Tagovailoa and Hurts have history that made history
PHILADELPHIA — You’d better believe there will be flashbacks when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Miami Dolphins counterpart Tua Tagovailoa make eye contact Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Few are the players who didn’t see Tagovailoa thrust into the limelight in the 2018 national championship game at the expense of Hurts, who was benched at halftime with Alabama trailing Georgia, 13-0. The rest is history. Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes, including the winner in overtime to DeVonta Smith, currently one of Hurts’ go-to guys.
The memories are still raw and coming at you just like the Kelly green jerseys Eagles fans have been clamoring for.
Hurts said all the right things about Tagovailoa during his media availability Wednesday starting with “It’s been great to see the things he’s been able to do over his career.
“Hopefully, hoping for continued success,” Hurts said. “I’m sure we’ll catch up Sunday after the game.”
If only it was that simple. On the one hand, Hurts has rebounded from that national humiliation to register a stellar career at Oklahoma and win the Eagles’ starting job. Last year he recorded a near-MVP regular season. Hurts was in line to be Super Bowl MVP until then defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon began daydreaming about coaching the Arizona Cardinals.
It’s hard to feel sorry for Hurts, who despite the setbacks signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension with the Eagles, the bulk of it guaranteed. Or Tagovailoa, who has been hit with injuries but had his fifth-year rookie option picked up at $23.17 million guaranteed by the Dolphins. He spent the offseason practicing the art of sliding to avoid spending so much time in the medical tents.
This season Tagovailoa is the sexy MVP candidate as he’s already thrown for a league-leading 1,876 yards and 14 touchdowns in a 5-1 start. His 114.1 passer rating also tops the NFL.
Hurts has thrown seven touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 84.7 rating for the 5-1 Eagles. He’s coming off a three-interception, 20-14 loss to the New York Jets.
Just when Hurts could use a bye week, here we go again, Hurts and Tua, their story to be retold ad nauseum. Eagles backup quarterback Marcus Mariota has studied the plot from both sides having served as a mentor to Tagovailoa, who hails from his home state of Hawaii, and now as understudy to Hurts.
“For me it’s like a full circle moment,” said Mariota, who like Tagovailoa is of Samoan ancestry. “I’ve known Tua since he was a young man. And even at a young age he had the skills and the abilities that we all kind of looked at each other like, ‘he’s going to be pretty good.’ To see where he’s at now and all the things that he’s persevered through it’s been really, really cool for me. And yeah, it’s going to be such a weird scenario, right? I’ve known Tua for so long, I’m getting to know Jalen. It’s really cool to kind of see all these different relationships and I’m excited for a great game.”
The pain Hurts must have felt that championship game night when he got the word that Tagovailoa gave the Crimson Tide the best chance of winning is incomprehensible. Football is humbling but that was over the top.
Five years after the memories he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy he’s got to deal with that remorse again on the professional level. Who’s to say Hurts wouldn’t have rallied Bama to victory way back then? How did Nick Saban know Tagovailoa was better equipped for the comeback? That was then, Eagles versus Dolphins is now.
“Jalen is just going to look at it as another opportunity to go out and play,” Eagles veteran Brandon Graham said of the Sunday night affair with the Dolphins. “But seeing (Tagovailoa) on the other side especially after they won a national championship together, the first half you were in, the second half you get benched and Tua won the game for you? You know he’s a great quarterback and I’m sure (Hurts) got great respect for him but (Hurts is) definitely going to be trying to go out there and do his best.”
The Dolphins average an NFL-best 37.2 points, the Eagles a respectable 28.5 points. The Dolphins have 30 TDs, tops in the league and 15 more than the Eagles. The Dolphins dropped 70 points on the Denver Broncos this season. Running back Raheem Mostert rushed for 115 yards and scored three of his league-high 11 TDs in a blowout of Carolina last week.
To get ahead of the Dolphins and stay there the Eagles are going to have to rely on their strength – the run game. The Eagles are at their best playing possession football, having run 427 plays this season, the most in the NFL. That’s largely because Hurts has found a way to get first downs.
Look for the basic instincts of the low-keyed Hurts to break out this week. This is his national championship game.
“Experience is the biggest teacher,” Hurts said. “So, whether it’s the experience last week, or two weeks ago, or two years ago or whatever it was, it’s just always learning and growing to be a better player and person.”