Although, it’s only for one game, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts just notified the league that he should be considered a talented quarterback. In the first game of the season, he recorded 264 yards and completed 27 of 35 passes and three touchdowns, per source. Not to mention, he ran for 62 yards and didn’t turn the ball over once on the road at Atlanta. The Eagles prevailed against the Atlanta Falcons winning 32-6.
Hurts was forced to spend the offseason listening to critics and prominent NFL analysts who doubted his skillset and the Eagles as a whole. The rumors also began about potential trades for the Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Hurts’ Proves Critics Wrong
Dan Orlovsky:
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky spoke very highly of Carson Wentz but was extremely critical of Jalen Hurts becoming the starter for the Eagles.
“If the Eagles could go back right now and re-do that decision, I’m 100% convinced that they would not have taken Jalen Hurts,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s Get Up! in July. “If Jalen Hurts plays as well as he can, he can’t sniff as good as Carson Wentz is.”
"If the Eagles could go back right now and re-do that decision, I'm 100% convinced that they would not have taken Jalen Hurts."
—@danorlovsky7 pic.twitter.com/JLdjB5Yo4s
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 8, 2021
Orlovsky has yet to mention Hurts on Get Up! And the show devoted only 33 seconds to the Eagles’ win out of the two-hour show. The underwhelming performance, by former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, was also given a few seconds throughout the show. The biases by Orlovsky have been evident; however, it has not been addressed as of yet.
All in all, Hurts is the 11th best quarterback in the league, per ESPN. He’s been put ahead of some household names: Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger, and Wentz.
Chris Simms:
Unfortunately, another critic that spoke against the young quarterback was CBS NFL analyst Chris Simms. Simms came out with a list of top 40 quarterbacks around the league ultimately excluding Hurts. Simms recently spoke on NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagle Eye podcast and explained why he believes Hurts doesn’t stick out to him as starting quarterback in the NFL.
“I know he’s a fine young man, and he’s got charisma and leadership skills and all that. But there’s just nothing that I ever saw that led me to think he’s an NFL starting quarterback,” Simms said. “I don’t like saying that about a young kid, and listen, I hope he proves me wrong. And if he proves me wrong, I’ll be one here to go, ‘Way to go, Jalen Hurts. You made Chris Simms look like a dumb idiot.'”
