Eagles

Marcus Hayes with a KFC Double Down on his Jalen Hurts “Insecure” Comments

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jun 27th, 2023 · 9:48 AM EDT

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Marcus Hayes got ripped last week for using the word “insecure” to describe Jalen Hurts in a passage that was complimentary of the Eagles quarterback.

A refresher from the Birds 365 appearance:

“My observation, and John (McMullen) has been around him more, but my observation with Jalen Hurts is he’s probably the most insecure athlete in Philadelphia, who uses the insecurity to his advantage. I think he knows what his limitations are and always have been. That’s one reason he works so hard, to optimize every bit of ability he has. That’s one reason he works so hard to be in the best physical shape he can be in. And he works so hard to understand the league, whatever system he’s running offensively, what his own teammates can do. You hear this all the time – “I’ve never seen a player work as hard as player X.” Jalen Hurts works as hard as Michael Jordan, you know? He really does.”

Here’s Marcus on 94 WIP later clarifying/doubling down on the comments:

.@inkstainedretch joined @MarksReeseWIP to clarify his comments on Jalen Hurts. pic.twitter.com/Yq7fy33cgg

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) June 26, 2023

Nothing wrong with the macro-level thought, but there are better words to use than “insecure.” “Self-aware” gets the point across and comes without a negative connotation. Marcus mentions a “fear of failure,” which is an accurate concept that doesn’t necessarily equate to being insecure. You can be the most confident and secure person in the world and have a fear of failure. That’s a general motivational thought and not necessarily related to self-confidence.

Again, what he said about Hurts was complimentary, it just got blown up because of one word specifically and we got a half-clarification, half double-down.