After the Eagles’ final 17-20 loss against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football, quarterback Jalen Hurts answered questions during the postgame press conference. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer was there and took away an interesting quote:
“I’ve been talking about execution all year. Was on the same page, everybody was on the same page. We didn’t execute. I don’t think we were committed enough. It just needs to be translated. You know, it’s a challenge that we have to accept. Just look at it.
” When Hurts was asked to explain what “I don’t think we were committed enough” meant, he continued the line by saying: “Commitment. I don’t know – I don’t have a dictionary right now. Sorry. I don’t know how else to say it.” The Eagles offense didn’t perform well, but it didn’t hurt either That makes it three straight losses, and the offense has been shut down in every game, failing to score more than 19 points in its last three contests.
There was a lot of frustration, but questioning his teammates’ “commitment” to the offensive game plan marks a clear departure from how Hurts talked about the team’s struggles. Pained has been plagued by a left knee injury for most of the season, but was labeled “doubtful” for the season after worsening the nagging ailment over the weekend. It became such a concern that Hurts even had to fly to Seattle separately from the team.
Members of the media picked up on the story and even compared it to Michael Jordan’s flu game. The table was set for Hurts’ hero, but instead, fans are embracing the star guard. Comments on McLane’s post ranged from: “Happy with Jalen sitting on the bench looking lost.
Why doesn’t he show emotion, not a leader” – “No one wants to hear from the guy anymore.. just go win” – “Jalen is the main , who doesn’t run the offense.. Poor decision making and too much hero ball. Big regression from him this season.
In less than a month, Philadelphia went from first place in the league to a potentially lost locker room. Hurts and the Eagles learned how quickly a season can turn sour in the NFL. After Week 11, Andy Reid called Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai “scary,” and now he appears to be the defensive coordinator in name only after head coach Nick Sirianni replaced him with Matt Patricia, who played the play calling. Hurts has had his downs in this stretch. Here, he failed to connect on a touchdown pass.
He ran for 82 yards and two touchdowns, but overall his stat sheet looked more like that of a second-rounder who didn’t see much in the pocket and frantically tried to make plays with his feet, which meant losing the football. Hurts also added two interceptions to his total on the year, tied for 4th in the NFL for most interceptions with 12. He only had six all season last year.
Hurts will have to be careful with the football and his words if the Eagles are to make a turnaround this season Many fans were particularly upset that Hurts didn’t drop a pass late in the game. Eagles Nation, a well-known Eagles fan blog, posted a photo of the play showing how open running back Kenneth Gainwell was, saying, “Jalen Hurts missed Kenneth Gainwell’s WIDE open check play.
Nobody was more than 20 yards in front of him. .” Jalen Hurts fumbled Kenneth Gainwell on an interception for a loss. No one is more than 20 meters in front of him. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/O6v3jRi82k Ultimately, plays like this earn Hurts little sympathy from fans and possibly teammates as he continues to question their “commitment” to running the offense.
When the Eagles win, Hurts’ calm demeanor comes across as quiet confidence, but if he stays soft in defeat, he might choose his words a little more carefully. Coach Sirianni and the Eagles will get another chance to right the ship in Week 16 when they play the struggling 5-9 New York Giants. Even after this terrible stretch, Philadelphia has a chance to make the playoffs with a 13-4 record in the NFC East if they can go through and win the rest of their schedule.
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