No Worries About Unintended Consequences Tied to Jalen Hurts' Work Ethic
PHILADELPHIA - Jalen Hurts' first offseason as the presumptive starting quarterback in Philadelphia ended in an apropos fashion Friday, on the Lincoln Financial Field turf.
The scaled-back work this spring will be buttressed over the next seven weeks or so by Hurts' relentless work ethic, something coach Nick Sirianni mentioned when discussing the second-year signal-caller and what was accomplished with offseason hurdles devoid of teamwork or even 7-on-7 drills.
Of course, that's still more than the then-rookie QB got in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“[Hurts] comes to work every single day with the intent to get better every single day," said Sirianni. "And I just saw, even from Zoom meetings when we got in, I just saw him take command of the offense, and really just take command of the offense and was just on it. You ask him a question, he's on it. It’s really translated into walk-throughs on the field and in drill work.
“... He is a relentless worker."
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If Hurts does ultimately fail in what's expected to be a one-off opportunity to earn the QB1 job with the Eagles in 2021, it won't be from shying away from the grind.
When Hurts is away from the NovaCare Complex, he's often working with his personal QB tutor, Qunicy Avery, or getting his receivers together to build chemistry in South Texas.
With Sirianni, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo and quarterbacks Brian Johnson working to turn Hurts from a promising rookie to a finished product, there could be unintended consequences to outside work.
Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland explained the mindset back in 2019 when discussing the emerging Jordan Mailata and the potential of handing off his project to a developmental league.
"The guys that we have, I want to be able to have them here, coaching them on our technique and our scheme and what we’re trying to get done," said Stoutland.
Brian Baldinger on Jalen Hurts via Eagles Unfiltered podcast
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Sirianni, though, understands the current landscape in the industry and realizes when the CBA says it's not possible to work with someone, having a player who wants to do extracurricular work away from the complex has to be regarded as a positive.
"I think a lot of times those personal guys that they have, it's like having a coach right there on the field with them," the coach said when asked about the cottage industry of personal tutors by SI.com's Eagle Maven.
"And the guys are savvy enough - and what's cool about the NFL is you work together. We work together to get better. We work together on those fundamentals to get better. Some of the best things I've learned as a coach is from different players."
READ MORE: Philadelphia Eagles players react to Jalen Hurts' spring OTAs ...
Sirianni admits there are different ways to teach and outside influence could differ from inside objectives but that doesn't automatically make it a negative.
"...There are different ways to do it," said the coach. "Yes, we like to - they know what our coaching points are, but we're not stubborn in the sense of hey, that coaching point is pretty good too; I like that. That's good coaching is when you learn from other people and not being too egotistical or stubborn to say my way is the only way to do it."
A positive person by nature, Sirianni did at least allude to some potential unwanted consequences as well.
"Love when they work with guys and they come back with new thoughts," said Sirianni. "But when we come back together, we'll see if we all agree on those new thoughts again. So, when they're working and working hard, that's what it's about, the biggest thing is that they're working and working hard at their craft."
Under his own auspices, Sirianni explained what he liked most about Hurts' development during the OTAs.
"Really impressed with his command, his attention to detail, his work ethic," Sirianni said. "He's got all those intangibles right there, and I was really impressed with that from him. And then just on the field, he’s just got a really compact throwing motion where he can get it out with ease, and super athletic when he's throwing on the run and moving and reading the defense."
Come training camp, the fingers will be crossed that those positives have been advanced and not unraveled.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
