Getty PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 12: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles scrambles against the New York Jets during the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 12, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Jets defeated the Eagles 24-21. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Atrue franchise quarterback needs to be a leader both on and off the field while inspiring his team, and there’s one test of that ability that is easy to watch for – even in a preseason game. How do their teammates respond when their opponents take a cheap shot?
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was on the receiving end of a late hit from New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams during their preseason opener on August 12. While the results don’t matter much in a preseason game in which Hurts threw only six passes, his teammates’ response in that moment was meaningful. The offensive line led the charge to stand up for their signal caller.
First was Cam Jurgens, going to Hurts to see if he was OK. Jordan Mailata followed, making a beeline for Williams, with Lane Johnson and Isaac Seumalo close behind.
Disgusting late hit on Jalen Hurts
“That s*** is real dirty. I don’t like that stuff,” Mailata told assembled media after the game. “I don’t give a damn if it’s preseason, I’ve got to protect my QB.”
To those who have followed Hurts closely, this should come as no surprise. Not only is the 24-year-old quarterback a consummate teammate, but he actually lifts weights with his offensive lineman during the offseason in Lane Johnson’s home gym, ESPN first reported in July 2021. So it’s easy to see why his bond with the teammates tasked with protecting him would be particularly strong.
The hit also drew quite the rise from Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who was caught on the broadcast demonstrating his fury on the sidelines.
Here’s the play in question, dirty and unnecessary hit on Jalen Hurts in a preseason game. Nick Sirianni understandably lost his cool. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
“I was just sticking up for Jalen. I’ll never apologize for sticking up for my players,” Sirianni said during an August 12 press conference. “I know our players, we have each other’s backs. This is a tight knit group.”
Hurts echoed his head coach’s sentiments about the closeness of this team, saying the same day, “I think that’s what we’re about. In the end, I think that’s us having each other’s backs. That’s Philly. That’s Coach Sirianni. That’s Jordan Mailata. That’s Kelce. That’s some of the defensive guys. [Dallas Goedert]. That’s everybody.”
Of course, that’s not the only ingredient a franchise quarterback needs, nor do all closely knit teams produce the desired results on the field. Talent is an enormous part of the equation as well, but it’s hard to get by with just one or the other.
For Eagles’ Recent QBs, This Test Was Telling
Every quarterback takes some questionable hits from time to time, and you don’t have to look too far into the past to see that the reaction of teammates can be indicative of how much respect a quarterback commands in the locker room.
Look no further than Nick Foles and Carson Wentz, two former Eagles quarterbacks whose time in Philadelphia will forever be intertwined, compared and contrasted.
The most obvious example involving Foles occurred in 2014, when Washington linebacker Chris Baker de-cleated Foles after an interception, sparking a brawl. Left tackle Jason Peters was the first on the scene, but the scrum eventually included at least 15 players.
The time Jason Peters owned Chris Baker after his cheap shot on Nick Foles.
#Eagles legend
“I love those guys. I’m going to fight every time for them and they’re going to fight for me,” Foles said after that game, according to USA Today. “I’m really, really proud of my teammates today.”
A little over three years later, that type of leadership helped Foles guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl title, coming on at the end of the season in relief of an injured Wentz.
On the other hand, it wasn’t uncommon to see Wentz end up on the receiving end of a questionable hit with no aftermath to speak of. The most obvious example was the helmet-to-helmet hit from Jadeveon Clowney in the Wild Card game during the 2019-20 season. The hit would ultimately take Wentz out of the game and receive national attention for being questionable, at best, but nobody so much as bumped into Clowney after the play.
https://twitter.com/SportsRadioWIP/status/1213950499210301441
In fact, the most memorable example of Wentz’s teammates starting an altercation in response to something involving their quarterback might have been when they went after Wentz himself. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in March 2022 that a teammate confronted Wentz for voicing his displeasure with the Eagles’ success during their Super Bowl run after his injury in 2017.
Wentz is now on his third team after being unceremoniously discarded by the Indianapolis Colts, with some in the Washington media wondering if this was his last chance to get and keep a starting quarterback job in the NFL.
Mailata the New Bodyguard?
The first teammate to go after the opponent who delivered a late hit in both the Hurts and Foles examples was the left tackle. In Hurts’ case, it was the young Mailata, a rising star. In Foles’ case, it was a nine-time Pro Bowler in Peters, an Eagles legend and potential future Hall of Famer.
Peters was always one of the top tackles in the league, and that combined with the snarl he showed anyone who took a cheap shot at his quarterbacks earned him the nickname “The Bodyguard.” Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia, has been developing into one of the better offensive tackles in the league. Off the field he’s got a personality that can be described at times as both playful and thoughtful, so the Eagles staff have to be happy to see that he can show some teeth after the play when warranted.
This isn’t the first time Mailata has shown some feistiness after the whistle to defend Hurts, but with all eyes on Hurts this preseason and lots of discussion over his future as a potential franchise quarterback, this one is getting a lot of attention.
It not only bodes well for Hurts but for Mailata as well. The Eagles clearly have a pair of bookends in Mailata and Johnson who can get the job of protecting their quarterback done at a high level both before and after the whistle.
That’s important, because beyond offering a glimpse of the closeness of a team, these incidents provide extra protection for a quarterback in the form of a disincentive to take a cheap shot the next time. It’s one thing to take a run at a quarterback when you’re only risking a 15-yard penalty; it’s quite another when 365 pounds worth of angry left tackle are going to be headed your way in a hurry.