Jalen Hurts has been nothing short of excellent so far.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has exceeded expectations in his first two starts in Philadelphia. A first start – upset victory over the Saints, was followed up with a sensational 400 total yard game against Arizona. He’s been nothing short of impressive.
But let’s pump the brakes on what Jalen Hurts could be.
The Eagles are a mess. Bad contracts, poor coaching, and a poor front office have combined to make a sludge of mediocrity over the last two seasons.
It doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better either.
What Jalen Hurts has done through his first two starts has been impressive. But pump the brakes on him being the future of the franchise.
History proves that Philadelphia jumps the gun on it’s QB’s. It would be an utter disaster if they did so again.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at some of the QB’s who were given the keys to the kingdom and ultimately ended up being duds.
Mike Vick
For some reason, NFL fans hold Mike Vick in higher regard than Donovan McNabb. Even though McNabb went to five conference titles, a Super Bowl, and set many team and NFL records during his career.
“bUt He DiDn’T tHrOw Up In ThE sUpEr BoWl”
Yea, he also didn’t make it to one either.
Vick had an incredible 2010 season that saw him become BETTER than his Atlanta Falcons days. Replacing an often-injured, Kevin Kolb, Vick went 10-6 his first full season as a starter and won the last division title for Andy Reid as an Eagle.
He was then given a six-year $100 million dollar contract shortly after.
After one year.
Guess how many playoff games Vick played in after that contract was given.
The same amount of Super Bowl appearances he has to this day. 0.
Vick is arguably the closest example I could give to Jalen Hurts because of their style of play. They both aren’t/weren’t very accurate players, they have injury history, and can be described as “scramblers”.
A scrambler as your franchise QB is a very dangerous game. To give Hurts the keys tot he kingdom after two, or even four starts is very dangerous. Take Mike Vick as the example.
Division titles no longer cut it anymore in Philadelphia. If Carson Wentz is held to a higher standard, than Hurts needs to be too.
And winning only division titles is not acceptable.
Bobby Hoying
Trivia Time!
Who was the starting QB for the Eagles 1998 season? (The last year of the Ray Rhodes era.)
If you guessed Bobby Hoying, you’d be correct! Don’t know who, or what a Bobby Hoying is? Let me explain.
Because Eagles media and their fans are so demanding at the QB position, the organization for some reason has desperately tried to fit circles in square pegs basically since Jeffrey Lurie became Owner.
The desperation to find a franchise QB has had its ups and downs. Some have been great (McNabb) others were confusing (Nick Foles) and some were just….what? (Slinging Sammy Bradford).
Yet once a starter shows any sign of struggle, Philadelphia is quick to pull the plug. In 1998 they pulled the plug and found Bobby Hoying.
Hoying was drafted in the third round of the 1996 draft by Philadelphia out of Ohio State. In 1997, Hoying started two games and was nothing short of spectacular.
A four TD day against Cincinnati, and a 10-10 tie in which they came back to play pretty well had Eagles fans hoping they found the future of the franchise. Hoying was named the starting QB for the 1998 season. How’d that go?
He started seven games, didn’t win one, and didn’t even throw a TD Pass.
He was out in Philly the next year.
Just because a player has looked good with limited tape on him, does not mean he should be given the keys to the kingdom.
Jalen Hurts could play extremely well in these next two games. That doesn’t mean he will be the franchise savior.
Nick Foles
Yes, Nick Foles’ legacy wasn’t really defined in Philadelphia until years later with a Super Bowl miracle, but in 2013, he stepped in for an injured Mike Vick and shocked the world.
Just 25 at the time, and taking over from an injured Mike Vick, the second-year player completed 64% of his passes for 2,891 yards in 13 games. His remarkable is 27-2 TD/INT ratio went down in NFL history.
One season later, Foles posted a 59.8% completion percentage, throwing 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions before breaking his collar bone after 8 games. After that, he was traded to the Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford and his career would undertake a fairytale that nobody saw coming. But not every Quarterback who posts a ridiculously strong sample size during his first real exposure to the NFL will end up winning a Super Bowl ring.
Eagles need to stay calm when it comes to Jalen Hurts
There is no doubt that there will be a QB competition heading into the 2021 season. Hurts has deserved that much.
The people writing off Carson Wentz or sending out hit pieces to make him look bad are pretty vile.
To get rid of him after a year of bad football would just be incompetence and a knee-jerk reaction.
This city is full of people looking for knee-jerk reactions. We can talk all we want about how the city finally has a Super Bowl title, but in truth – we’re closer to having the #1 overall pick than we are to seeing another Lombardi Trophy coming down Broad Street.
A rash action does not warrant a rash response. Getting rid of Wentz after four very good starts from Hurts would be the death nail for the team’s Super Bowl hopes, and usher in an era of rebuilding the likes of which, this city has ever seen.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
