The Philadelphia Eagles are the model NFL team, and Jalen Hurts is a big part of that.
So when asked about why the Eagles have been successful, winning Super Bowl LIX and representing the NFC in the Super Bowl two of the past three years, owner Jeffrey Lurie credited Hurts’ resilience and ability to block out distractions.
Hurts, of course, was the Eagles’ second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft from Oklahoma — after his high-profile transfer from Alabama after he lost his starting-quarterback spot to Tua Tagovailoa.
He and the Eagles have weathered controversies like the Brotherly Shove and wide receiver A.J. Brown’s recent social-media posts to the top of the NFC East yet again.
Philadelphia (5-2) will host the New York Giants this week and win at least six of its first eight games for the fourth straight season under coach Nick Sirianni.
Jeffrey Lurie: ‘The More Noise There Is, The Better Jalen Hurts Performs’
Hurts is coming off his biggest passing performance of the season. He threw for 326 yards and completed 82.6 percent of his passes against the Minnesota Vikings — while helping the run-struggling Eagles snap a two-game losing streak in a six-point road win.
Yet, according to Lurie, who spoke at the league meetings in New York this week, overcoming adversity is part of why the Eagles love having Hurts as their quarterback.
“It’s one of the reasons we build the roster the way we do with some of the people we do, like Jalen,” Lurie told NFL.com. “You have to have that resilience and understanding, especially in the world today. If you can’t block out most of the noise, you’re not going to maximally perform, and Jalen is one of those where, the more noise there is, the better he performs.”
Lurie can appreciate the noise of being the reigning world champions, since the Eagles claimed both Super Bowls under his watch. He, and general manager Howie Roseman, also must navigate how certain personalities will mesh in sports-mad Philadelphia.
“Being able, in today’s world, to manage the noise in a way where it relegates it to a bare minimum — that’s a key to winning,” Lurie said. “You hope to have a culture that’s able to do that. It’s not guaranteed. But we purposely are very intentional about it.
“Culture takes care of things that provide both resilience and support systems and minimizes noise. That’s a big deal in today’s world of sports.”
Jeffrey Lurie: ‘Noise’ Is Inevitable During ‘Long Season’
Though they are coaching players to reduce the distractions — or noise — surrounding the team, Lurie has been around long enough to know those controversies are inevitable.
“It’s a long season,” Lurie said. “There’s going to be lulls and there’s going to be noise, and if you know there’s going to be lots of noise every single season, you prepare for how to deal with the noise in advance.”
The saga with Brown and the Eagles offense, plus defensive end Za’Darius Smith’s sudden retirement, are two recent examples. But the Eagles have had bigger issues involving quarterback controversies, big personalities and postseason failure over Lurie’s 25-year tenure as owner.
In that timeframe, Lurie has learned from those mishaps and tried to make things better, while finally putting together the perfect formula for success.
“No one has higher expectations than us,” Lurie said. “We’re very self-critical and disciplined and we hope that brings success.”
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