Hey Philadelphia, it’s been a while since we’ve talked. I’d ask how you’re doing but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t noticed. I get it, it’s been a rough few years. We had the highest of highs in 2017 but ever since it seems like we’ve become the black sheep of the NFL. I kind of understand how Cleveland has felt for so long. Here we are, seven weeks into a season that already feels lost. The Head Coach is running out of excuses to tell the media so now he’s talking about gardening, no not Gardner, I mean gardening.
It’s weird because it feels like you were warned about the Armageddon of Eagles football but you ignored the signs on the way down. Howie Roseman specifically told everyone that Jalen was drafted to be Carson’s backup but nobody believed him. I can’t blame you but looking back now, even I feel foolish. The team didn’t work Jalen out before the draft. If I’m not mistaken they didn’t even speak to him. Odd.
Imagine not doing your homework on your franchise Quarterback, no one’s ever pulled that off so why was it overlooked? It makes you wonder if Howie Roseman was actually telling the truth and just made a huge mistake in drafting Jalen Hurts. He was scared just like everyone else was when it came to Carson’s injuries.
This brings us to here, week 8 of the 2021 NFL season. Your Philadelphia Eagles are 2-5 and their offense has produced less than a man with a vasectomy. Too harsh? Not really.
First and foremost, Jalen Hurts is not a rookie. You can’t give him the Ben Simmons’ Rookie of the Year special. The NFL doesn’t work like that. Jalen is what he is right now. A second-year pro that hasn’t polished the issues that led to him being a second-round pick. Everyone knows he would’ve fallen to the third round if Howie didn’t panic but he did and we’re all here now.
The Eagles even gave Hurts a weapon that he was familiar with to help him push the ball down the field. Hurts isn’t able to utilise that weapon because of the one thing that has haunted him since college. He has no feel for the pocket. Hurts panics at the sight of blood and believes in his legs more than his arm. Defenses have even used that against him at times by creating a decoy. By creating the illusion that the pocket is collapsing, teams know Hurts will panic and try to escape so they have a defender waiting on the opposite side. Some have succeeded with this plan and some haven’t.
Then there’s the accuracy issue. Hurts is anything but consistently accurate. While his completion percentage has jumped up by 4%, the issues are still there. His timing is completely off which has led to short throws, throws behind the receiver, throws to the wrong shoulder of the receiver, and he seems unable to make the anticipations throw.
Lastly, there’s the issue of his decision-making. This one is a two-part issue. Firstly, his decisions on who to throw it to and when. There have been times where he had Goedert or Sanders open but instead chose to overlook them. There are also the moments where seems to always throw the ball to Reagor’s legs before he is even ready to receive the ball. We have yet to see him fix that issue this season. It’s as if he’s completely lost out there when he isn’t using his legs.
The second part is the RPO. The blame for this goes both ways: Sirianni is at fault for giving Jalen so much freedom in this offense. Hurts is at fault for choosing himself over what’s best for the offense. Now I’m not calling Jalen selfish at all. I’m just saying that he appears to trust himself more than he trusts his playmakers. His decision to hold onto the ball for almost 90% of the time has been the reason that the running game has been nonexistent.
With Hurts having that much freedom in the RPO, it has cost the Eagles offense more than he can ever payback. Miles Sanders was an afterthought. The offensive line hasn’t even been on the same page as their QB at times because of his decisions. Again, the blame for all of this lies on the shoulders of three individuals: Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni, and Jalen Hurts.
While fans will clamor for Jalen Hurts to get another season, the fact of the matter is that both the Eagles and Hurts would be better off without each other. The expectations for both parties are too high even when fans say there are no expectations. The coaching staff isn’t going anywhere and the franchise is approaching the most important draft in franchise history. Hurts should and can develop elsewhere without the pressure of needing to step out of Carson’s shadow. There’s time to save both parties but to do so, they have to realize that they may be better off without the other.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
