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Jalen Hurts is the Exact Guy the Eagles Need at Quarterback
By Sean Barnard
Published:
Jalen Hurts has a career 54-22 record as the starting quarterback. He is the reigning Super Bowl MVP who has outplayed Patrick Mahomes on the biggest stage twice, led the team to the playoffs every year he has been the quarterback, and the Super Bowl on two occasions. The Eagles are off to an 8-2 start this season with Hurts at the helm, with the quarterback throwing for 16 touchdowns, rushing for six, and having just one interception on the season thus far.
By any objective measure, this is about as much of a glowing success as possible. Franchises across the NFL would be bending over backwards to have this level of success and this level of quarterback play. But in this city? Not so much.
The latest controversy surrounding Hurts stemmed from Derrick Gunn discussing alleged frustrations from inside the organization during an Eagles postgame show:
I’ll start by saying that I set the chances that anyone credible within the Eagles’ organization would make a comparison of Jalen Hurts to Carson Wentz (salary cap, personality, play, or anything in between) at 0.0%. Gunn has certainly earned his stripes through the years, but any credible voice within an organization is incredibly careful and calculated with their words. At best, this feels like reading between the lines and taking a massive leap in doing so. It is also worth noting that “people in the organization” is a broad stroke to paint with. There is a disgruntled star wide receiver who has not been tight-lipped with his frustrations, and I am sure the night time janitor has some takes to get off his/her chest as well.
This is not to say Jalen Hurts is absolved from criticism. No quarterback is, and certainly not in Philadelphia. It does not take a keen eye to note the Eagles’ offense has not played to their peak this year, and the quarterback has to wear the burden of that responsibility. They rank eighth in the NFL in scoring, 17th in total yards, 15th in passing yards, and 19th in rushing yards. Their +3.3 average margin of victory ranks 11th in the NFL on the year.
But it is a results-based world that we live in. Those results specifically are winning a Super Bowl seven months ago and losing two games in the 10 weeks of NFL football since. We don’t have to go down the keep the main thing the main thing cliches or whatever other quotes he spits at the podium. But as the famed poet Herm Edwards once said, “You play to win the game.”
You can critique how the offense looks and how much of that directly has to do with Hurts’ skillset. You can also critique that his personality is not the exact match you hope for in a franchise quarterback. His stoicism and lack of expression can be perceived the wrong way and may not always be what you want for from a face of the team and organization.
But his ability to handle this type of nonsense is exactly what makes Jalen Hurts the right guy to be the Eagles’ starting quarterback. This type of mental fortitude is far more important than any ability to throw a slant route or execute a read option. There are and have been quarterbacks who would crumble under a fraction of this type of pressure. The bar of expectations for team success is as high as any team in the league, and Hurts has continually found ways to reach this. When things are going bad, all criticism comes down on the quarterback’s shoulders. The same has to be true when things are going well.
There isn’t a sane human being who believes Tanner McKee could be a better starting QB. The Eagles may have found a gem as a backup quarterback option, and the organization should be thrilled at the flashes he has shown, but this is still the same guy who threw just 28 touchdowns to 15 interceptions across his two seasons at Stanford and was a sixth-round pick for a reason. Outside of falling victim to backup quarterback fever or being fueled by angry radio callers, common sense has to kick in that any sort of buzz is just in theory; the guy you don’t see is better than the guy you do. Externally, the conversation for quarterbacks that could be a fit from a skillset and mentality perspective is just as few.
Hurts has not led one of the best offenses in the league this season, but he has in years past. There is a world where this perceived rift that originates in the media is exactly what the team needs. An us-against-the-world mentality is a bit unique for a defending champion, but voices trying to tear a team apart could bring them together internally. Just about every organization in football would desire to trade places with the Eagles, and the number of teams that wouldn’t trade their quarterback for Jalen Hurts is a lot fewer than people want to acknowledge.
Jalen Hurts has done everything possible to prove he is the right guy to be the Eagles’ franchise quarterback, and it is about time we all start acting like it.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.