When discussing the multiple tight ends that will be part of coach Chip Kelly's offense, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek threw a shout-out to the duo on the New England Patriots.
"You have to give credit to (Rob Gronkowski) and (Aaron) Hernandez and what they've done for the tight end position," Celek told Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia on Friday. "You can have two great tight ends, use them efficiently and win a lot of games. I think they've kind of helped change the position with the things they've done."
Breer: Gunning the Eagles' engine
What has new coach Chip Kelly brought to Eagles practices? Speed, speed and more speed, Albert Breer says. **More ...**
Entering his seventh season with the Eagles, Celek said Kelly let him know every step of the way where he stood as the team built its tight end corps -- signing James Casey and drafting Zach Ertz.
Questions about Celek's future have been raised after, like most of the Eagles, he had a mediocre 2012 season. However, Celek currently provides the best target over the middle and generally is near the top of the league in yards after the catch at his position.
Celek said Kelly likes using multiple tight ends on the field, as the Patriots do, which means he should see the field often this season.
"Any time you have three tight ends on the field or two tight ends, the defense has to pick whether they want to put an extra linebacker or an extra (defensive back)," Celek said. "I think you can get mismatches based on that ... you've got bigger guys. If they want to put a (defensive back) on you, you can run the ball. If they want to put a linebacker on you, you can throw the ball."
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
