Travis & Jason Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ Ep. 50: Andy Reid’s training camps

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his older brother — Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — host a weekly podcast called “New Heights.” The title is an homage to the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, neighborhood in which they grew up.

In Episode 50, the Kelce brothers talk about returning to training camp — and how much Travis regrets that he was unable to mack on Taylor Swift when her “Eras Tour” passed through Arrowhead Stadium.

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“New Heights” with Jason & Travis Kelce | Jukes Original Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment | You can also listen to the show on Spotify.

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1. Travis fails to write his “Love Story” with Taylor Swift

If you’re making a list of the most eligible bachelors in America, Travis might not be at the top of the list — but he’s definitely on the list. And if you made a list of the most eligible ladies, Taylor Swift would definitely be on it — if not close to the top. So it only stands to reason that Travis might stand a chance at being the next name on Swift’s list of famous ex-lovers.

Alas, this affair wasn’t meant to be — but it wasn’t because Travis didn’t try.

“Well,” he told Jason, “I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before (or after) her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings. So I was a little butthurt that I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.

“If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets — and I received a bunch of them [by] being there — but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it.”

Even the best-laid plans sometimes fail — and by the sound of it, there might now be some bad blood between Travis and Swift.

“She doesn’t meet anybody — or at least she didn’t want to meet me,” said Travis. “So I took it personal.”

It’s okay, Travis. To coin a phrase, just shake it off. Besides, it’s football season. It’s time to concentrate on rings — not bracelets.

2. The start of training camp

Call me old-fashioned — but the idea of going to training camp as a player always sounded awesome to me. Going to summer camps were among the best memories of my childhood. Being surrounded by your best friends 24/7 and eating meals together? It was great! Add in some football and I can’t think of a better combination.

I know the Chiefs aren’t at camp to have fun or make memories. It’s their job — and every day, there’s a grueling workout in ungodly heat. But if watching The Franchise has taught us anything, it’s that at their core, these grown men are little boys. If you seclude them together, they’ll find a way to make mischief and have fun.

Still, for a player like Travis — whose offseason has been filled with media appearances, live shows and podcasts — the idea of a regimented schedule and isolation is just what the doctor ordered.

“I do love training camp, though,” admitted Kelce. “This has been a fun offseason — but I have had zero structure to my life. I’m ready to just get right back to it. I don’t have to answer anybody’s questions. I don’t have to do anything off the field. I can just tell everybody, ‘F—k off.’”

3. Why Andy Reid’s training camps are harder

Both Jason and Travis have been lucky enough to survive at least one of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s training camps. (Jason went through one of his camps when Reid was still with the Eagles). The brothers think that what makes Reid’s camps different is that the days are long.

“Coach Reid is getting every bit of that frickin’ union timesheet,” joked Travis — referring to the length of time players are allowed to practice under the NFL Players Association’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the league.

They also believe that while some organizations begin their camps with meetings, Reid throws players straight into the fire — putting them right on the practice field

“And the other thing that stands out about Andy is that they are long practices,” added Jason. “I’m not sure how long they are now.”

“Two or two and a half hours,” interjected Travis, “but we are maxing that sh—t out.”

“We used to have some in Philly that were over three hours,” recalled Jason. “And I’m going to be honest: I don’t think we have any that are over two hours with Nick [Sirianni]. Like maybe two-fifteen — but then you’re off the field.”

Finally, Reid uses something called “the long-drive drill.”

“I don’t ever want to do long-drive drill ever again,” laughed Jason.

“It’s a scripted (or unscripted) set of plays that the coaches have for you,” explained Travis, “where the ‘ones’ will go up against the ‘ones’ for anywhere from 14 to 18 plays.

“So you’ll start on one side of the field... and it will end in the red zone... You find out a lot about yourself in the long-drive drill.”

Like maybe... you don’t like the long-drive drill?