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The Philadelphia Eagles were back on the practice field on Sunday, August 14, two days after their preseason opener. They lost the game, but not the war. The Eagles escaped with no major injuries despite a controversial hit on Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles quarterback made it out the other side alive, amid a finger-pointing rant from his head coach. Nick Sirianni wasn’t happy with the intent of the hit on Hurts from Quincy Williams. It looked dirty. Unnecessary. Hurts was willing to turn the page.
“It happens. Hit me late,” Hurts told reporters. “They called a flag. We moved on.”
That wasn’t the answer reporters were looking for. They kept pressing and when someone asked what he saw on the play. Hurts replied: “He hit me late. I’m not tripping about it.”
Meanwhile, Sirianni (kind of) apologized for his snap judgment reaction on the sideline.
“I was just sticking up for Jalen [Hurts],” Sirianni said. “I’ll never apologize for sticking up for my players. I should have handled it a little bit better than I did.”
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Sirianni Evaluates Hurts’ Read on Scramble Play
Hurts was a perfect 6-of-6 for 80 yards and a touchdown. He looked “freaky” leading the first-team offense on the Eagles’ first drive, then took a seat on the bench. His night was done. His supporters high-fived each other.
“I thought he played a good football game, first drive and we’ll just look to build on that,” Sirianni said.
There was some question over whether he left the pocket too early on the play where he got decked. Maybe Hurts could have hung in there longer, dumped it off on a checkdown or something. Not an option. No one was open on the play, according to Sirianni.
“Yeah, and he escaped on the first one,” Sirianni said, “and that one was a little easier to see because we got beat inside on that and he had to escape and he made a great play. The one he got hit, yeah, there was nobody open on that play.”
Overall, it was the dominant performance everyone has been begging to see. Sirianni liked the way Hurts read the defense and made quick decisions. And the right decisions.
“I thought he was great,” Sirianni said. “He made plays in the pocket when he needed to make plays in the pocket and when he needed to escape, he escaped.”
Reid Sinnett Gets First Crack at QB3
Reid Sinnett got the first crack at winning the third-string quarterback job. He finished 9-of-17 for 81 yards and a touchdown. It was kind of an up-and-down night, highlighted by an 18-play scoring drive. He had some decent moments, but the competition to be QB3 is definitely up for grabs at camp.
“Reid’s looked really good in practice. He’s really had some good reps in practice,” Sirianni said. “I think he was nervous at first, I do. I believe that he was. I thought as the game went on, he steadied himself and recovered and had a nice finish to the game.”
Hurts handled the first series, then Sirianni handed the keys to Gardner Minshew (8-of-12 for 81 yards). He played the rest of the first quarter and the second. Sinnett got the entire second half, with no snaps for Carson Strong. The undrafted rookie out of Nevada hasn’t seen many reps at camp. That’s about to change.
“We have two more games and some joint practices for him to get some more reps,” Sirianni said, “but that’s just the way the reps shook out that game.”
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