In Roob's Observations: Trying to understand the Hurts haters

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

A message to the Jalen Hurts haters, a surprising comparison between Jordan Matthews and Devanta Adams and a crazy Sonny Jurgensen stat.

A week into free agency and a month from the draft, here’s a fresh batch of Roob’s Random Offseason Eagles Observations.

1. There are people out there who believe that Jalen Hurts, with his unique skill set and peerless work ethic, has a chance to grow into an elite quarterback. Then there are others who believe Hurts’ issues with accuracy, inconsistency and reliance on running mean he’ll never develop into a guy who can consistently lead a team on deep playoff runs. Both are valid opinions. I fall somewhere in the middle. But what really irks me is the "HE CAN’T PLAY” crowd. You've seen 'em. You've heard 'em. There’s a significant group of Eagles fans who throw this out there whenever Hurts’ name comes up. Usually followed by "LOL.” Does Hurts need to improve his accuracy? Yep. Does he need to learn to throw with more anticipation? Sure. Does he need to go through his progressions faster? Most definitely. But "HE CAN’T PLAY?” He can play and that’s not up for debate. The only question is his upside. Jalen Hurts will be in the NFL a long time in some role. You don’t lead a team to the playoffs at 23 years old in your first season as a starter, account for 26 touchdowns passing and rushing and become a Pro Bowl alternate if you "CAN’T PLAY.” Heck, Chase Daniel has eight touchdowns passing and rushing combined in his career, and he’s entering his 13th NFL season. Hurts is one of nine QBs who’ve led a team to the playoffs at 23 years old or younger in a season where they recorded 26 total TDs. The others in that group are Dan Marino, Patrick Mahomes, Matt Stafford, Lamar Jackson, Daunte Culpepper, Jared Goff, Peyton Manning, Deshaun Watson and Dak Prescott. Not bad company. What’s his ceiling? Nobody knows. But be careful when you throw out nonsense like "HE CAN’T PLAY.” Because when you say that, you’re saying more about yourself than you're saying about Jalen Hurts.

2. Dallas Goedert caught 56 passes last year and averaged 14.8 yards per catch. Only six wide receivers did that last year.

3. The Eagles drafted Jordan Matthews 11 spots ahead of Davante Adams in the 2014 draft. Sounds crazy now, right? Terrible pick, right? But here’s the thing. Three years into their careers, Matthews had more catches (225 to 163), yards (2,673 to 1,926) and touchdowns (19 to 16). Adams actually didn’t pass Matthews in yards and catches until his fifth season. But since 2017? Adams has 506-6,195-57, and Matthews is sitting at 49-615-3 and has been on and off rosters the last few years. Was it a bad draft pick? Or did bad luck with injuries derail Matthews’ career? Matthews never would have done what Adams has done – five straight Pro Bowls, two 1st-team all-pro seasons, three 100-catch seasons – but Adams wasn’t an elite WR until his fifth season. It just goes to show you how many factors other than talent determine success in the NFL. Your quarterback, your position coach, your health. Matthews was a good pick. He just wasn’t the right pick.

4. For those who believe the Eagles need to attack free agency by making moves – any moves – remember that it’s not about who makes a Day 1 splash, it’s about who makes the smartest deals. We go through this free agency panic every year. There’s a lot of over-paying going on the first few days, and there will be good value in the coming days and weeks and even months. And remember, in the 2017 offseason some of the biggest acquisitions the Eagles made came well after the start of free agency. Free agency began March 9, 2017, and the Eagles signed Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith and Chance Warmack on Day 1. But Chris Long and Patrick Robinson weren’t for another 2 ½ weeks, Tim Jernigan was in April, LeGarrette Blount May and Corey Graham in August. The Ronald Darby trade was in August and the Jay Ajayi trade in October. Out of all those guys, the only one who didn’t contribute to a Super Bowl championship was Warmack, one of the Day 1 guys. It’s not who’s first. It’s who’s smartest. Especially when you have three 1st-round picks and five of the first 83 overall picks. Build through the draft and pick and choose value in free agency. If the Eagles don't address their needs by the summer, there'll be plenty of time to criticize them. It's way too early.

5. The only quarterback the Eagles have ever drafted who’s had two career seasons with 30 touchdowns and 3,500 passing yards is Sonny Jurgensen.

6. When looking at the Eagles’ opportunities to build this offseason don’t forget the draft doesn’t end with the first round. They not only have three 1st-round picks, they got them without trading their 2nd- and 3rd-round picks, so they’re sitting at 15, 16 and 19 plus they have 51 and 83. Last time they had five of the first 83 picks was 1995. The last team with three top-20 picks and 2nd- and 3rd-round picks? The 1991 Cowboys. This draft is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Eagles.

7. I’m surprised Derek Barnett is still on the free agent market. I really thought some team was going to look at his physical traits and potential, consider that he’s only 25 and over-pay wildly despite his lack of production in his five years as an Eagle. But the longer he goes un-signed the more his price will have to drop. Before free agency began, Pro Football Focus estimated his price tag at $12.5 million per year over three years, but at this point I can’t imagine him getting anything close to that.

8. Think for a moment how crazy Irving Fryar’s 1996 and 1997 seasons were. He had 88 catches for 1,195 yards and 11 TDs at 34 years old in 1996 and 86-for-1,316 with 6 TDs at 35 years old in 1997, making the Pro Bowl in each of his first two years as an Eagle. Fryar had 3,067 yards for the Eagles after his 34th birthday. That’s twice as many yards as every other WR in franchise history combined after their 34thbirthday [1,501]. The only other WR with two 1,195-yard seasons after his 34thbirthday is another former Eagle, Cris Carter. Fryar’s 1,316 yards in 1996 are most ever by a 35-year-old. He had more seasons with 1,195 yards in his mid-30s than any Eagles WR other than Mike Quick had in their 20s.

9. The Anthony Harris move surprised me. I did not expect him back. Harris wasn’t awful last year, he just didn’t make many plays. But he’s a smart guy, he knows Jonathan Gannon’s defense, he’s generally in the right place and he was willing to take a cap-friendly one-year deal. Harris of course has a history with Gannon with the Vikings, and you would hope in a second year in his defense Harris would be more active and around the ball more. Increased pass pressure would also help all the d-backs. Not a flashy move but a fairly safe one.

10. Long before the 1990s and the Eagles’ mass exodus under Norman Braman and Rich Kotite there was an all-time great Eagle who also wanted out because of his coach. That was the great Maxie Baughan, and long before social media, podcasts and 24-hour sports coverage he had some pretty choice words for the coach he was desperate to escape. Baughan was the Eagles’ 2nd-round pick in 1960 out of Georgia Tech, and was a starting linebacker and Defensive Rookie of the Year on the 1960 NFL Championship team. In six seasons with the Eagles he made five Pro Bowls and all-pro 1st team once and 2nd-team once and established himself as one of the best outside linebackers in football. Baughan played under Buck Shaw in 1960 and Nick Skorich from 1961 through 1963, but in 1964 Joe Kuharich replaced Skorich and the franchise went downhill quickly. By 1965, Baughan had enough and demanded a trade. The Eagles shipped him to the Rams, and early in the 1966 season, he spoke with Joe McGinniss of the Inquirer and blamed Kuharich for his departure: "I thought I had a real good year last year. It seems the only people who didn’t think so were the Eagles’ coaches. They told everybody I had a bad year, but whatever grading system they used I don’t agree with it. I know Kuharich has been saying plenty of things about me, but the only person he’s hurting by talking like that is himself. So let him talk all he wants. I’m not going to say anything.” Baughan made four more Pro Bowls and 2nd-team all-pro four straight years with the Rams. He should be a Hall of Famer. What about Kuharich? He was fired after the 1968 season after going 28-41-1 in five years. He never coached again.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-observations-trying-understand-jalen-hurts-haters

1. Jalen Hurts. I totally agree.

4. Free agency. I'm still disappointed so far. Sure they got better shedding Barnett and signing Riddick. I still think they need a veteran wide receiver and would love to see another safety. How about all of the linebackers still on the market? Hopefully, the as yet to come late signings will be a replay of 2017. 

7. Derek Barnett. Rube is surprised, I'm not. The guy had more penalties than sacks. 

9. Anthony Harris. Rube is surprised, I'm not. Until last year the Eagles regularly got beat by the deep ball. Different cornerbacks, but one constant - Rodney McLoud. Last year, that trend stopped. Rodney sat for a good bit and Harris came onto the scene. 

10. Maxie Baughn. My favorite Eagle as a kid growing up. 

Hurts has a weak arm, isn't accurate and can't see the field, doesn't stay in the pocket long enough to read thru his progressions, can't look one way and hold the safety with his eyes then throw quickly and on target the other way.  I don't know how you fix this at his age.  Maybe he could learn pocket presence and reading defenses better.  Having a 2nd WR would help.   If he improves it will be in training camp and pre season in the all important 3rd year this summer and fall.  3rd year is when 90% of players are as good as they are going to get.  Exceptions can be QBs and Olinemen who sit for a couple years and develop.  We'll know a lot more by the end of September.  I can't say I'm optimistic but better WRs will help.