Who Cares What Chris Simms Thinks About Jalen Hurts?
We are apparently in the Chris Simms portion of the offseason when it comes to the Eagles.
That's where the former NFL quarterback and current NBC analyst Chris Simms "disrespects" Jalen Hurts and becomes enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the Eagles' fan base, at least until the next manufactured controversy unveils itself.
Simms' sins were evidently egregious last year when the son of former New York Giants star Phil Simms left the then-completely unproven Hurts off his top 40 QB list before the now third-year signal-caller helped lead the Eagles to the postseason with a campaign good enough for Pro Bowl alternate status and 26 total touchdowns, with 10 of those rushing.
You would think that would teach the hand-wringers about meaningless lists generated to fuel the content machine that is perpetual NFL talk.
This time around, Simms couldn't justify completely snubbing Hurts but the ranking isn't exactly acceptable to those in Philadelphia at No. 25 behind such luminaries as Daniel Jones, Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence, and Zach Wilson.
The ensuing angst from Hurts devotees remains ridiculous of course.
Simms is just one guy offering up his opinion and he's obviously taking into account projection and traits in his particular formula because the younger QBs who struggled last season like Lawrence, Wilson, and Fields were all top 11 picks in the 2021 draft and have top-tier skills sets. Jones, meanwhile, was also a former top-10 draft pick.
Explanations aside, though, who cares?
Simms is allowed to have his opinion and you can also feel free to realize it's meaningless to Hurts, the Eagles, and really society in general and simply move on to an opinion you like.
If you need the other side of the spectrum, take a look at the latest MVP odds from www.BetOnline.ag, which have Hurts going from 66/1 on March 14 to 18/1 on May 25 behind only this who's who of current NFL QBs: Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Russell Wilson.
The betting public fueling that "value" is just as off base as Simms.
Just like in politics, you can shop for any extreme view you like if it's all about tribe first and that's your end game.
Or better yet, it's still free to join the sane in the real world, understand the extremes are called wing nuts for a reason, and stop getting angry about things that don't matter.
Just a thought.
-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 "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
