Getty Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts.
Legendary radio play-by-play man Merrill Reeese — the undisputed Voice of the Philadelphia Eagles — has chosen a side in the growing Jalen Hurts’ debate. He firmly believes the 23-year-old quarterback is the future of the franchise. Reese sees an “excellent quarterback” on the rise.
The 79-year-old broadcaster made his opinion known on Twitter on Tuesday, moments after news of Tom Brady’s retirement became official. No, those two things aren’t related but his timing was impeccable. Eagles fans remain divided on Hurts as rumors continue to float about Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers.
Hearing one of the most respected names in Philly give Hurts a vote of confidence should have relieved fears, right? Nope. Quite the opposite.
A good number of Eagles fans flocked to social media to tell Reese he was out of his mind saying that Hurts “can’t throw guys open” and simply isn’t “good enough.” One person compared him to Tim Tebow, while another pointed out that Hurts will never match Joe Burrow or Josh Allen.
I hear all of the differing opinions but I have not wavered in my belief that Jalen Hurts will develop into an excellent quarterback. He’s only 23 and he’s clearly made of “the right stuff”. He has things to work on but nobody’s more dedicated and has more support from teammates.
This isn’t the first time Reese has defended Hurts. He jumped on the bandwagon way back in November, telling SportsRadio 94WIP’s Angelo Cataldi that he has “no doubt at all” that Hurts will wind up being the franchise quarterback in Philly.
“I think he is very special. You and I had a talk in the offseason on the air and I said that I had great confidence that he was going to be the guy,” Reese told Cataldi. “He is a winner. What he has inside of him, I mean he just has a drive to be the best. And he wants to be better every day. I think his arm talent is underestimated by a lot of people. You’re going to see him becoming a bigger and better passer as time goes.”
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Josh Sweat Added to NFC Pro Bowl Roster
Make that five Eagles heading to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the 2022 Pro Bowl. Defensive end Josh Sweat was added to the NFC roster and he’ll play in the all-star game scheduled for February 6. He takes the place of 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.
Don’t Sweat the technique!
@SweatyJ_9 has been named to the Pro Bowl after replacing Nick Bosa, who is unable to participate due to injury.
Sweat finished the 2021 campaign tied with Javon Hargrave for the Eagles’ team lead in sacks with 7.5. Both players are heading to the Pro Bowl as alternates. Jason Kelce, Darius Slay, Jake Elliott were also selected.
Doug Pederson Gets Second Interview
Meanwhile, former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is getting a second interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars. His first meeting came early in their coaching search and momentum stalled due to Pederson’s “lukewarm” opinion of the job, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Breer wrote: “Doug Pederson, I’m told, was lukewarm about the chance to go there, given what he’d gone through in Philly and the structure in place in Jacksonville.”
But NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported a second interview was scheduled for Tuesday, February 1. Stay tuned.
The #Jaguars will interview Doug Pederson for their head coaching job tomorrow, sources say. That’ll be his second interview with Jacksonville as their search continues.