We are about to be 10 weeks through the season and the fanbase still cannot answer the most important question: is Jalen Hurts the guy moving forward? It’s still too hard to say. We have seen a lot of good and a lot of bad from the young QB, and the “give him time” arguments may soon fade into obscurity. I will try to hash out the argument and give my two cents at the end.
The Case For Hurts
The biggest pro in Jalen Hurts’ camp is his impeccable leadership. Teammates and media alike have raved about the young QBs professionalism and mature mindset. His connection with his wide receivers is only something that can improve with time. This team is quite young, and Jalen Hurts is growing with this team. This is on top of his insane athletic ability. Jalen Hurts is following in the footsteps of Cunningham, McNabb, and Vick with his running ability. When Jalen Hurts calls his own number, you can be sure that the chains will move. This makes it almost impossible to contain him, which is always a plus for any offense. And after that Chargers game last week, I think we have seen some of the best Jalen Hurts yet. His clutch plays on the ground and through the air, his command of the offense, his willingness to put his body on the line for the team was nothing if not awe-inspiring. Take that and compare his stats to other QBs in their first (insert number) starts and he seemingly fits the franchise bill. His talent is rare, and starting over after just one year could be detrimental to the growth of this team.
The Case Against Hurts
Hurts is one of the most frustrating QBs we have seen. There have been numerous occasions where big plays and even points have been left on the bone because of Jalen Hurts’ shortcomings. Whether it be missing wide-open receivers down the seam or not being able to put the ball where it needs to be, Jalen Hurts has hurt this team at times on offense. While his INT count is relatively low, looking back at games like the Dallas game puts a bad feeling in the pits of Eagles fans. If he were to be the franchise, he would need to be able to make these difficult throws. We can not expect anything less. It seems that week in and week out there are at least 2-3 throws that Jalen would want back. As for his tremendous running talent, sometimes that can be to his detriment. Jalen Hurts on multiple occasions has left clean pockets to try and create a play when there is none to be made. It will only be so long before teams just put a QB spy or contain on Hurts to force him to pass. If he cannot prove himself as a consistent passer, why should we trust him moving forward? I know of a certain Ole Miss QB who can throw absolute rockets on a weekly basis while playing in the SEC. He could be a great use of one of our 3 lucrative first-round picks if Hurts keeps up these shenanigans.
The Verdict
If you were a pragmatic Eagles fan in the beginning of the year, then you would know this is a year for growth. If you expected a bona fide playoff team, I can understand your frustration, but 7 wins would be a successful year as long as we see improvement week in and week out. From what I’ve seen, Hurts has gotten better and better as the season has progressed. Part of that is the adaptability of coach Sirianni, and a huge part of that is Hurts’ accountability. He knows where he needs to improve and makes those adjustments. So I say we keep him. It is so easy for ego to get in the way. It would be easy to be stubborn, and blame the fans critiques for your poor play (like some other Philly athlete we know), but Hurts is dedicated, and that dedication is rare. Hurts wants it more, and he has proven to be a QB we can trust in my eyes. Now of course this all could change, but for right now, consider me cautiously optimistic.
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Jish Sokolsky is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Jish, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
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