It can be said with certainty that no offensive front in the league preferred locking horns with the mighty Aaron Donald. This year, however, the future Hall of Famer decided to hang up his cleats after an illustrious ten-year-long stint in the league, bringing relief to all the QBs around the league who have repeatedly suffered his wrath. Even Tom Brady, who played against countless defenders in his career, feared and dreaded playing against the former Rams man. However, there is one team against which the star defensive tackle didn’t enjoy playing.
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The former Rams star recently appeared on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long, where he was asked if there was one team he didn’t like playing against. Donald, without skipping a beat, named the Philadelphia Eagles as that team, even name-dropping fellow retiree Jason Kelce. He stated that Kelce, despite playing as a center, would immediately help his fellow Offensive Linemen to contain the threat of the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Aaron felt he never had a perfect game against the Eagles because they executed a consistent game plan of double or tripling on him, never allowing him an opportunity to go one-on-one against anyone. Kelce understood his job in the system and made sure that the former Rams star didn’t ruin their perfect game plan. Jason, despite not being the biggest O-Lineman in the game, relished the challenge of going against the strongest and toughest defenders during his career, and it shows through Donald’s words.
“I hated playing against Philly,” Aaron said. “Kelce, his little fast a** always ran full. He would snap the ball run over right now and just, I’m like, bro, you got some good guards, let them work. You don’t got to help them every time. He’s like, ‘I am not going to let you ruin the game.’ Every single play, every single play, I really never got no one-on-ones… I probably had one or two a game and that would be it.”
Fans loved seeing Donald open up about his experience of playing against Kelce and were impressed by his honest response to the question.
Fans React to Aaron Donald’s Comments Regarding Jason Kelce
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year named Philly as the team he dreaded playing against and named Jason as one of the toughest and most hardworking opponents in the league. Fans were appreciative of the respect that Donald showed for his fellow retiree. A fan asserted that they both are Canton-bound, while others stated that Kelce also feels the same way about him. A few even pointed out that because of the Eagles’ game plan, the former Rams star never recorded a sack against the team. Take a look:
Another chimed in and stated,
A fan quipped,
A user commented,
Someone wrote,
Others said,
While fans enjoyed the fact that the legendary Defensive star never had a sack against Philly, Jason too accepted that he was the only player their team doubled and triple-teamed on every play and the only player against whom they had to create an entirely different game plan. No other player was such a dominant force. On the other hand, Kelce stated that in his mind, Aaron is the best defensive player of all time, and no one will ever come close. So the feeling is mutual.
Jason’s, and Aaron’s retirement brings an end to an era. Both dominated in their respective positions, and it is safe to say they will end up in the Hall of Fame in 2029. While Donald was an 8-time First Team All-Pro, Kelce got this honor 6 times. The former Rams star made it to the Pro Bowl every single year he spent in the league, only the second player to do so after Hall of Famer rusher Barry Sanders, while the Eagles center was a 7-time Pro Bowler. No matter how competitive they are on the field, it is great to see respect and admiration outside of it. Both will be missed by the NFL world.
