of Kelce’s season.

This is the NFL, and such injuries are relatively common. Scan the injury reports on a Monday afternoon during the season, and you’ll see similar notes around the league. But this particular injury gnawed at Reed.

 The more we get to know Chip Kelly, the more we realize how much of his success is rooted in simplicity. Where Andy Reid boasted a playbook that could stretch from floor to ceiling, Kelly seems to believe more in focusing on a smaller amount of plays and perfecting them.

It is about execution, and on offense, it is largely about the men up front.

To get a feel for what Kelly wants out of his offensive line in Philadelphia, it’s best to go back to his Oregon days for clues. The Duck offense was based off the inside zone play. Kelly, in a NIKE Coaches Clinic back in 2009, discussed what he expects out of his offensive line on this play, while giving a glimpse at his overall football philosophy.

We want to get off the ball and be a physical, downhill-running football team. This is not a finesse play. We teach our offensive linemen a play we call the bust block. The idea is to bust their sternums up against their spines on every play. We want to come off the ball, create a double-team, knock the crap out of the defender, and deposit him in the linebacker’s lap.

In 2011, Jason Kelce looked like someone who was made to play for Howard Mudd.

Tucked away behind the Eagles’ mistakes in the 2011 draft was the selection of Kelce, a sixth-round pick out of Cincinnati. As a rookie, he caught Mudd’s eye and stole the starting job from Jamaal Jackson on the practice fields at Lehigh. Kelce’s athleticism was exactly what Mudd wanted out of his center, and the rookie showed steady improvement, leading many observers to project a Pro Bowl campaign for him in 2012.

But in the team’s second game against the Ravens, Kelce suffered a torn MCL and ACL in his right knee, ending his season. Now, with Mudd retiring and Andy Reid gone, Kelce is waiting to find out what scheme the Eagles will be running in 2013.

Michael Vick has seized control back at the line of scrimmage.

Entering the year, he and Jason Kelce planned to share responsibilities pre-snap so Vick could focus on the other tasks at hand. While Vick had final say, it was the center that was calling out the bulk of the protections. Even when Kelce went down and the unproven Dallas Reynolds stepped in, the set-up stayed in place.

The intended results never came. In fact, instead of Vick feeling more focused in, he actually felt somewhat disengaged.

“Mike, when he’s forced to fix the protections like he was last year, I think he is more in tune to everything,” said Kelce. “That’s one of the things that we ran into problems with at camp was sometimes when you have the center doing a lot of that, the quarterback kind of goes on autopilot. I think that’s why Mike wanted to move back to that. He feels more mentally engaged and he feels like he’s more part of it, he has to focus on each and every play.”

I’m pinch-blogging for T-Mac with the reader mailbag this week. These are e-mails I’ve received in the past few weeks (edited slightly for viewing purposes). Topics include the 2011 draft class, Nick Foles, Trent Edwards and more.

Here are some plays from the Eagles’ offense that stood out after watching the All-22 tape.

If you missed the defensive breakdown, click here.

Eagles center Jason Kelce will not play again in 2012. The team announced today that he has been placed on season-long injured reserve.

With Jason Kelce sidelined, the Eagles are likely to sign veteran center Steve Vallos Tuesday.

Here’s a player-by-player review of how the Eagles offensive linemen performed after re-watching Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

The Eagles had not been in contact with Jamaal Jackson as of Monday morning. Here’s a look at some possible candidates to add depth to the center position:

As cut-down day was approaching, Dallas Reynolds‘ goal was simple: to not get a phone call.

Every year since 2009, as the team was shaping their roster, he was left on the cutting-room floor. For three seasons he was relegated to the practice squad. His practice squad eligibility now up, it was make the 53 or bust. Fast forward a couple weeks, and the 28-year-old is not just on the team, but starting under center in front of Michael Vick for the 2-0 Eagles.

“I’ve been looking to this moment for a long time,” said Reynolds. “A few years on the practice squad and now to be active and have a chance to play and start, I’m excited for the opportunity.”

It should not be understated how important of a role the BYU product is now filling.

Jason Kelce has a partially torn ACL and a completely torn MCL in his right knee, Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said today.

Burkholder explained that the first thing to do is let the MCL heal, which will take four-to-six weeks. From there, Kelce has two options: Have surgery on the ACL, which would mean Kelce would be out for the season. Or don’t fix it, which would mean he could possibly return later this season.

Here are 10 things to know about the matchup between the Eagles’ offense and the Ravens’ defense Sunday afternoon. Click here for the breakdown of the Eagles’ D against Baltimore’s offense.

Every Thursday we select a few of your Twitter questions and provide the long-form answers they deserve. For a chance to have your question published on Birds 24/7, send it to @Tim_McManus.

Let’s start with 97.5 The Fanatic Phillies beat reporter Pat Gallen, who is demonstrating his multitasking skills by both documenting the Phils’ improbable rise from the ashes and submitting Eagles questions for the mailbag at the same time.