A little over 16 months ago, Nov 17, 2020. Jalen Hurts shocked the New Orleans Saints in his first NFL start, by leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 24–21 win.
Once upon a time, everyone was “in” on Jalen Hurts. The future at the QB position seemed to be bright. The fan base was excited and energized.
That Eagles win over the Saints, mathematically, gave them an opportunity for a playoff run. The city was behind the Birds, and Jalen. The fans were ready to anoint Hurts the toast of the town. I would read tweets claiming “Hurts is my QB” “Hurts QB1” etc. The Eagles ended the 2020 season with optimism.
Most fans and radio talking heads couldn’t wait to get rid of Carson Wentz. When he was dealt away to the Colts, most everyone rejoiced. That lasted less than a year.
During the offseason the Eagles underwent a massive overhaul. A new head coach, new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator and many more new faces all over the organization. With the new faces came new philosophies, and new systems (Jalen’s 6th system in 6 years, all the way back to High School *stat per Reuben Franks).
At the start of 2021, and coming off a 4 win season, most fans didn’t think the Eagles would win more than 6 games. The understanding was that with new coaches, and a first year starting QB, comes a lot of growing pains.
Remember when newly drafted QB’s sat on the sidelines for 2 or more years and learned the playbook, the speed of the game, etc. Well, those days are over. Jalen was thrown into the fire right away.
Hurts took a team with 3 offensive rookies starting (DeVonta, Landon, Gainwell & Jalen was a first year starter) and lead them to a 9–8 record. The Eagles, and Jalen, exceeded all expectations. He lead the team to the playoffs with a very flawed roster. The fans, once again, were excited and energized about the future, right?
Well, not exactly.
By seasons end, lots of people were “out” on Jalen Hurts. Why? Because he didn’t play well in his first ever playoff game? (Neither did Kyler Murray) Or is it the plethora of other reasons I see on social media; “He can’t read a defense, He doesn’t have a strong arm, and He is only a running back” etc, etc. As if all of that were true. Or as if, he alone shoulders the blame for a roster of 53 losing a playoff game. You know what though, he would accept it. He always does.
What has he done to be such a polarizing figure? Ben Simmons quit on this city. Carson Wentz was resentful because the Eagles won without him. Hurts hasn’t done any of this.
Jalen Hurts is 23. He works hard, accepts every challenge, takes responsibility for his failures and has improved year over year. Are there things he needs to improve upon? Absolutely. Will and should the Eagles always to look improve the roster, including the QB position? Definitely. There are still many unknowns with Jalen. Including, what his ceiling is, and if hard work, film study and more reps can correct the issues he has struggled with. Everyone who knows him believes he will put in the work, and he has never shied away from the competition. If that doesn’t earn him an opportunity, it should at least earn him your respect.
Who knows how his 2022 season will go. Or IF he will be the starting QB. Nobody, outside of Lurie and Howie knows if they want him to be the starter moving forward.
What we do know is that his teammates are all in. Most every influential player in recent memory are all in too.
Merrill Reese has called 45 years of Philadelphia Eagle football games, and seen everything there is to see on a field. McNabb is arguably the greatest QB in franchise history. Randall revolutionized the position and has won a league MVP. They have earned the right to have an opinion. Brian Dawkins is a Hall of Fame legend, who has earned the right for his voice to be heard. Jason Kelce is coming back to risk his body one more season for a chance at another championship because he believes in this team, and Jalen Hurts. If they aren’t going “in and out” why do so many of you?
Look below at what each have had to say. If you still feel you don’t agree after reading the comments from all of this combined wealth of knowledge, that’s fine too. But if you are a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, at the very least, you could still root for the QB of your team to succeed. Wishing for his downfall so that you can hop on your time line and “be right”, just seems wrong.
Jason Kelce on Jalen Hurts: ‘Somebody I want in my corner’
They were both doubted early in their career. People questioned whether they had the physical tools to get the job…www.nbcsports.com
Why Brian Dawkins is a big believer in Jalen Hurts
Eagles legend Brian Dawkins spoke with John Clark about Jalen Hurts and his ability to grow into a franchise…www.nbcsports.com
Donovan Mcnabb
Still Believe in Eagles’ Hurts? Donovan McNabb Preaches Patience
When some people watched Jalen Hurts struggle in the Eagles’ 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers in the wild card round, they…www.nbcphiladelphia.com
Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham explains why he’s ‘all-in’ on Jalen Hurts
Former NFL QB Randall Cunningham explains why he’s ‘all-in’ on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. This game…
Merrill Reese
By the way, Russell Wilson had a no trade clause and refused to waive that for a deal to the Eagles. The same can be said with DeShaun Watson. They did not look at Philadelphia as a viable option. They did not see enough talent to believe they could win with the Eagles as the team is currently constructed. So why is there an unrelenting desire to be wanted by them? When did this fan base want someone so bad, that didn’t want them back?
I hope we will be there for the players who want to be here. The ones who put their bodies on the line for this franchise. Not a couple prima donnas who were never going to want you back.
If Jalen has a bad 2022 campaign, and you no longer want to be “IN”, go back to exuding that west coast attitude we all used to despise. Maybe enjoy their famous burger joint as well, and be “OUT” again.
As always, thanks for reading
David
3/18/2022