Jalen Hurts saw three snaps in his NFL debut. The Eagles intend to turn those snaps into crackle and pop in Week 3.
Carson Wentz’s struggles notwithstanding, Hurts was always going to be a part of the Eagles’ gameplan this season. The franchise quarterback’s ineffectiveness has only expedited the rookie’s role on offense.
Philly needs a spark and Hurts is a match stick. Put him under center, at wide receiver, in the backfield … whatever, just put him somewhere.
Passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Press Taylor revealed Hurts will have an increased role in the offense moving forward. How much? That’s anyone’s guess. But the dual-threat player’s ability to threaten the defense is too intriguing to keep on the sideline.
“If there is a time, we throw Jalen in there, we don’t look at it as he’s a receiver. We look at it as we are getting two quarterbacks on the field,” Taylor told reporters on Friday. “We are threatening the defense in some way, shape or form, either with what we are doing or what we could possibly present to the defense in some way, shape or form. So every time we do something like that it’s purely to give our offense an advantage and threaten the defense another way.”
Jalen Hurts is working with Press Taylor (#Eagles QB coach) in huddle situations and callling plays. He’s a quick study, per Pederson.
“He’s calling plays and being able to just spit that back to him. He’s done that at a really good, high level … I’ve been really impressed.”
None of that is a knock on No. 11. Taylor and Wentz are thicker than thieves, according to reports, and there is no lack of confidence in him or the offense in general. Baby steps.
“But just in general as an offense as a unit we know we need to play better and we need to sharpen things up and there’s been that,” Taylor said. “There’s been this sense of urgency. There’s no panic within this organization and within this unit, any of that. It’s just a sense of urgency to get things right and to put our best foot forward every time we walk out there.”
#Eagles QB coach Press Taylor said Jalen Hurts doing a great job. When he’s on the field, “it’s to give our offense an advantage, and threaten the (opposing) defense in another way.”
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Brother Vs. Brother, Family Trophy
Meanwhile, there is a game within the game this week for Taylor as he looks across to the opposing sideline. His brother, Zac, is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. There is family bragging rights on the line.
The Eagles coach said the two really haven’t talked this week, a reverse course from the two to three times they chat during a normal week. He blamed it on “busy schedules” versus brotherly gamesmanship.
Eagles assistant Press Taylor on facing his brother, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, this weekend: “You’re always rooting for him. But if anybody beats him, I want it to be me.”
“Our schedules, they are obviously very busy in season, but this week we have not really had a chance to connect, but I think that’s been on purpose,” Taylor said. “Really, this summer, we always spend some time together in the summer, but we kind of left football away because we knew this was coming up early in the season.”
This isn’t the first matchup between the sibling coaches. Zac won the initial one in 2015 when his Dolphins beat the Eagles. He was an assistant in Miami. Then, Zac joined Sean McVay’s staff in Los Angeles where Press prevailed in back-to-back meetings in 2017 and 2018.
NEWS: Zac Taylor has been named the 10th head coach in Cincinnati #Bengals history
Read more: t.co/2IqBsGOCal
It’s not just for bragging rights. No, their father, Sherwood, hands out an actual trophy to the winner. Press leads the series, 2-1.
“I’ve kind of ignored that trophy the last couple of years if you get my drift,“ Zac told reporters.
Yeah, right. Maybe the fourth time will be a charm for the Bengals coach. Hopefully not.
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Eagles Coach Talks Increased Role for Jalen Hurts: ‘Threatening the Defense in Some Way’