Just a thread for those of us who are still behind Hurts and sick of the Hurts hate.

And just to be clear I’m not saying Hurts doesn’t deserve criticism- he absolutely does. He’s had games recently where he has been reluctant to release, not progressed his reads quickly enough and taken sacks in really bad situations.

But the Hurts haters are coming out of the woodwork. Just a few facts:

1) Hurts was second team all pro in 2022 - played a ridiculously good game in the Super Bowl. Eagles were out coached and the D was shocking. Hurts deserved to win.

2) Hurts was really good for the first 12 weeks of 2023. He willed the Eagles to 10-1 despite an average running game and a poor D. He was MVP favourite after 12 weeks. 

3) This year we’ve transitioned to a running back led offense. All I see on this board is posters demanding we run the ball and Hurts cuts down on turnovers. When he does that, it’s now he’s not passing for enough yards.

4) There have been a number of games this year where Barkley hasn’t got it going early and Hurts has beaten teams with his arms and legs. Due to our great D, we just haven’t needed to pass mostly in the 4th quarter and Barkley has destroyed them.

He needs to play better but he is still a top 10 QB and we are lucky to have him. 

 

 

 

Yup.

This is Philly, where the backup is always better than the starter. He definitely hasn't been perfect. He misses/doesn't see wide open WRs, takes boneheaded sacks. This last game was his worst of the season for those 2 specific reasons. Hurts is a really good QB who had a really bad game. People are just more pissed bc it was the Panthers.

Hurts sucks. 

16 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

Hurts sucks. 

Articulate as always 😂 

I agree with OP. Hurts hasn´t been perfect but he´s doing what he has been asked to do. We´ve won nine games in a row, tied for the franchise record. I don´t see any harm in criticising players when they deserve it but the heat Hurts is drawing at the moment is utterly ridiculous.

Watching the Rams last night, we should count ourselves lucky.

14 minutes ago, kiwinavega said:

I agree with OP. Hurts hasn´t been perfect but he´s doing what he has been asked to do. We´ve won nine games in a row, tied for the franchise record. I don´t see any harm in criticising players when they deserve it but the heat Hurts is drawing at the moment is utterly ridiculous.

Hurts has not been asked to play like ass, so in that sense, hes not been doing what hes asked to do. 

If you want to make the ridiculous assertion that he is doing what he is asked just because he is winning games, I guess you have to say Jake Elliott has been playing fine and doing whats asked of him too. Silly. Wrong.

I love the fact that some people get zero enjoyment from this season just because tHEy hate the qb so much. 

1 hour ago, ManchesterEagle said:

Just a thread for those of us who are still behind Hurts and sick of the Hurts hate.

And just to be clear I’m not saying Hurts doesn’t deserve criticism- he absolutely does. He’s had games recently where he has been reluctant to release, not progressed his reads quickly enough and taken sacks in really bad situations.

But the Hurts haters are coming out of the woodwork. Just a few facts:

1) Hurts was second team all pro in 2022 - played a ridiculously good game in the Super Bowl. Eagles were out coached and the D was shocking. Hurts deserved to win.

2) Hurts was really good for the first 12 weeks of 2023. He willed the Eagles to 10-1 despite an average running game and a poor D. He was MVP favourite after 12 weeks. 

3) This year we’ve transitioned to a running back led offense. All I see on this board is posters demanding we run the ball and Hurts cuts down on turnovers. When he does that, it’s now he’s not passing for enough yards.

4) There have been a number of games this year where Barkley hasn’t got it going early and Hurts has beaten teams with his arms and legs. Due to our great D, we just haven’t needed to pass mostly in the 4th quarter and Barkley has destroyed them.

He needs to play better but he is still a top 10 QB and we are lucky to have him. 

 

 

 

Just wanted to correct you here. That's not it and you know. For some reason you guys ignore that the argument isn't that and stick your head in the ground when it's explained

Carry on

1 hour ago, Mike030270 said:

Just wanted to correct you here. That's not it and you know. For some reason you guys ignore that the argument isn't that and stick your head in the ground when it's explained

Carry on

What’s not the argument? Articulate and I’ll answer. 

1 minute ago, ManchesterEagle said:

What’s not the argument? Articulate and I’ll answer. 

cant you see the part he highlighted in green????

4 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

cant you see the part he highlighted in green????

I can now. I had to widen the box. 

Just now, ManchesterEagle said:

I can now. I had to widen the box. 

1 hour ago, Mike030270 said:

Just wanted to correct you here. That's not it and you know. For some reason you guys ignore that the argument isn't that and stick your head in the ground when it's explained

Carry on

Okay now I know what you mean, no that’s not the only argument. But a lot of people have focused on that. 

And I’m focusing on people who say he sucks and can’t pass and that AJ doesn’t get enough of the ball etc. 
 

 

There are "Hurts haters" and "Hurts apologists" and both are ridiculous.  I see Hurts as a mid-level QB and that's honestly where I think he is.  He does some things well and he does not do some things well.  Could we have a better QB? Sure.  Could we have a worse QB? Absolutely.  We can obviously win with him.  The question will be can this version of Hurts step up with his passing in a game where we need the offense to carry the load.  For example, would he be able to play well enough to keep pace with the Lions in Detroit?  As good as our D has been, the Lions will put up a bunch of points on us, no doubt.

Hurts is never going to be a diagnose the defense, make anticipatory throws, quick/accurate decision-making type of QB.  He is what he is at this point.  He will make plays with his legs and make occasional good throws in big spots.  He'll allow Brown and Smith to make plays on the ball and is perfectly capable of elite ball placement.  He'll also make the occasional boneheaded decision.

1 hour ago, ManchesterEagle said:

I had to widen the box. 

Thats what she said!! 

 

I see this thread going as well as most qb threads. That being said i support Hurts but, im also very concerned with his play. 

53 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

There are "Hurts haters" and "Hurts apologists" and both are ridiculous.  I see Hurts as a mid-level QB and that's honestly where I think he is.  He does some things well and he does not do some things well.  Could we have a better QB? Sure.  Could we have a worse QB? Absolutely.  We can obviously win with him.  The question will be can this version of Hurts step up with his passing in a game where we need the offense to carry the load.  For example, would he be able to play well enough to keep pace with the Lions in Detroit?  As good as our D has been, the Lions will put up a bunch of points on us, no doubt.

Hurts is never going to be a diagnose the defense, make anticipatory throws, quick/accurate decision-making type of QB.  He is what he is at this point.  He will make plays with his legs and make occasional good throws in big spots.  He'll allow Brown and Smith to make plays on the ball and is perfectly capable of elite ball placement.  He'll also make the occasional boneheaded decision.

The first sentence in your last paragraph describes the most important attributes of a QB.  You also need arm strength and Hurts' arm strength is satisfactory, although not great.  So can a middle of the road/slightly above average QB win a Super Bowl?  Very difficult. Look at the Super Bowl winning QBs in recent years.  The last middle of the road QB to win it is none other than Nick Foles, who caught lightning in a bottle and had the advantage of a #1 seed and a bye thanks in large part to Carson Wentz.    Its been a fun season so far with a lot of wins but it will be rendered fairly meaningless unless the Eagles at least make the Super Bowl.

May I say Mark Sanchez has a lot to do with the impression that Hurts had a terrible game? Had he not been nitpicking every single play, I don't think Jalen's performance would have been as criticized as it has. I mean, he didn't play well, that we can all agree on, but if a 3-TD 0-INT game is his worst of the season, I'll absolutely take it. 

Yesterday I saw Stafford (who I consider a heck of a QB) missing a read where Kupp would have scored a long TD, and several other misreads that should have ended the game way before it did. However, the broadcast didn't mention it and there weren't dozens of "analysts" scrutinizing his performance the following morning. So, no drama. This morning, everyone agrees that the Rams are pointing in the right direction and a super dangerous team if they make it to the playoffs.

Media's narrative can be quite a cancer.

By "Hurts support", I assume you are referring to our appreciation of him as fans of his play at quarterback, and not to his jockey strap. At least, that is my hope. That is my hope not only because otherwise would render the remainder of my posting below irrelevant to your thread topic, but also because I would find it odd for you to begin a forum thread on the subject of a professional athlete's underthings (unless, of course, said athlete was one Miss Olivia Dunne and said underthings were the knickers of the same. But that goes without saying).

Proceeding with my original conception of your topic I have a few observations about Jalen Hurts that I think are relevant. The first is that Philadelphia Eagles fans, to our credit, are quite rigorous and exacting in our expectations from the team. This is a healthy trait for a fan base that is eager for success. At the same time, the visceral desire to win championships can also cloud our judgment as observers of the sport of American football. There are 53 players on an active NFL gameday roster. Not all of them will fire on all cylinders in any given game. Having said that, there are understandably higher expectations for highly paid players in high-profile positions. There's no position more illustrative of that fact than quarterback. Furthermore, our standards and expectations tend to scale scale with player salary. Again, that's how it should be.

Now, on to Jalen Hurts in particular. He's the starting quarterback of a very good football team in a demanding market. He's also one of the highest paid players in the league. The Super Bowl loss from a couple of years ago, which can hardly be laid at Hurts' feet, has left a bilious taste in our collective mouths, followed by the rancid chaser of last year's late season collapse. Now, the Eagles are rolling strong. It remains to be seen how far they'll go but they're poised to win the division and at least have a shot at a first round bye. You don't get in that position with a bad quarterback.

Hurts has a unique set of skills (like Liam Neeson and my Uncle Thomas who actually dated a set of identical twins), but some clear weaknesses as a quarterback. On the negative side, anyone who's been watching this game long enough can see that he tends to have women love my fat juicy hog difficulty after the first route read and often doesn't find other open receivers, even given time in the pocket. This results in him holding the ball too long or making poorly timed releases. He's been around for a sufficient number of seasons now that this part of his game is unlikely to improve much. There have also been some situational game management issues, highlighted in the Carolina game, where he made some inopportune decisions. Of course it's easy for me to say from the comfort of my beanbag chair with the duct-taped hole.

We all saw Hurts adapt and improve after his rookie half-season. We've all heard how hard he works. We've seen him rise to the occasion - even in losses, doing whatever he can to try to win. I would be more understanding of everyone's constant hen-pecking of Hurts if the eagles were a persistent sub-500 team and he was clearly the reason. Last year's pratfall was systemic problem from top to bottom. Could he be better this year? Indubitably. Let's see how far he can take us now.

I support Hurts (as I said earlier... NOT his balls, but him as a quarterback, stop being weird).

Your friend, mentor, role model, and lord,

Sir Arthur Jackson

6 hours ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

I see this thread going as well as most qb threads. That being said i support Hurts but, im also very concerned with his play. 

While watching the games, I have certainly yelled at him a few times. But he just hasn't done anything that has me concerned about his play. I know what he can do and we just haven't needed him to be "the guy" yet this season. He's taken on a different approach this season in an effort to limit big mistakes. I'm still confident that we can move the ball in the air when we have to --- we just haven't had to. 

If we had a crap defense, we'd be passing a lot more and Hurts would have to take more chances.

I support Hurts when he has a good game and the Iggles win!!

I want his arse outta here when he sucks and can't read a Defense and he's afraid to let a pass rip!!!

5 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

He's taken on a different approach this season in an effort to limit big mistakes

Thats my concern he has overcorrected the mistakes by trying to hard to not make any. I dont like seeing him play like that. Hopefully when called upon he can find balance and take more chances and take smart risks. 

12 hours ago, ManchesterEagle said:

Just a thread for those of us who are still behind Hurts and sick of the Hurts hate.

And just to be clear I’m not saying Hurts doesn’t deserve criticism- he absolutely does. He’s had games recently where he has been reluctant to release, not progressed his reads quickly enough and taken sacks in really bad situations.

But the Hurts haters are coming out of the woodwork. Just a few facts:

1) Hurts was second team all pro in 2022 - played a ridiculously good game in the Super Bowl. Eagles were out coached and the D was shocking. Hurts deserved to win.

2) Hurts was really good for the first 12 weeks of 2023. He willed the Eagles to 10-1 despite an average running game and a poor D. He was MVP favourite after 12 weeks. 

3) This year we’ve transitioned to a running back led offense. All I see on this board is posters demanding we run the ball and Hurts cuts down on turnovers. When he does that, it’s now he’s not passing for enough yards.

4) There have been a number of games this year where Barkley hasn’t got it going early and Hurts has beaten teams with his arms and legs. Due to our great D, we just haven’t needed to pass mostly in the 4th quarter and Barkley has destroyed them.

He needs to play better but he is still a top 10 QB and we are lucky to have him. 

 

 

 

 hahaha

Some Jalen Hurts numbers to put his season in perspective.

Completion percentage - 68.3 percent (up from 65.4 last year and a career high)

Yards per attempt - 8.0 (last year it was 7.2. This ties his career high set in 2022.)

TD percentage - 4.9 (last year it was 4.3 percent. This is also a career high)

Interception percentage - 1.5 (it was 2.8 last year)

Rate - 102.4 (it was 89.1 last year and this is a career high.)

QBR - 65.3 (it was 60.1 last year)

As far as I can tell, the only negative is yards per game, which is a pretty paltry 200.2. He was at 246.7 in 2022.

However, we are only throwing the ball 25.2 times a game. In 2022, we threw the ball 31.5 times a game.

Our running game, though, is much better this year. Our yards per carry in 2022 was 4.6. That was good for 13th in the league. This year it is 5.2, good for second.

Now, the conclusion that many people have reached is that Jalen Hurts sucks, so we have to rely on the running game.

However, another possible conclusion is that we are simply a much better running team this year than we were in 2022. Another key component is that our defense is better this year. We are giving up 18 points a game, while in 2022 we gave up just over 20.

Ultimately, the three biggest differences between 2022 and 2024 are that we are throwing less, but just as efficiently (and way better than last year), we are much better at running the ball and our defense is marginally better.

So, to summarize, anyone who said Hurts needed to play better this year than he did last year should be really happy. Anyone who said Hurts could never play qb at the level he achieved in 2022 is wrong, at least from an efficiency standpoint, and anyone who thinks this team can't go to the Super Bowl again is fooling themselves.