Hurts attempts to quiet haters
Success is proving critics wrong
PHILADELPHIA — Nick Sirianni and his kids made snow angels in the confetti on the Linc turf. Jalen Hurts puffed on a cigar alone at his locker and scrolled through the congratulatory texts on his phone.
Out in the Philly streets, delirious fans refused to let grease slow them down as they slithered toward the top of street poles.
Everyone celebrates a Super Bowl trip in their own way.
Historically, those don’t come around very often in Philly. This makes two Super Bowls in six years for the franchise, which represents half of its career total. Owner Jeffrey Lurie has hired three straight coaches who’ve made it to the championship — Andy Reid, Doug Pederson and now Sirianni.
Even better for the Eagles, they drafted the right quarterback.
Hurts seemingly has it all. He tied a team record for total touchdowns. Was named an MVP finalist. Went 16-1 as a starter, including the playoffs. Has been heavily touted as the type of quarterback that can carry a franchise for a decade.
Yet it’s not enough.
Hurts made sure to call out his perceived haters in the moments after he scored a rushing touchdown and led the Eagles to a 31-7 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s NFC title game.
Who knew? Hurts was a 2023 version of Ben Simmons that no one in Philly wanted.
“My first year here (people) probably didn’t even want to draft me here,” Hurts said. “It was probably one of those things. But it always handles itself.”
Hurts was drafted in
2020 in the second round — after a stellar collegiate career in which he was a Heisman Trophy runner-up — in large part to challenge incumbent Carson Wentz. Hurts was named the starter under former coach Pederson
in Week 14 of his rookie year and has never looked back. He rebounded from a 2-5 start and led the Eagles to the playoffs in Sirianni’s first season. In his second season as a starter, the Eagles have gone wire-to-wire as the best team in the NFC.
So who didn’t want Hurts here? He wouldn’t elaborate.
“It was a big surprise to many,” Hurts said cryptically. “My favorite (Bible) verse, I went through a lot of stuff in college and it kind of stuck with me, John 13:7: ‘You may not know now but later you’ll understand.’ Hopefully people understand.”
There are clues in Hurts’ biography that might explain what he meant. At Alabama, he was benched in the national title game for Tua Tagovailoa and ultimately transferred to Oklahoma for his senior season. He wasn’t considered a can’t-miss NFL prospect and heading into this season, there were questions about whether he could thrive as a pocket passer.
Hurts appeared to answer those questions. But he likely hasn’t forgotten them.
Eagles fans are sure to excuse whatever Hurts is working through as long as he leads them to their second Super Bowl championship in six years.
Hurts vs. Patrick Mahomes is a QB matchup for the ages.
Should Hurts win this one, maybe people will understand.