You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. We’ve all heard it.
Some version of: “Jalen Hurts is a game manager whose success is the product of terrific skill players, a world-class offensive line and an offense that doesn’t ask too much from him.”
Nick Sirianni has heard it.
And he doesn’t hesitate to offer his response:
“Yeah,” Sirianni said. “That’s bullsh–.”
We don’t need to go through the list of well-known football analysts who have questioned Hurts since the Eagles drafted him in the second round in 2020 and haven’t stopped while he’s enjoyed tremendous success in his four seasons as a starter.
Hurts is not a traditional pocket passer. He doesn’t look like Jared Goff, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert or one of the other stat-machine quarterbacks that always end up atop those quarterback rankings. He’s not a guy you measure by passing yards, passer rating or touchdowns.
You measure Hurts by success, and very few quarterbacks in NFL history have enjoyed this much success this fast.
All you really have to do to recognize Hurts’ unique ability is watch him play football.
“I mean, he plays the most important position in all sports,” Sirianni said. “And it’s the most ultimate team game there is. And what I admire about him is his selflessness of doing anything we need to do to win.
“I mean, obviously, anybody who plays quarterback is going to want to throw it 50 times a game. But he’ll do anything. If he has to throw 50 times a game, he’s ready to do that. If he has to hand it off 50 times a game, he’s ready to do that.”
Thanks to fantasy football and sports betting, we link stats with success more than ever lately. And those who love to question Hurts will point out that in his four years as a starter he’s averaged just 220 passing yards per game, 20th-most since 2021 among 25 QBs who’ve started at least 34 games. And his 194 passing yards per game last year ranks 40th out of 53 quarterbacks whose team won a Super Bowl.
The debate whether Hurts is an elite quarterback without monster passing stats is as dumb as it gets.
Who cares?
He wins.
Doesn’t stop the conversation.
“Anytime, I hear that, it’s cool, it’s like a nice debate thing that people like to have,” Sirianni said. “And I get it, there’s a lot of hours that TV shows and radio stations have to fill to be able to fill that debate. I understand that, but we’re talking about the ultimate team game there is and he does whatever he needs to do to win each and every game.”
And what about the argument that Hurts doesn’t have to do much to win because he’s got the NFL’s best offensive line, a record-setting running back and two incredible wide receivers?
“You name me a team that wins and wins consistently that doesn’t have good players around you,” Sirianni said. “Like, you name me a coach that doesn’t have good players around him that wins. Like, you don’t win with bad players, and it’s the same thing you don’t win with bad players as you’re a quarterback either.
“It’s a team game. Yeah, that always bothers me to be honest with you, when it’s talked about because it’s football.”
But Hurts doesn’t just win. He’s done it while putting up numbers that very few quarterbacks have compiled:
• He’s one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to reach two Super Bowls before his 27th birthday, along with Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes.
• His 52 wins are 6th-most ever by a quarterback before his 27th birthday, behind only Mahomes, Roethlisberger, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Drew Bledsoe.
• His 139 total touchdowns – 84 passing, 55 rushing – are 7th-most in NFL history by a quarterback in his first 66 starts.
• His 67 percent postseason completion percentage is 8th-highest in NFL history, and his 73 percent Super Bowl completion percentage is highest among the 26 quarterbacks who’ve played in more than one Super Bowl.
• He’s one of seven quarterbacks with a passer rating of 100 in multiple Super Bowls, and his six playoff games with a passer rating of at least 100 is already 9th-most ever and more than 18 of 22 quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame.
Still not good enough for some people. You know who they are.
“One of the reasons I love football so much is that it takes everybody to accomplish your goals,” Sirianni said. “Listen, you name great quarterbacks, you can go ahead and start naming great quarterbacks. I’ll tell you their great receivers and their great defense.
“You know? Whether it’s Brady with (Rob) Gronkowski or Brady’s defenses, Mahomes with (Travis) Kelce, Steve Young with Jerry Rice. The list goes on and on and on.
“It’s good debate, I guess. I wouldn’t even say it’s a good debate, but it’s a debate that people are able to have. But yeah.
“I guess my first thing, my first initial thing was, this is bullsh–.”
Read the full article here
