The Hard to Love Eagles: Avant, Kelce Dig Holes Deeper with Fans

          I tried to ignore it, because it seemed like the only worthwhile response. Some guy named Jason Kelce on the Eagles criticized fans for putting up a sign calling for Andy Reid to be fired.

          Kelce turned out to be the starting center. I follow the team day-in and day-out and had never even heard of the guy. Since then he’s proven why. Putting the ball between his legs is apparently a little too tough for the rookie from Cincinnati. (I looked him up.)

          I even ignored it when Jason Avant picked up the baton earlier this week saying that the team didn’t want any “bandwagon” fans. I guess he was feeling chesty after the Birds beat the Cowboys on Sunday night. After all he did have 5 of his 27 catches this year in that one game, and 74 of his 412 yards this season. He might even get his first touchdown in the eighth game of the season on Monday night.

          In case my sarcasm wasn’t blatant enough, these guys are scrubs. Avant is listed on the Eagles’ depth chart on the same level as Riley Cooper. Kelce anchors the offensive line which has been one of the biggest question marks of the team this season. I know I shouldn’t even care what they say, and I don’t really understand why the media bothers to quote these guys except to stir things up.

          But I had enough when Avant kept it going on Thursday, saying:

I’m trying to motivate my teammates to keep focused. . . . We’ve got the underdog mentality, and that’s my opinion. ... I’m a person and this is America, right? I can have an opinion, right? That’s my opinion.

          I love it when guys are so unable to defend their stupidity that they reach for the obvious. Yes, it’s America. Yes, you have a right to your opinion. And? Reiterating those facts when you’re called on the carpet for your ridiculous comments is pointless.

I take offense when we’ve got signs outside (the NovaCare Complex) talking about firing coach (Andy Reid). I take offense to it so, definitely I’m not apologizing for that, but what I am saying is it was to motivate my teammates.

          Do athletes really not understand how dumb they sound with stuff like that? Avant was motivating his teammates? Bull. And if he was, that’s even more pathetic. This is an NFL team touted as a Super Bowl contender that started 1-4 with the one win against a terrible Rams team.

          Here’s a tip for Avant: Motivate your team by playing better. You cost them one of the four losses in Buffalo because you couldn’t hold onto the damn ball.

          Of course, athletes don’t understand how dumb they sound. At least their presence on Twitter seems to prove it. Here’s Kelce’s most recent tweet as of early Thursday night in response to a tweet directed at him from @BlueGalaxyDJ saying, “@Jkelce barking at people about signs and telling us how to act Scrub!” Kelce replied, “I hope you’re impotent. Your genes should be extinct.”

          Granted, the original comment was aggressive and rude, but what the hell do athletes expect? These guys re-tweet every adoring comment they receive to show it to the world, and can’t handle the critical ones.

          The idea of athletes on Twitter seemed like a great idea at first. Their effort to have unfiltered communication with fans seemed like something to be applauded. But it seems like an athlete a day proves why they need the filter of an agent or team PR people – they’re too stupid to handle it. Maybe it was just Kelce’s turn.

          Players need to get it through their heads that the whole idea of fandom is to be passionate about your teams. Don’t pump your arms asking us for more noise in a big spot when you don’t comprehend that the noise comes from the same emotion that boos you at 1-4.

          Stop trotting out clichés about bandwagon fans when you’ve been here for two seconds and no nothing about the history of the city with the Eagles.

          Stop going on Twitter thinking you’ll get nothing but love and adulation. Better yet, just keep your dumb ass off Twitter.

          Scrubs like Kelce and Avant should especially get these lessons through their heads. It might help them stick around long enough to be remembered for something other than being stupid.