Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images Sportscaster Terry Bradshaw interviews QB Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles after the Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC Championship on January 29, 2023.
When a picture surfaced of the lock screen on Jalen Hurts’ cellphone — spoiler alert: it’s the wrong colored confetti raining down on him after Super Bowl LVII — people went bonkers about his one-track motivation. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback remains tirelessly devoted to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Hurts started setting the standard for excellence the minute Carson Wentz got banished to the bench. One reason why the locker room was so quick to fall in line is because of his “intentional” attitude. It’s something that NBC Sports’ Peter King noticed when he first met Hurts last October in Week 4. The plugged-in reporter revealed details from that conversation while hinting that the Eagles got robbed in Super Bowl LVII.
“You could argue that on a better field the Philadelphia Eagles might not be the NFC champions, they might be the NFL champions, but that’s the way life goes,” King told Taryn Hatcher. I think there’s a couple of reasons to continue to be optimistic. Number one is Jalen Hurts is not going to be spoiled by the money.
“You know, I remember last year I had never met him and after the Jacksonville game I spent 15 minutes with him, and twice in the course of that conversation he called his father Coach Hurts, and he just strikes me as one of these guys [that says], okay, I signed this deal, I have generational wealth for the next 10 generations of Hurtses, let’s go back to work.”
“You can argue that on a better field, the Eagles might not be the NFC Champions. They’d be the NFL Champions.” – Peter King 👀
Lock up The Sodfather!
Lowering Body Fat, Increased Conditioning
Jalen Hurts has been channeling the disappointment from last year’s Super Bowl loss in a variety of ways. He looks bulkier in the biceps, but he officially tipped the scales at the same playing weight from 2022. Hurts told NFL Network that he weighs around 222 pounds right now, but “the difference is the 7.1 percent body fat.” The dual-threat quarterback switched up his diet in the offseason, then ramped up his conditioning.
From Back Together Weekend on NFL+: #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts joins me and @JamieErdahl to talk about “raising the standard,” his 7.1-percent body fat, what Jason Kelce’s return means and more.
Why? Well, everything Hurts does is intentional. He talked about turning the page on the Super Bowl loss and not hiding from failures.
“I think after that game, I said, ‘You either win or you learn,’ and I think people look at failures or things like that as a negative thing, but it’s about how you respond to it,” Hurts told Mike Garafolo. “So there’s a sense of urgency around here, and as a leader, you’ve got to have that sense of urgency, display those characteristics day in and day out, and I think he’s doing a great job as a coach of doing that and trying to be intentional.”
No Interceptions at Training Camp
The Eagles wrapped up their fourth practice of training camp on August 1 by breaking out the pads. Undrafted rookie Mekhi Garner supplied a jarring hit when he lowered his shoulder into receiver Charleston Rambo. That was one highlight.
More importantly, the day belonged to Jalen Hurts as he continues to pick up where he left off. He has been insanely accurate and confident in his throws, dropping balls into tight windows while accounting for four total touchdowns and no interceptions. Hurts is a man possessed.
Jalen Hurts through 4 practices, 2022 vs. 2023:
