With theSuper Bowl still over a week away, one prevailing narrative has been growing with each passing day: Jalen Hurts is the Philadelphia Eagles’ weak link.
Now granted, this isn’t exactly new, as Hurts has pretty much been getting flack from opposing fans – and even some of Philly’s faithful – for years now, especially as the Eagles have pulled back on the number of passes thrown weekly, but the narrative remains nonetheless and will all but define the big day regardless of how the game shakes out.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, head coach Nick Sirianni called that assertion a bunch of bull, as he wouldn’t want to go into the game with any other quarterback under center.
“I think Jalen and I go through a lot of the same things in that aspect, which we can relate with to each other on that. All I know is all he does is win, and he puts us in a position to win. He’s selfless; he doesn’t really care how we win and he goes about his business every day. And I don’t think that’s talked about enough, about how well he’s done at just leading the football team,” Sirianni told McAfee.
“Playing quarterback is more than just the stats that show up on paper at the end of the game, right? It’s getting you in and out of plays, it’s takign care of the football, it’s making the right throws and the right reads, knowing the right time to run. But he’s just been in complete control and comes to work every day unphased by anything, and I can’t say enough good things about him. I said what I said after the postgame last time on the podium there: I just think he’s a stud, and I wouldn’t want anyone else leading this football team.”
Is Sirianni being truthful? It’s hard to say, but considering he did, in fact, say the same thing after the game on Sunday, the track record is certainly there.
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Nick Sirianni has been celebrating Jalen Hurts’ winning ways for weeks
Speaking of Sirianni’s post-game comments, the Eagles head coach did, in fact, have similar things to say, right down to the verbiage he chose to deploy.
“Yeah, we’ve been through a lot together, right? A lot of wins, some down times. That’s what kind of forges relationships. I don’t want anybody else leading this team at quarterback other than him. He’s a winner. Again, he deals with so much criticism which just blows my mind because of the questions I have to answer. I don’t look too much into that. The questions I have to answer it’s just like, man, this guy wins. He’s won his entire life. That’s more important. Winning at quarterback is more important than any stat that you go through” Sirianni told reporters.
“Sometimes I feel like it’s a negative on him. It kind of blows your mind. He wins. He’s a winner. I don’t want anyone else leading us other than Jalen Hurts. I’m proud of the way he went out there and battled today and played today. He doesn’t care about anything other than winning, and I know that, and that’s selfless.”
Okay, so one of two things is true: either Sirianni is an expert actor who learned these lines from Eagles PR, or he genuinely believes them. At this point, you decide.