Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: Arrow Keeps Pointing Up
PHILADELPHIA – There are obvious traits to look for when evaluating quarterback prospects.
Third-year Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni values four things when it comes to playing the position at the professional level: decision-making, accuracy, arm strength (defined as the ability to make NFL throws consistently not the Nolan Ryan fastball or the skill to drop to one’s knee and still git the crossbar from midfield), and finally the ability to make off-schedule plays.
Sirianni is an interesting study as an offensive mind in Year 15 as a professional coach. He’s a made man after starting his head-coaching career with a .676 winning percentage over his first two years (23-11) with consecutive playoff berths and a run toward Super Bowl LVII.
The coach is a receiver by trade but mentored the quarterback position in 2014-15 with the then-San Diego Chargers where he developed a tremendous affinity and undying respect for Philip Rivers, an eight-time Pro Bowl player who retired after the 2020 season in Indianapolis where Sirianni was the offensive coordinator in his last stop before arriving to Philadelphia.
Sirianni’s hand in developing Hurts from a lightly-regarded starter entering the 2021 season into the runner-up to MVP Patrick Mahomes last season is well-documented and also includes the efforts of many like current Colts head coach Shane Steichen, Eagles passing game coordinator and now associate head coach Kevin Pautullo, as well as long-time Hurts' family confidante Brian Johnson, who worked with the $255 million superstar on a daily basis as the quarterbacks coach in 2021-22 before being elevated to offensive coordinator once Steichen got the big chair in Indy.
Of course, no one deserves more credit than Hurts himself, a player who has storybook intangibles when it comes to worth ethic, drive, and perhaps best of all, the willingness to listen to others trying to help him improve.
“It’s movie, too good to be true stuff,” a former Eagles assistant coach said of Hurts, “but it’s real.”
Sirianni thrives on connection, No. 1 on his list of the five core values he wants to instill. Like Hurts, Sirianni is a coach’s son and often traces his QB's mindset back to that upbringing.
“Jalen may be the most coachable person I’ve ever been around in my life,” Sirianni said. “He’s just always looking to get better.”
If there was ever a time to let the foot off the gas for Hurts, this would be it but there is little evidence to support that is going to happen and even less worrying from the Eagles despite handing out the biggest contract in franchise history.
“My focus has been turning my weaknesses into my strengths,” Hurts said when asked about his offseason mentality. “Now somebody is going to ask, what are my weaknesses? That’s for me to know. But, it’s just all about getting better. I think about all the different things last year maybe that I did at a high level and then, to my standards, that I didn’t do at a high level.”
The critics – and there have been many in Hurts’ rise to the top of the NFL – are like muted Twitter trolls, shouting into a void with less angst than Hurts is going to levy at himself.
“I think the thing that kind of keeps me going is being my biggest critic, and certain things are allowed, but for me, it may not be,” the quarterback said. “So, knowing that, staying true to that, staying true to myself and also staying true to my coaches, taking that coaching and continuing to grow.”
Somewhat famous for slogans that bootleggers quickly turn into t-shirts, Hurts’ best might be his mantra on the way from undesirable prospect (for some) to undeniable star:
“I had a purpose before everybody had an opinion.”
No one’s opinion has changed more than the Eagles’ organization. From starry-eyed dreams of Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson to the current mindset of not letting their young quarterback down.
“That’s our job as coaches to make sure we’re feeding him good information,” Sirianni said. “I see another jump in everything that he’s done with accuracy, with the decision-making. … I do see his development continuing.
“... I don’t know what his ceiling is because he just keeps getting better, and he’s going to continue to do that.”
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today 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 YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
