Warner thinks Hurts’ promotion a no-brainer
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner is a fan of Jalen Hurts.
Warner is as surprised as anyone with the season-long decline of Carson Wentz, who, three years after a near-MVP campaign, has looked like a bust. And no, not one of those bronze busts in Canton, Ohio.
What puzzles Warner are the reports that Wentz is unhappy about being demoted. One insider said the Eagles have been told Wentz doesn’t want to return in 2021 if he’s the backup.
“You could be hurt if you’re Carson Wentz,” Warner said in his analyst role with the NFL Network. “But if you’ve watched Jalen Hurts play the last two weeks, it’s obvious that Jalen Hurts should be starting moving forward. He has been a playmaker. He has done what he’s needed to do to give his team a chance to win both weeks. The bottom line is he’s going out there and making play after play after play. And ironically enough that’s what Carson Wentz did at the beginning of his career, in his second year. And that’s what he did at the end of last year and that’s why everybody was excited about him.”
Wentz far too often couldn’t get out of his own way behind the Eagles’ ever-changing offensive line. For Hurts, it’s barely an issue.
Wentz couldn’t find open receivers and threw a ball that was difficult to catch. Just ask Zach Ertz.
Hurts has shown touch, arm strength and vision. Again, just ask Ertz, who last week caught two passes for 69 yards, arguably his most productive day of the season.
When the season ends, the Eagles will have decisions to make on Wentz, head coach Doug Pederson and his staff. And given the input they’re getting from consultant and long-time front office executive John Dorsey, possibly even a new role for general manager Howie Roseman moving forward. The Wentz resolution looms large.
“He wasn’t making those plays this year,” Warner said. “They put in Jalen Hurts and he’s making those plays and guys are believing in him and they believe they have a chance every time out. I don’t know what that means moving forward. But there’s
no question (Hurts) is obviously the starter moving forward because of what he’s done these first two weeks.”
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Few Eagles have improved as much this season as Jordan Mailata, now a functional starter at left tackle. No player had more room for improvement, either, which is why it’s entirely too early to anoint him the successor to Jason Peters.
Mailata still looks like he’s playing rugby at times, one good snap followed by a mistake. As imposing as the 6-foot
8, 380-pounder is, he’s still a sucker for the bull rush that sets up other moves.
To his credit, Mailata is learning how to use his size and 35½-inch arms to create gaps and space, thanks largely to encouragement from veteran teammates like Brandon Graham.
Mailata’s sheer size and good feet make him a perfect zone blocker, his strength to power run-blocking. There is no getting around or into him, assets that Graham allays every chance he has.
“He always tells me, ‘ they scared of you,’” Mailata said. “Every week, every day, even though I don’t go up against him, he always tells me, ‘ They scared of you. Come on, you can do it, they scared of you.’ Those are little things that I appreciate a lot. It goes a long way with my confidence and just to know that a teammate of mine believes in me and it helps me play better.”
There were times when you wondered if Mailata liked pro football enough to stick with it. Not now. He’s one of the first players to congratulate teammates after TDs or to help his quarterback up after a sack.
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In the 1990s, NFC East teams won five of six Super Bowls in one stretch.
Every team has at least one Lombardi Trophy, the Eagles the most recent team to host a championship parade following the 2017 season.
With one game left, the NFC East is 8-22-1 (.274) against outside competition this season. Additionally, the Browns, Cardinals and Rams all have swept the division, going 4-0, and the Ravens are 3-0 with a game Sunday against the Giants.
The Steelers and the Seahawks both are 3-1 against the East. The
49ers are 1-3, the Bengals 0-3-1.
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With 44 sacks, the Eagles trail only the league-leading Steelers (47).
Speaking of the NFC East, of the eight teams with 40 or more sacks, only the Eagles (4-9-1) and the Washington Football Team (6-8) have losing records.
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Of all the solid coaching jobs this season, from Andy Reid with the
Chiefs to Bruce Arians with the Bucs and Sean McDermott with the Bills, my vote for Coach of the Year is cast for Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Think about it. Pandemic, little time to be with the new players and coaches due to COVID-19 protocol, a virus outbreak and still Stefanski, the proud product of Drexel Hill and St. Joseph’s Prep, guides the Browns to a 10-4 record and their first playoff berth since 2002.
Cleveland used to be the place football players went to die. Stefanski has changed the culture.
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The Washington Football Team ranks among the league leaders in defense thanks to a pass rush turbocharged by rookie Chase Young.
The WFT has allowed only three
100-yard receiving games. Joining Brandon Aijuk (49ers) and Amari Cooper (Cowboys) in that category is … Dallas Goedert?
Goedert hauled in eight passes for
101 yards and a TD in the opener for the Eagles. That’s the Birds’ only 100yard receiving game this season.