The Philadelphia Eagles are winning in spite of their offense, but coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t necessarily believe there’s a problem — contrary to published reports.
The Eagles coach offered his opinion of the reported the reported criticisms of quarterback Jalen Hurts ahead of their Week 12 showdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Members of the Philadelphia-area media have reported complaints about Hurts’ play in spite of the Eagles’ four-game win streak. The sixth-year quarterback, who is just nine months removed from winning the MVP of Super Bowl LIX, is 19th in the NFL in passing yards (1,995) and has just 318 yards and one touchdown over Philadelphia’s past two games.
The Eagles (8-2) still lead the NFC East and hold the No. 1 seed by virtue of their head-to-head win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.
Nick Sirianni Doesn’t ‘Fall Into The Trap Of Believing Everything You See Or Read’
Sirianni has done a masterful job of limiting distractions from the outside over his four seasons as Eagles coach, especially while coaching the most popular team in arguably the most fanatic market in North American sports.
So when asked about rumblings of Hurts’ unwillingness to throw passes into tight windows, which was reported by Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Sirianni pushed back against those reports and the use of unnamed sources.
“I don’t necessarily believe everything that’s being written. I just don’t,” Sirianni said. “I don’t give it a lot of credence when there’s not a name [attached] and don’t fall into the trap of believing everything you see or read.”
Despite Sirianni’s denial, Russini’s reporting is not without merit, since she is one of the most well-connected insiders in football. Her column “what I’m hearing” first acknowledged the rift between Hurts and his teammates, which did not sound made up.
“After doing some digging and asking people inside the Eagles building, it was explained that multiple offensive players have grown frustrated with Jalen Hurtsâ approach this season, particularly against zone coverage,” Russini wrote last week. “They believe heâs become hesitant in tight windows, leaning on checkdowns or scrambles instead of trusting whatâs open downfield.”
Jalen Hurts Seems Unaffected By Criticism
Hurts was asked straight up about Russini’s reporting and if it took him by surprised.
“I’m not surprised by anything. This is kind of the nature of the position,” Hurts said Wednesday. “But I put my energy and my focus on trying to go out there and do my best and trying to learn, trying to build, trying to take in the things that I can to try and improve.
“I guess I get a lot of attention when things are going well and when things are not going so well. I never run away from holding myself accountable, and I think that’s exactly what I’ve taken the approach of doing.”
The Eagles have been one of the most balanced teams, with Hurts only putting up more than 30 throws in a game three times — their two losses to the New York Giants and Denver Broncos, and their 33-26 win over the Rams, where they played from behind basically the whole game.
Hurts is focused on the solution, especially with only seven weeks left in the regular season.
“I take great pride in what we do on offense,” Hurts said. “I take great pride in how we go out there and play as a team and what our flow is. I think we’ve got work to do, and that obviously starts with me. That’s always my approach. That’s always me looking internally first in everything that we do and then in due time rising above.”
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