NFL Rumors: Could Jalen Hurts Be Headed to Eagles Bench?

[time2rock]

NFL Rumors: Could Jalen Hurts Be Headed to Eagles Bench?

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• By Mike Greger

• Updated Oct 19, 2021 at 6:23pm

Getty:  Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has the second-best selling jersey in the NFL after Week 1.

The Philadelphia Eagles don’t have a Jalen Hurts’ problem. What the team has right now is an offensive identity issue. Problem is, when things start going south the blame usually gets heaped on the starting quarterback.

Hurts hasn’t put the Eagles on his back and single-handedly won them any games in 2021, but he hasn’t lost them any. Statistically, Hurts has held his own and his five rushing touchdowns ranks first among all qualifying quarterbacks. He also has 1,480 passing yards, 18th-best in the NFL. Yet there is a whimper for the team to bench him coming from a few rabble-rousing reporters in the know.

The Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes – a guy who notoriously likes to stir the pot – wrote a column calling on the Eagles to start Joe Flacco. Yes, he actually mentions Flacco by name. Let’s get this out of the way: there is absolutely nothing to be gained from throwing a 36-year-old journeyman (at this point in his career) under center.

Gardner Minshew, maybe. You could make an argument that the former Jacksonville Jaguars starter deserves a look – that’s assuming the organization has little or no faith in Hurts. No one knows the answer to that million-dollar question.

Either way, sending Hurts to the bench would be the wrong move. Philadelphia has to see what Hurts can do over the course of a 17-game schedule. Yet another reporter – Bo Wulf of The Athletic – pondered the idea of "burning it down.”

The focus wasn’t on Hurts as much as it was on selling off high-priced veterans like Jason Kelce, Darius Slay, Fletcher Cox. Miles Sanders is a young asset easily tradeable, too. The Eagles aren’t using him properly and don’t value his long-term potential. This scenario makes sense. It would put the burden of proof on Nick Sirianni to coach better and the front office to draft well.

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Jalen Hurts vs. Nick Sirianni

Nick Sirianni’s play-calling is probably more to blame than anything Hurts has or hasn’t done. The first-year head coach looks confused and unable to draw on the quarterback’s strengths. Or make up for his weaknesses.

Everyone knows Hurts lacks an arm cannon and struggles with accuracy, so utilize the ground game (see: the Baltimore Ravens). It’s been said the Sirianni-Hurts marriage isn’t a good fit. The 40-year-old coach attempted to explain the disconnect, including whether he caters his offense to what Hurts can do.

"I think a wise man avoids all extremes. It’s not like it’s, ‘Hey, here is our offense, learn it and do it and if you can do it, cool, if not, we’re going to fail.’ It’s not that way,” Sirianni told reporters on October 15. "And it’s not like, ‘Hey, we’re going to do everything that you do well and we’re going to scheme it all through.’ Because you don’t know.

"When you try to go and do something, when it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going to devote everything to this system right here or this style of play right here,’ well you might not know everything there is to know about that, either, right. It’s a both-and. You want some staples that you have in your offense, that we’ve had in our offense for a long time to be there and to be existent if our guys can execute and do it, but then you also want to adapt to your player.”

Eagles Protect Practice Squad Players

The Eagles protected four practice squad players ahead of their Week 7 matchup: T Le’Raven Clark, WR John Hightower, DB Elijah Riley, TE Noah Togiai. All four guys are safe from poaching from rival teams and could be elevated to the active roster on gameday.

The team returns to practice on Wednesday, October 20 after a lengthy break coming off a loss on Thursday Night Football. The Eagles travel to Las Vegas next to take on the Raiders.

https://heavy.com/sports/philadelphia-eagles/jalen-hurts-benched-2/

[mr_irie1]

I feel like every Nick Sirianni quote reads the same way. He's always asking questions to himself and presenting his own hypotheticals in his answers.

(Reporter) So coach what did you have for breakfast this morning and how do you go about making the decision on what to have?

(Sirianni) Well that's a great question. As you know, having breakfast is one of my 5 core values so it's very important to me. First thing you have to think about when deciding about what to have for breakfast is what kind of plans do you have for the day?... Will I be cutting the grass first thing? In that case maybe you might want to think about making some pancakes. Am I running late for work? Well then you're just gonna have to grab a banana and a juice box then hit the road. Let's say you're not working that day and just go with the grass cutting scenario... Well then we have to look in the fridge and pantry to see what we have to work with right? Do I have enough flour? What about baking powder? Gotta check for that when we're in the pantry right? Ok now let's check the fridge to see if we have any eggs. Do we have any butter? What about the milk? I guess what I'm getting to is that breakfast really is more complicated sometimes and we just have to do a better job out there of putting our players in the best possible position to make better pancakes. We want to make sure we spray the pans with canola oil before we let our guys take off running with the batter. Know what I mean? Because if we don't do that then everyone's just going to have to eat plain corn flakes and nobody wants to eat that.

[Procus]

C'mon - quoting a Marcus Hayes story as a source?

[PoconoDon]

No elite QB or QB  prospect on the roster. No elite QB's available for trade or as a free agent.  No elite prospects in the 2022 draft. No seasoned and proven QB coach to oversee development even if they magically found one. What a QB factory Howie is running. 

Here's to you little Howie Roseman:

 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

What a draft to potentially have 3 first round picks! With no legit star QB to go after. Deary me. 

Anyway, no they shouldn't yet bench Hurts because if he's not the answer (and let's be honest it is unlikely that he is) then the answer is not on this roster. 

I think give Hurts another few games. Maybe up to the bye week. If he's still struggling at that point then you give Minshew a go. 

Personally I think even that's a little too soon BUT if this team wants to see what they have in Minshew before making any other moves then they need to give him a good amount of time. Can't play him with the last couple of games because that's nowhere near enough to assess him. Half a season isn't enough to assess him but it's probably just about enough to determine what you do at QB in the off season. 

[time2rock]

9 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

What a draft to potentially have 3 first round picks! With no legit star QB to go after. Deary me. 

Anyway, no they shouldn't yet bench Hurts because if he's not the answer (and let's be honest it is unlikely that he is) then the answer is not on this roster. 

I think give Hurts another few games. Maybe up to the bye week. If he's still struggling at that point then you give Minshew a go. 

Personally I think even that's a little too soon BUT if this team wants to see what they have in Minshew before making any other moves then they need to give him a good amount of time. Can't play him with the last couple of games because that's nowhere near enough to assess him. Half a season isn't enough to assess him but it's probably just about enough to determine what you do at QB in the off season. 

In a season that is as close to a 100% certainty as you can possibly get to go absolutely nowhere, I'd prefer to give Hurts the entirety of the season.  A QB doesn't magically become good with half a season.  Heck I don't think even a full season allows a complete evaluation - but I'd still give him all of 2021.  If there are still as many questions about him then, AND there are no strong QB prospects worthy of being picked high, then I'd like to see Hurts and Minshew in a legit QB competition starting next offseason.  My biggest fear is they reach on a far less talented prospect based on need for a QB and pass on players that are far more talented and likely to help transform a roster and turn this team around.   

[birdman#12]

If they Bench Hurts, they might as well trade him.......his career in Philly would be over.

And if they do, for God's sake, don't play Flacco........put in Minshew.....at least he brings energy and attitude to the offense.  

[time2rock]

1 hour ago, birdman#12 said:

If they Bench Hurts, they might as well trade him.......his career in Philly would be over.

And if they do, for God's sake, don't play Flacco........put in Minshew.....at least he brings energy and attitude to the offense.  

Exactly.  Minshew potentially could have a role here in the future ... you'd have to play him in order to evaluate him in your system.  It is certain Flacco, at his age, does not have a future role here.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

30 minutes ago, time2rock said:

Exactly.  Minshew potentially could have a role here in the future ... you'd have to play him in order to evaluate him in your system.  It is certain Flacco, at his age, does not have a future role here.

I'm not a Minshew fan but I think he's got a future here. Next year he could be the starter and the year after and beyond the back up (if he doesn't light it up as the starter that is).

[Miami]

Hurts needs to be more accurate.  Looks like he is late getting the ball out.  Has to fix this.  It is really noticeable when you watch other QB’s like Brady who do it well.  Let’s see if he can do a better job tomorrow.