Getty Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts.
Leave it to Philadelphia Eagles fans to take the tiniest grain of sand and turn it into a pyramid. The greatest pyramid, too. The NFL posted a nifty Twitter graphic showing stars from all 14 playoff teams staring into the abyss at the Lombardi Trophy rising above SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the site of Super Bowl LVI.
It was an innocent picture that filed guys like Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Donald, Derrick Henry, and TJ Watt in line looking at the championship goal in front of them. Jalen Hurts was the Eagles’ representative, of course. That wasn’t surprising. What had Philly fans talking was how close the graphic designers had positioned him to the trophy. Hurts was standing in the first row, front and center. Technically, the closet player to it.
Brady was the tallest and towered over the bunch like the seven-time champion he is. But several people pointed to Hurts being closer and used it as proof that even the NFL saw an upset on the horizon. The Eagles play Brady’s Buccaneers on Sunday in the wild-card round at 1 p.m.
@NFL Hurts in the front where he belongs
@NFL Jalen much closer to the trophy than Tom, just sayin #FlyEaglesFly
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Hurts Growing ‘Closer to His Ceiling’
Head coach Nick Sirianni has received a ton of credit for developing Hurts as a quarterback in their first year together. He tailored the Eagles’ offense to the quarterback’s strengths by committing to the run and letting Hurts work magic off RPOs. He hit all the right buttons, on the field and off it.
“I think you’re just seeing him grow closer and closer to his ceiling,” Sirianni said. “Yeah, he’s definitely better and he’s just going to continue to get better because of who he is as a person and as a player. Jalen wants to get better and craves to get better.”
Jalen Hurts is feeling “pretty good”, Sirianni said, noting that last week off helped his ankle get closer to 100 percent.
Sirianni also started meeting with Hurts every Friday so the two could bond not only as coach and player but as men outside of football.
“I value the relationship that I have with Jalen and all the players on our team,” Sirianni said. “But there is always something special about a head coach and quarterback relationship that I value that good organizations I’ve been around have that good, strong relationship between the two.”
Eagles Release Epic Hype Video
The Eagles’ marketing and social media teams rank among the very best in the NFL. They understand the fan base and the passion they have for the hometown team. Everyone waits with bated breath for their weekly hype videos to hit the internet. This week’s version didn’t disappoint.
Next round. Press on.
Lane Johnson narrates a video dedicated to their scrappy fight just to make an unlikely playoff run. The Eagles didn’t come this far to lose in the first round. “Let’s buckle up now,” Johnson says. The video features root-growing references, boxing analogies, and plenty of “dawg mentality.” The Eagles have taken Sirianni’s messaging about getting one-percent better every single day to heart.
“What did Coach say, we’re nasty? Yeah, we are,” Johnson said. “That’s us. We’re nasty. I can dig that. So what did you all come here for? You want to get fired up, right? You want me to tell you why you should be f****** excited? Because it’s the freaking playoffs, that’s why.”