Critics silenced as Hurts is primed to have the final say
JALEN HURTS could be forgiven if he had quit on his Super Bowl dream after being told so many times that he was not good enough.
But now, the 24-year-old stands 60 minutes from the NFL mountain top.
Tomorrow night, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback will attempt to win the club’s second Super Bowl when they face Kansas City Chiefs.
“Everything I want to do is just to quantify the work I put in,” said Hurts, the kid from Houston whose first two seasons as a pro gave no indication of a blossoming elite career.
“I don’t really like to look at the results, just the process of getting better.You can look back and say there are so many things that can motivate me and drive me to be the best.
“But I had a purpose before everyone had an opinion. It’s not about anybody else, it’s about going out and doing it.
“I’ve always been my biggest critic.As the success has come, it will continue to stay that way. I also hold the respect of my peers, my coaches, my family, my dad, my brother, coach [Nick] Sirianni, guys that I play with. In the end, those are the guys that I go out and lay it all on the line for.”
Now he has a chance to join men such as Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, John Elway and Aaron Rodgers in that small club of quarterbacks who have conquered the NFL.
“It would be an honour,” said Hurts. “It would be awesome. That’s what we work for.Any individual that puts on a uniform and has an opportunity to play this game, puts so much work into it – everybody wants to be the best.
“There’s only a select few who take advantage of these opportunities.”
His opposite number tomorrow night, Patrick Mahomes, already has one Super Bowl win under his belt and, at 27, is keen for more. But he knows he faces a stern test against Hurts, adding: “It says a lot for a young guy to come into a locker room with a lot of veterans and become that unquestioned leader.”