EMB Blog: 2021 Regular and Post Season

[Alphagrand]

44 minutes ago, Ace Nova said:

Well said and well thought out post.  And I think most level headed fans feel this way about Hurts.  Most aren’t anointing him "the guy” just yet, most think the "jury is still out” on him.  That said, the guy has clearly improved and is leading his team to wins.   Unfortunately most "Hurts haters” are too blind (or angry for whatever reason) to see it. 

I wouldn't agree on either count here.  I always come back to the metrics I set for Hurts in the offseason -- 62% completions, 2:1 INT, and winning games in the 4th quarter vs losing them.

Those are pedestrian metrics, and Hurts isn't meeting them yet.  I don't think he's clearly improved over last season -- it's a continuation of what we saw.  Did Hurts lead the Eagles to the win yesterday?  Because I thought it was the defense and Reagor's PR that kickstarted everything.

[greend]

5 minutes ago, aptosbird said:

Playing meaningful games in January is quite an accomplishment based on my expectations...the opportunity for top 10 draft picks has sailed..the QB is flawed but winning games. There is time for reflection and genuine talent assessments when the season is over...everything positive right now that is happening is good for the team for the long term. I am just enjoying the ride...

Yup, I was actually yelling at the tv Sunday, since we have a chance to make the playoffs I have reverted to giving a crap.

[Mike31mt]

Speaking of Reagor...if he ever comes out on the other side of this, hes going to be at like a death row inmate-level of emotionally hard

I think he's actually pushed beyond the Agholor line of psychological breakdown 

[RememberTheKoy]

8 minutes ago, Alphagrand said:

I wouldn't agree on either count here.  I always come back to the metrics I set for Hurts in the offseason -- 62% completions, 2:1 INT, and winning games in the 4th quarter vs losing them.

Those are pedestrian metrics, and Hurts isn't meeting them yet.  I don't think he's clearly improved over last season -- it's a continuation of what we saw.  Did Hurts lead the Eagles to the win yesterday?  Because I thought it was the defense and Reagor's PR that kickstarted everything.

 

Absurdity at its finest. 

He has made a major leap in completion percentage from year one 52.0% to year two 61.1%.

 

And he has done this part to help this team win in 4th quarters.  The defense has not held up its end of the bargain though when Hurts has either tied the game or made it a 1 score game with plenty of time for the defense to get the ball back but the defense failed to do so (49ers, Bucs & Chargers). 

[greend]

6 minutes ago, Mike31mt said:

Speaking of Reagor...if he ever comes out on the other side of this, hes going to be at like a death row inmate-level of emotionally hard

I think he's actually pushed beyond the Agholor line of psychological breakdown 

[DawkinsOwnage03]

Can we do better than Hurts, absolutely. I don’t get the constant hate tho like what has he done to hate. I get the accuracy and arm isn’t there but going into this season I figured 4-5 wins. 

[Infam]

5 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

Absurdity at its finest. 

He has made a major leap in completion percentage from year one 52.0% to year two 61.1%.

And that stat sucks given the sheer amount of drops recently.

Quote

And he has done this part to help this team win in 4th quarters.  The defense has not held up its end of the bargain though when Hurts has either tied the game or made it a 1 score game with plenty of time for the defense to get the ball back but the defense failed to do so (49ers, Bucs & Chargers). 

People are blind to everything good. Expectations are that we win ten of our games by blowout because the other team is bad and has a weak QB. Madden fantasy at it’s finest.

[bpac55]

1 minute ago, DawkinsOwnage03 said:

Can we do better than Hurts, absolutely. I don’t get the constant hate tho like what has he done to hate. I get the accuracy and arm isn’t there but going into this season I figured 4-5 wins. 

 I don't think anyone hates Hurts.  He's easy to like as a person and has great traits you want in a quarterback.  I'm speaking for myself here but I don't like that he's been crowned the Eagles QB and he never had to fight for it and if you question it then you're branded a hater.  He isn't good enough to just be handed the starting role.  When a QB came in and played well, if you questioned if he should be the QB rather than Hurts, that makes you a hater. 

I think so many of these stupid Philly beat writers are so in love with him because he's "cool and has swag".  We joke about it a lot in here but I don't doubt for one minute that we have 20 and 30 year old border line fan boys acting as beat writers now.  They hated Wentz because he was an Aw Shucks kind of guy.  They knock on Wentz because he has low passing numbers because of Jonathan Taylor but went Hurts does the same, you hear that he had a great game.

Hurts is a great competitor, has great intangibles, a hell of a runner but when it comes to being a complete QB, he isn't.

[D-Shiznit]

From 4 wins to the playoffs in a one year span, that's a turnaround I'm going to be happy with, regardless of how or why.

[mattwill]

4 hours ago, Bacarty2 said:

Hurts is really bad. we came out with a 50/50 pass run game plan and he looked terrible. (yes there was 2 drops). but at one point i believe he was 3 for 12ish for 54 yards. 

As soon as we got away from the pass the offense started clicking. Hurts had 2 big throws, both extremely under thrown but the WR's came back for the ball nicely(Smith/Quez). 

Defense played well, keeping in mind they played 2 college quarterbacks. 

In my opinion, Siranni tried to use this game to help Hurts grow as a passer and it blew up in his face and he had to revert back to running. 

NS looked scared poopless to throw the ball in the redzone. 

 

[Connecticut Eagle]

3 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

From 4 wins to the playoffs in a one year span, that's a turnaround I'm going to be happy with, regardless of how or why.

You're not from around here, are you?

[aptosbird]

13 minutes ago, greend said:

Yup, I was actually yelling at the tv Sunday, since we have a chance to make the playoffs I have reverted to giving a crap.

yup...I believe that winning consistently in the NFL is an art form taking all elements from front office to coaching/teaching to the talent of individual players. How many teams in the NFL are perennial losers? I think the Detroit Lions play really hard each week but just haven't figured out how to win games. There is something to be said for teams who are rebuilding yet still winning.

The Eagles have been building the airplane as they fly it this year. There are so many question marks and flaws yet they are winning. Some may point to strength of schedule and call it a seasonal anomaly, but there is more to winning consistently. Collinsworth talked about the challenge of winning divisional games because of the level of scouting and familiarity. He described how winning divisional games often come down to individual matchups.

Of course, the bigger questions pop up. Can they win and compete with the elite teams in the really big games?The answer for me for the Eagles is not yet. The talent is not there but the winning is. They are more than a few players away and the QB situation is concerning, but I am liking the progress. Siriani has done a heck of a job this year.

[mattwill]

4 hours ago, E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles said:

The thing with this QB draft is that the ones available when we pick have better upside than Hurts and we gain back 2 years of rookie contract play. Just because it isn't loaded with high 1st round picks doesn't mean it is completely bereft of talent that can help our team.  Maybe, this is the year where QBs are drafted correctly (versus overdrafted).  Just imagine what Siri and this system can do with a QB that can see the whole field and make the throws. 

So are you saying that if there is real interest in Hurts from other teams in the NFL, that they should trade him for good value?

[D-Shiznit]

2 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

You're not from around here, are you?

[greend]

1 minute ago, aptosbird said:

yup...I believe that winning consistently in the NFL is an art form taking all elements from front office to coaching/teaching to the talent of individual players. How many teams in the NFL are perennial losers? I think the Detroit Lions play really hard each week but just haven't figured out how to win games. There is something to be said for teams who are rebuilding yet still winning.

The Eagles have been building the airplane as they fly it this year. There are so many question marks and flaws yet they are winning. Some may point to strength of schedule and call it a seasonal anomaly, but there is more to winning consistently. Collinsworth talked about the challenge of winning divisional games because of the level of scouting and familiarity. He described how winning divisional games often come down to individual matchups.

Of course, the bigger questions pop up. Can they win and compete with the elite teams in the really big games?The answer for me for the Eagles is not yet. The talent is not there but the winning is. They are more than a few players away and the QB situation is concerning, but I am liking the progress. Siriani has done a heck of a job this year.

Agree

[mattwill]

4 hours ago, Bacarty2 said:

Realistic question... Is there anyone in the playoffs you think the Eagles can beat? 

MAYBE* the Cardinals if they keep on this downward swing.... but thats about it

I think they CAN beat any and all of the playoffs teams, but in a series of 10 games they would lose more often than they would win.

[Connecticut Eagle]

"East Texas on three."  

 

 

[Connecticut Eagle]

5 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

[E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles]

3 minutes ago, mattwill said:

So are you saying that if there is real interest in Hurts from other teams in the NFL, that they should trade him for good value?

Define "good value" in the context of your question.  I don't have a problem if the team moved on from him at any point, especially if we can get one of the QBs in this draft.  I'd never give him a 2nd contract.

[aptosbird]

I think the biggest positive takeaway from the game yesterday was the sense of joy from the Lane Johnson TD. Siriani understands the game needs to be fun too. That was truly happy moment in a divisional game. It may not seem like a big deal but winning teams have that intrinsic quality that excites players.

[Connecticut Eagle]

 

 

[DrPhilly]

14 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

Hurts is a great competitor, has great intangibles, a hell of a runner but when it comes to being a complete QB, he isn't.

Pretty simple really.

[vikas83]

15 minutes ago, DawkinsOwnage03 said:

Can we do better than Hurts, absolutely. I don’t get the constant hate tho like what has he done to hate. I get the accuracy and arm isn’t there but going into this season I figured 4-5 wins. 

I think this is the key, and it is also at the root of why some people seem so "harsh" on Hurts. The team overall is outperforming expectations, mainly thanks to the offensive line and Sirianni tailoring the offense around Hurts' strengths and weaknesses. I didn't expect to be playing meaningful games in January, and I definitely would have bet against that if you told me we'd lose both Brooks and Seumalo for the year. Dickerson has been amazing, and Stoutland keeps getting solid play from no name guys (Herbig, Opeta, etc.). And frankly Nick is looking like a very good hire.

The issue is many people, myself included, believe Hurts' ceiling is not high enough to be a championship QB. I think Hurts is a great backup QB (I am always a fan of a mobile QB as a backup) or bridge starter. But to beat the elite teams like GB, KC, etc. - you need more. What I'm not interested in seeing is the Eagles buying into Hurts as the long term QB based on the team's success, when it appears we could be so much more with an upgraded QB. Hurts should NOT go into next year as the unquestioned starter, IMO. But the constant drumbeat from both the local and national media is the Eagles have their guy.

Now, I'm not sure I see the right guy in the 2022 draft, and I'd rather spend those picks rebuilding an aging defense. I'd be OK with signing someone to come in and compete (e.g., Mariota) as opposed to trading all our picks for Wilson. But in order to win a championship, we're going to need to upgrade at QB at some point.

[LeanMeanGM]

46 minutes ago, DrPhilly said:

Most people I see talking about it in here like Hurts but after watching him for a full season of games plus a few from last year don't think he is a good enough passer to be a franchise QB in today's pass first NFL.  They also don't think he can develop into one.

In here. I think it's very skewed out there in the Twitterverse/radio world. 

[DrPhilly]

2 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

In here. I think it's very skewed out there in the Twitterverse/radio world. 

No doubt.