Getty Kurt Warner escapes the pocket during the 2000 Super Bowl. Warner revealed an early look at his upcoming movie "American Underdog" on Wednesday.
Kurt Warner came out of nowhere to capture two NFL MVP awards and one Super Bowl championship. His exploits earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame while making him expertly qualified to comment on young quarterbacks.
Warner, an analyst for NFL Network, recently chatted with NBC Sports’ John Clark about Jalen Hurts’ development after 16 starts. The second-year quarterback has put the Philadelphia Eagles in playoff position, yet questions linger over plopping the “franchise starter” label on him.
“I think it’s really hard to say at this point in time what Jalen is going to be for the entirety of his career. It’s too early to know,” Warner told Clark. “I know what I’m going to get from him. I know what he can do for me. You couple that with what they’ve done this year especially these last six games or so, running the football and allowing him to be a complementary playmaker for your team. He can win in the National Football League.”
Hurts’ intangibles and leadership – plus the way he can juke defenders with his legs and “break ankles” in the open field – are his biggest selling points. However, he still needs to prove he can sit back in the pocket and pick defenses apart with his right arm, according to Warner.
“Am I convinced yet he can be that franchise guy? Where he’s got to win games with his right arm by playing the position in the pocket? I’m not sure yet,” Warner said. “I think the verdict is still out on Jalen Hurts but the beautiful thing is he’s making a lot of plays, putting up good numbers, and they’re winning football games while he’s learning to play the position. And you’re seeing areas of growth along that journey as well.”
Kudos @JalenHurts – life & this game is a process/journey – filled w/ setbacks & triumphs – but too often ppl miss some of their greatest triumphs by giving up after the setbacks!! 1 of greatest assets ANY person can have is “perseverance”! well done young man, enjoy the moment!
If the Eagles aren’t sold on Hurts, then Warner believes they will make a run at Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson – if either quarterback becomes available.
“I feel like you have to do that if you feel like you’re in the market to do that,” Warner said. “I would say the more intriguing thing is, if you’re not in the market and you don’t feel like that’s a possibility, the more intriguing thing is, do we give Jalen another year?
“Do we go draft a quarterback? You have to find out: is my quarterback a championship-caliber quarterback? Because that’s what I believe most teams want to do is win championships. And that’s where it gets really hard.”
The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here!
Kurt Warner Promoting New Movie
Warner has been making the media rounds promoting his new movie “American Underdog,” a film based on his 2009 memoir that chronicles his rise from stock boy to Super Bowl MVP. The biopic stars Zachary Levi and opens on December 25 in theatres across the country.
When you love something, you fight for it. AMERICAN UNDERDOG – in theaters everywhere Christmas Day.
Religion is a central theme of the 1 hour, 52-minute flick which also stars Anna Paquin as Brenda Warner and Dennis Quaid as Dick Vermeil who plucked Warner off the NFL scrap heap in 1999. The former Eagles coach guided the St. Louis Rams to a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.
“Kurt Warner is not a fairytale. He’s real life,” Vermeil said in 1999, via ESPN. “He is an example of what we’d all like to be on and off the field. What else can you write? He is a movie. He is a book, this guy.”
Eagles Sign Mac McCain to Practice Squad
A familiar face is back again after the Eagles signed Mac McCain to the practice squad. The undrafted cornerback out of North Carolina A&T has bounced around between Philadelphia and Denver all year. He was waived last week to make room for veteran tackle Le’Raven Clark who inked a two-year extension. McCain made his NFL debut in Week 3 versus Dallas when he saw 13 snaps on special teams.