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It’s Time to Get Mad on the Internet Because Jalen Hurts Was Placed in a Particular Spot in a Quarterback Ranking Story
Published:
ESPN put out the results of a summer poll ranking NFL quarterbacks:
Jeremy Fowler has the byline for this story, which reveals that the honorable mentions went to Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, and then… Jalen Hurts.
Which is no big deal.
Hurts threw for a career-high 25 touchdowns last season with just six interceptions. He had 3,224 yards, which was on the light side, and he ran for 200 fewer yards on 50 fewer attempts than he did during the Super Bowl year. So it was a bit of a different situation with A.J. Brown wanting out, the line being banged up, and the offense just never firing on all cylinders in what amounted to a disappointing title defense.
We’ve been over this a million times before, but when it comes to Jalen, there are several things that need to be taken into consideration. He is not a gunslinger and never will be. He is a dual-threat quarterback who uses his legs effectively, throws a nice deep ball, and is smart with protecting the rock and limiting turnovers. That skill set may not be what the LA Rams are looking for, but it was the perfect fit on a couple of Eagles teams that went to Super Bowls and ran the hell out of the football with Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, and Hurts himself, via designed concepts and improvised scrambles, too. He was the perfect fit in the Nick Sirianni offense, and the hiring of Sean Mannion essentially ushers in Hurts 2.0, so these offseason rankings really should come with a “TBD” attached to them, because Jalen is currently in a transitional moment.
“I know it has been up-and-down, but I’m still betting on the Super Bowl credentials, the intangibles and the toughness,” says an anonymous AFC offensive coach in the story. Most Eagles fans would probably agree with this individual.
EDIT – ESPN does this every year, but here’s the criteria if you need a refresher:
“Here’s how it works: Voters gave their own top 10 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research. More than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed contributed to placements.
This was not a five-year projection or a career achievement award, but meant to answer a simple question: Who are the best players right now?”
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com