PHILADELPHIA — For all of Jalen Hurts’ good moments during Philadelphia Eagles training camp — and there have been many — it was a mistake that led to one of the most revealing moments of the summer.
The team was simulating an endgame situation with less than 30 seconds left to play. The offense had no timeouts and needed a field goal to win. When a third-down QB play was ruled short of the sticks, Hurts ran off as the field goal drive came in, forgetting to hand the ball to the ref to help speed up the next play. Coach Nick Sirianni blasted him in front of the media and rallied the fans, letting him know in no uncertain terms that if time expired, it would be his fault. Hurts replied something inaudible and Sirianni responded with more emphasis. After a moment’s reflection, Hurts dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups, acknowledging his mistake.
“They are all worth coaching,” Hurts said. “I can’t bug another guy for acting a certain way towards something if I’m not practicing what I’m preaching. We’re all here to learn and keep growing.”
“Wow,” Sirianni said, “when you can train your best player the hardest, that’s good for everyone.”
A lot has changed since the last time the Eagles gathered on the NovaCare practice fields for training camp. Hurts put together a regular season that edged closer to MVP in 2022 and saved his best game for the biggest moment, bursting for 374 total yards and four touchdowns in a heartbreaking 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. LVII. His stardom has risen dramatically. Hurts, who turned 25 on Aug. 7, recently finished third in the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2023 rankings, as voted by his teammates. The Eagles won’t argue: In April, they rewarded him with a five-year, $255 million contract extension, making him the face of the franchise and one of the highest-paid players in the league.
But for Hurts, everything has been business as usual. Coaches and teammates paint a picture of a player uninterested in praise, unaffected by acclaim and as fiercely focused as ever on his trade; that he’s increased his knowledge of the game to the point where it’s like having another coach in the quarterback room; and that he’s about to level up yet again, propelled by the Super Bowl loss, history and the quest for greatness.
Hurts’ phone lock screen is a photo of him walking off the field at State Farm Stadium after the Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs on February 12, red and yellow confetti falling around him as he stares stoically ahead. .
This wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge: Hurts is very private, but an Instagram live stream from a teammate unintentionally captured the image, offering the outside world a glimpse of how last year’s shortcoming turned into motivation. of this year.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Hurts said. “I don’t think it’s really appropriate considering if it was up to me, you guys wouldn’t know, no one would know. And I’ll leave it at that.”
Hurts has been known to store any slights or stumbles as fuel for the future, so it’s no surprise that he gives himself a constant reminder that he fell short of the goal, no matter how close he came. But that’s different than being distracted by it.
“He has one of the most incredible mindsets and work ethic,” said teammate Dallas Goedert. “Right after the Super Bowl, he put that away, he was ready to start this season.”
Hurts and some of his receivers gathered in California earlier this offseason to do extra work. Goedert said Hurts brought “his whole computer system” with him to watch videos, Goedert joked that it’s much more elaborate than the iPad the Eagles give him to study game videos.
“I’m sure after they paid him they hooked him up with something really good to make sure he stayed in line, but everyone knows he will,” Goedert said. “He wants to be a great player in this league for a long time and he wants to win. It’s an everyday thing for him. He doesn’t take a day off.”
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was fourth in the league last year with a QBR of 66.4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Back in Philadelphia, new defensive coordinator Sean Desai was busy studying film in his office at dinner one night when he looked up to see Hurts standing in the doorway.
“I said, ‘What’s up?'” Desai recounted. “She started asking questions.”
It was something former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon had gotten used to. Hurts, always looking for more football knowledge, likes to get inside the minds of defensive coaches to better understand what the opponent might be thinking on game day.
“He’s so smart, he’s so bright. You see, now that you’re a part of the organization, you understand why he’s so special,” Desai said. “The way his brain works, the kind of questions he asks, you can tell she’s just trying to take her game to the next level.”
Sirianni has noted that the conversations in the quarterback room have deepened as a result of Hurts’ growing dominance of the system, conversations that have “opened new doors” on offense, Hurts said.
He likes to call himself a “triple threat”, capable of attacking with his arm, legs, and mind. The last part is a particular source of pride for him.
“I think for a long time, the world told guys like me that they couldn’t process and that they couldn’t have that approach to the game and have the fundamental, mental awareness to execute and play the position at a high level,” he commented, telling him to NBC that it is “trying to hush that up.”
Hurts has been very efficient this summer. The ball comes out quickly, the passes have been accurate and his shooting movement seems more comfortable than in past seasons.
His growing chemistry with good friend AJ Brown has been highlighted, from their accuracy on receiving and shoulder shots to timing on deep passing.
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Hurts is entering his third year in the Sirianni system, and with the offense loaded with talent and all but two starters returning, there’s a smooth operation that doesn’t always materialize this time of year.
“The first two days, I definitely felt like I was on another level … making it look easy,” Brown said. “Very calm, like he was in a game.
“Of course I would love to see him take another step because that means we all take another step.”
The misstep during the endgame simulation was a rare miss, and Sirianni pounced. It’s Sirianni’s style to train players hard anyway, but a conversation from his early days with Hurts assured him that he would react positively to criticism. When Sirianni first arrived in Philadelphia, Hurts encouraged Sirianni to put pressure on him, saying that as a coach’s son, he can take it, and even wants it.
That hasn’t changed now that Hurts has become a star.
“Those guys have a great relationship, and I think it obviously helps your team when one of your best players is itching to get some serious training,” offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said. “I think that sets an incredible standard for the entire organization.”
2023-08-14 05:20:41
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