Doug Pederson has had several of his players with Super Bowl rings address the team recently. So Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Maragos and Chris Long told stories about their runs to the big game. It was a valuable learning process for everyone.

One other guy spoke too.

And his message seemed to really hit home for some of his teammates.

"It was great to hear those guys who won the Super Bowl talk about their experiences," defensive end Vinny Curry said, "but the best speech of them all was when [Brent] Celek addressed the team. At least that's what I felt. Because I felt where he was coming from. We playing for each other.

"It's been nine years since he's been to this point right here. And it's like man, think about that. Ain't nobody trying to sit on the couch next weekend and watch the game. It's going to be a sick feeling. We're going to leave it all out there on Saturday."

If the Eagles can't win this playoff game Saturday for themselves, maybe they can win the damn game for Brent Celek, who just deserves to have one more playoff run.

The consummate pro, the ultimate teammate, the fiercest of competitors. Celek has lasted so long with the Eagles he's become the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia.

"Celek is one of the guys that I definitely respect and I know every guy on the team has a ton of respect for," defensive tackle Tim Jernigan said. "He's truly the definition of the word 'Eagle,' you know what I mean? When he got up and spoke, I think it sat well with all of us. … We're definitely going to rally up under Brent, man, we know what it means to him. S---, we know what it means to all of us to win this football game."

While the guys with the rings told their experiences of getting there, Celek told his story. Of the missed chances after finding success so early in his career. Trey Burton said he wasn't as surprised by Celek's speech; he's been on the receiving end of his words of wisdom for years.

"It's just something that I would expect from Celek," Burton said. "He's one of the best do it, especially here in Philly. They love him. He's a legend here. Anytime he steps up and says something, people listen. That's just the respect he's earned throughout the years."

This is Celek's 11th year in Philadelphia. He has been in the playoffs just four times during his career, and he hasn't gotten this far since his second season in the league. In his last three playoff appearances, the Eagles have been bounced in the wild-card round.

During that magical 2008 season, Celek and the Eagles got all the way to the NFC Championship Game before losing to the Cardinals, 32-25. They haven't been close since.

"After that game was over, I was upset, but I was thinking this could happen three or four more times in my career," Celek said Tuesday. "And nine years later, I'm sitting here now in the divisional round. Obviously, everything can run through Philadelphia if we do what we're supposed to do. We've got a great opportunity but we have to take advantage of it."

Back in the 2008 season, Celek was entering his prime as a pass-catching tight end. In that NFC Championship Game against the Cardinals, Celek had 10 catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns. It's the only 10-catch game in Eagles playoff history. It's one of just 15 games in NFL playoff history with 10 catches, 80 yards and two touchdowns.

Celek, now 32, isn't much of a pass-catcher anymore. This season, he pulled in just 130 receiving yards, the lowest total of his 11-year career that is clearly reaching its twilight.

Not once has Celek complained about his dwindling chances in the offense. He's been the ultimate pro, a true Eagle. That's probably why his words carried so much weight Tuesday.

"These opportunities don't come very often," Celek said. "I know we've got a good football team, a special team. We gotta take advantage of this. It doesn't matter what anybody says. At the end of the day, we're the ones going out on that field and we can make a difference."