The Philadelphia Eagles are diligently preparing for the NFL draft, jotting down measurements, watching college tape, mulling trades, and tracking 40-yard dash times. Those non-stop jobs lie with the front office and coaching staff this week.
But the individual players are working out on their own time and fixing any weaknesses before training camp starts. That includes setting up their own media interviews before the hustle and bustle of another regular season begins. For starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, he chose to chat with everyone’s favorite podcaster, Giovanni Hamilton, to discuss last season and what lies ahead in 2021.
Hurts, who has already made an impact in the community, displayed puerile innocence in a 15-minute segment on Eagles Unfiltered. The 22-year-old didn’t say or do anything controversial but he did express enthusiasm for new head coach Nick Sirianni and his five core values. Some in the Philly media have poked fun at Sirianni’s unbridled passion for football. Not Hurts. The two men are feeding off each other’s positivity.
The way Nick Sirianni talks football gives me some Jon Gruden vibes. He really gets fired up when talking about the game.
“You want positive vibes only and I think he’s creating that,” Hurts told Hamilton. “You know he has five core values that have really stuck out with me: connect, compete, holding each other accountable, having a high level of football IQ, and going out there and playing fundamentally sound football. And I think those are five very important values and characteristics in a football team. He’s been preaching them and trying to build an identity for us. I think the energy that he has, the leadership that he has, he can do that for us.”
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Hurts Shares Biggest Lesson Learned
The question was an easy one: What was the biggest thing you learned from your rookie year? Remember, he was an after-thought for much of the season until Carson Wentz was first benched on Dec. 6. Hurts posted a disappointing 1-3 record as the starter — and, not surprisingly, adjusted to things on a game-by-game basis.
“The biggest thing is never getting too high, never getting too low,” Hurts told Hamilton. “And I’ve always kind of had that mentality with things but I think it’s so important that you have a so what, now what mentality. Things are not always going to go your way, as we all know, and you have to be able to adjust.”
ICYMI: here’s a clip of my pod that dropped today with jalen hurts. I really want to be a coach some day so I always like to ask players what qualities make a good coach and I learned so much from Jalen. he is the best and I had so much fun💚
listen here: t.co/X0rdDBSJ1j
Hurts loves reciting cliches in interviews, but this one had a different feel about it. Was he taking a subtle shot at Wentz and the one-time franchise quarterback’s inability to adjust and keep his composure? Maybe, although those words never left Hurts’ lips.
“Adjust, keep your composure, lead … everybody’s watching what you’re doing,” Hurts said. “What’s your confidence at? Where’s your energy at? All those things. So always being steady, being steady but being on attack mode. Having fun with it and playing ball.”
Eagles Still Haven’t Named Starting QB
It’s no secret that the Eagles haven’t yet official named Hurts their starter for 2021. It’s been implied, just look at the team’s depth chart and rewind the tape on those long-winded musings about “competition at every position.”
Hurts will be under center for the Eagles in Week 1. Yet neither general manager Howie Roseman or head coach Nick Sirianni will go on record saying it.
“We’ve been working with these guys for two days. My biggest thing is competition,” Sirianni told reporters on April 21. “Again, we’ve talked a little bit about my core values. It’s my second core value. It’s this team’s second core value. Competition is a huge thing.”
Jalen Hurts training again today with QB skills coach Quincy Avery
“I’m challenging myself to be the best quarterback I can be. Learn from my mistakes… and take off next year” 🚀
-Jalen last month @CBSSportsHQ
🎥 @Quincy_Avery
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Jalen Hurts Offers First Impressions of New Eagles Coach