Time seems right to let Hurts run free
Jalen Hurts might not be the mobile quarterback answer to all the Eagles’ problems. Certainly not like Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson would be, no disrespect to Carson Wentz.
But with a 1-4-1 record and an ailing three-down running back in Miles Sanders, Thursday night would be a good time for the Eagles to see how the upwardly mobile Hurts might handle an expanded role.
After all, the New York Giants (1-5) are coming to town. They have a new head coach in Joe Judge and a seven-game losing streak versus the Eagles. How many costly mistakes could anybody make to change that history?
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson didn’t seem as if he’d given serious consideration to a bigger role for Hurts during his news conference Monday. He was still drained from the 30-28 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
If the 2020 season has proven anything to Pederson it’s that the Eagles have a penchant for falling behind, losing multiple starters to injury, playing their hearts out and coming up short at the wire.
Critics spend the next few days blaming Howie Roseman for signing this old guy or that and having a knack for drafting unproductive wide receivers the first two days of the draft.
Pederson nonetheless liked the idea of more Hurts. Who wouldn’t after looking at his most recent tape? Hurts rushed for 23 yards on two carries, including a 20-yard run to get the Birds their initial first down Sunday, and caught a three-yard pass from Wentz in a season-high seven snaps.
“First of all, in Miles’ case, we haven’t made a determination yet if he’s out or not,” Pederson said. “So, obviously we’re hopeful there. In the case of Jalen, obviously you saw yesterday some of what we call X plays or plays that are sort of un-scouted with him and have been productive for us in the last three or four weeks. I think it’s something that we’ve got to continue to explore.
“It does give us the ability to run the football with him. He’s like another – I don’t want to say he’s another running back – but he’s a quarterback that can run the zone-read plays from the quarterback position.”
Wentz, for all his enthusiasm, is the wrong guy to operate the read option. That two-point attempt that could have sent the Ravens game
into overtime was a glaring example of how out of his element Wentz is when he has to sync up his legs with what he sees.
The Ravens’ L.J. Fort and Matthew Judon sandwiched Wentz and running back Boston Scott, who Wentz pulled the ball from in the backfield. Nick Foles probably got a good belly laugh out of that. When he ran the option, he knew enough to get rid of the ball quickly and accurately.
Hurts ran a similar scheme to the Eagles/Foles version of the read option at Oklahoma, and he ran it famously, rushing for 21 touch
downs and throwing for 32 scores. For the most part he made good decisions (just eight interceptions), took a licking (233 rushes) and kept on ticking (played in all 14 games).
No one is suggesting that Hurts run between the tackles, help in blitz pickup or go over the middle to catch passes, which is the traditional role of an Eagles running back.
But like Pederson said, the un-scouted looks are interesting.
In five games Hurts has seven rushes for 49 yards (7.0-yard average) and three first downs. He threw an 18yard pass over the middle to tight end Richard Rodgers for another first down.
Hurts blew it trying to run the read option on the twopoint conversion attempt following the Eagles’ first TD against the Ravens.
On the other hand, motioning Hurts across the formation with Wentz at quarterback clearly has helped the Eagles in short yardage situations as it gives the opposition another guy to account for.
Using Hurts on misdirection plays the way the Pittsburgh Steelers used wide receivers Ray-Ray McCloud (58-yard burst) and Chase Claypool (rushing TD) against the Eagles makes a lot of sense. And you have the throwing option, as well.
Where is it written that Wentz has to be on the field at the same time Hurts does his thing? Wentz hasn’t acted at all threatened by the use of Hurts. In fact, his block against the Ravens enabled Hurts to roll 20 yards instead of 10.
Let’s be real about Wentz. Except for the opener, he’s been a slow starter and a big finisher. A little more Hurts early in games, especially with some of those nonscouted looks, might keep the opposition on its heels.
Let’s also not forget Wentz’s fourth-quarter flurries basically stem from the opposition playing prevent types of defense.
The downside to giving Hurts an expanded role is it exposes him to injury. After all, he is your backup quarterback unless the Eagles choose to keep Nate Sudfeld active, as well. The injury factor cannot be overstated. Wentz and center Jason
Kelce are the only Eagles to start every game on offense this season.
Wide receiver Greg Ward, who played quarterback at Houston, would be the emergency quarterback should something happen to Wentz and Hurts.
The other issue is rhythm, or possibly a lack thereof, should Hurts appear more frequently. While it works with Drew Brees and Taysom Hill in New Orleans it’s easier for a quarterback to fall out of rhythm than to get into it, so there’s some risk there.
Then again, the Eagles’ slow starts and lack of creative play-calling aren’t doing them any favors.
“It’s something that we’re definitely going to continue to explore each week if it’s conducive,” Pederson said. “It has been successful for us, and I could see things continuing each week that way.”