Coach applauds rookie Hurts as ‘a phenomenal worker’
The first pro quarterback rookie Jalen Hurts trained with and leaned on for advice works in the AFC, not for the Eagles.
Hurts has a major history with Deshaun Watson, the Pro Bowl passer for the Houston Texans, which began when he and Alabama came up on the wrong end of a 35-31 loss to Clemson in the 2017 national championship.
Until this week Hurts has had only a virtual relationship with Carson Wentz, the Eagles’ franchise quarterback.
“It’s been a weird deal,” Hurts said on a Zoom call. “This whole offseason has been unprecedented, not being in the building, not experiencing things that I would have experienced in a traditional offseason.
“There hasn’t really been much of that communication.”
Hurts nonetheless has been fascinated by Wentz’s approach, including the way he takes over the meetings, puts ideas on the floor and exudes four years of starting experience.
“It was great to sit in the meetings and hear him talk,” Hurts said. “See how he sees the game. Just hear him talk. He’s very knowledgeable with what he’s doing on offense. I just wanted to see him, learn, listen to those things and soak it all in.”
Make no mistake, Hurts has been soaking it all in from Watson, as well as Wentz. It began shortly after the Clemson setback. Hurts ran 30 yards for the touchdown giving Alabama a 31-28 with 2:07 left. That play had MVP written all over it.
Instead Watson followed with the game-winning drive, throwing a touchdown pass with one second left.
The loss was still shaking Tuscaloosa and Nick Saban when Hurts swallowed his pride and asked Watson, who previously had lost to ’Bama in a national title game, how to get over it and come out a champion.
Hurts never got a national crown, having transferred to Oklahoma after losing the starting job to Tua Tagovailoa.
But Hurts, on the college level, turned into the complete quarterback Watson has been in the NFL.
Which is why the Eagles selected Hurts when he slipped into the second round of the NFL draft last April.
Hurts’ interaction with Watson, the competition he lost to Tagovailoa and the experience he gained playing the best teams in college football is showing up daily, even at this early stage with the Eagles.
It’s early yet it doesn’t sound as if Hurts is approaching this opportunity contented to be a backup to Nate Sudfeld or in time, Wentz.
“Jalen has shown that he’s been able to take a lot of information from that spring and retain it and do it,” Eagles passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Press Taylor said on Zoom. “Jalen has been a phenomenal worker. That was always kind of his M.O. The kid is very serious about his work. He asks great questions. He studies on his own. You can tell he’s putting in time outside of our scheduled meeting time because of the questions he comes in and asks the next day. That’s been fun to see. He has gone above and beyond in terms of his work ethic and how he’s poured himself into this learning our offense, learning the people around him, learning the system.”
Hurts mentioned that he’d trained with Watson in Houston by accident. The question was about what it was like to workout with DeSean Jackson, the Eagles’ wide receiver. They also connected in the Lone Star State.
To visualize how Hurts can help this season, you need to go to New Orleans. If Hurts continues to progress, he likely will get his feet wet in a Taysom Hill role this season. Hill plays in the wildcat offense, in short-yardage situations, on special teams as the up-back in punt formation for the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees is fine with it.
Hurts can do more than Hill. Last year with the Sooners Hurts completed 69.7 percent of his attempts for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Hurts was 38-4 as a starter and accounted for 80 touchdowns in a career that began with the Crimson Tide and concluded with the Sooners.
The experience at Alabama, where he lost his job at halftime to Tagovailoa, who led the Tide to the title win, has helped him smell a quarterback controversy question a bandwidth away.
It’s also taught Hurt to leave questions about role to the coaches.
“I’ve played quarterback my whole entire life,” Hurts said. “I’m here just trying to grow at that position and take steps to be the best quarterback that I can be for this team.”
Wentz’s backup coming into camp is Sudfeld. No disrespect to Sudfeld, who has NFL experience, but Hurts has played in a ton of big games.
Assuming the NFL successfully navigates the COVID crisis, the Eagles are going to need at least three quarterbacks if somebody tests positive.
If the Eagles decide against giving Hurts a package of plays they can stash him on the 16man practice squad without fear of losing him.
“I don’t want to get into the semantics of those things,” Hurts said. “I’m just worried about improving. I’ve said it three times, and I don’t want to come off across any way. I’m just trying to improve every day. I’m trying to be the best quarterback I can be every day for this team.”
The Eagles don’t play Watson and the Texans in the regular season. Maybe the college quarterbacks become a storyline should there be a Super Bowl.