It Hurts to be this good!

 

There is something so special, so satisfying in slaughtering a heated rival.  The Eagles dismantled the Giants yesterday at MetLife stadium.  Up 21-0 in the first half, the remainder of the game became “garbage time.” The 27-22 exchange that followed the 21-0 beat down was about the New York Giants attempting and failing to trade blows with a Philly “Giant” that had frankly just chuckled and lost interest.

Eagle fans should not temper their joy, but they should view reality through an appropriate prism.  A talent deficient New York started the season 6-1 through a combination of magnificent coaching by Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale, extraordinarily bad management by the teams on the other side of the field, and that % of luck/good fortune the football gods occasionally provide.  It could not last.  And it has not.  Daboll and Martindale have tried to maintain their house of cards with an ever-depreciating talent base, as injuries further reduced them from their sub-standard start point.  Minus their 4 top wide receivers, 2 top corners, a few key interior offensive linemen and terrific D-tackle Dexter Lawrence, they could no longer even field a facsimile of the inferior product they started with! This was not the New York Giants yesterday; it was the Gotham Canards.  Eagle fans enjoying the dismemberment need to keep that in mind.

The notoriously bad MetLife turf took more from the Birds than the Canards (Giants) were capable of: Safety Reed Blankenship suffered a knee injury likely to keep him out at least 1-2 games. Eagles punter Arryn Siposs  also suffered a leg injury that may force him to IR.  Lane Johnson suffered an injury that will hopefully not force missed time beyond that lost in yesterday’s 2^nd half.  Attaining the first seed and being healthy for the playoffs are now the top Eagle priorities. The biggest deflection of that goal yesterday was performed by the unjustifiable surface the NY franchise continues to impose on the NFL (and themselves).  Way to go, Big (rotten) Apple.

Rather than analyze yesterday’s glorified Eagle practice on bad turf, let’s talk some Jalen Hurts.  As I’ve mentioned in prior articles, my expectation for Jalen was he continue to approach a ceiling I described as a “poor man’s Russell Wilson,” a quarterback with terrific mobility and smarts but more limited in passing skills than the former Seahawk (Don’t associate the metaphor with the ’22 version of Russ).  I saw Hurts as a player who would flirt being just in or out of the NFL’s top 10 passers.  Boy was I wrong, happily so!  While Jalen’s 184 net passing yards yesterday sounds numerically like that anticipated pedestrian passer, his play on the field shows numbers lie.  Most of those yards were obtained in the “beat down” portion of the game.  Afterwards, Hurts and the Eagles (half sleeping), just ran the Giants into submission (Hurts had 7 carries for 77 yards)

Jalen has an unusual set of skills combined with a unique set of circumstances.  Here are the 10 elements I believe have led to Jalen’s success in 2022:

1. He is a top 3 NFL QB in mobility, bringing speed, moves and agility that have already garnered comparisons to Philly great mobile QB’s like Cunningham, McNabb and Vick.
2. He is the strongest QB in the NFL.  This not only enables him to handle pounding others cannot, but acts as another weapon when that 1 additional yard is required.   
3. He has repetitive accuracy.  Hurts is not elite here, but he is becoming elite because he puts in the time.  On individual plays he clearly shows this. He is getting better.  And he is 24.  This was one of Tom Brady’s greatest skills.  It was learned by Tom, not innate to him either.  The same is happening with Jalen.  His natural athleticism (baseball, tennis…) enables him to do things many QBs cannot… generating arm power when contorted, using diverse angles, being able to play within the rhythm of an offense but also outside it.  This is both a blessing and a curse.  It is very difficult to harness that athleticism while maintaining appropriate Football fundamentals.  Without the fundamentals, even superior athletes will frequently fail competing against their (equally superior) peers.  Jalen has shown this year he can harness his skills and throw with improved consistency and fluidity. 
4. Coaching continuity.  This is the first year since high school that Jalen’s coaching has remained the same across seasons. The ability to grow under the same system across years has proven to be a stunning multiplier in Jalen’s progress.
5. He is bright, very bright.  So he uses his intelligence on the field to recognize in the moment how to win a play.  He uses it in practice to help apply the formation subtleties and nuanced options within them that will lead to game winning scenarios.  And finally he uses it to improve the process that keeps making him better and better, so he can continue to get better and better!
6. Jalen’s smarts go beyond the Operational (per play), tactical (per week) and strategic (seasonal process) approach.  He is smart enough to understand the difference between a small loss (incompletion) vs. a big loss (turnover).  This year, the Eagle offense is playing the most turnover free football in the NFL.  Additionally, Jalen understands, even with his raw power, it is best to slide rather than accept punishment.  “Live to fight another day play” is an aphorism clearly emphasized in Jalen’s vernacular!
7. He is a natural leader.  This is clear.  Leadership can be learned, natural leadership cannot.  And leadership cannot be underestimated at his position.  He indoctrinates, cultivates and motivates teammates.  
8. He has the maturity to recognize the hard work it takes to be a champion, and the willingness and desire to commit to that goal.  Most of us are incapable of truly being “the best we can be.”  It takes a commitment unique to perhaps a special 1%.  Jalen is still 24.  But he has seen the light, and through his maturity has committed to a life process of making himself the best NFL QB he can possibly be.  He literally eats, lives and sleeps this process.  This FOCUS is undeniable, and fascinating to watch (Off season work with personal coach Adam Dedeaux of 3DQB included). 
9. He has a superior organization behind him.  Perhaps, in this moment, the best owner, general manager and coach in the game.  Add in the QB, and you have a 4-dimensional NFL cornucopia!
10. What teammates are requisite for QB success that stand beside a QB?  Hurts has the 3 critical elements:

• An elite offensive line that will not only protect him, but will provide a premium run game too.
• An elite set of weapons, both receiving and running.
• An elite D that will not put the QB behind, but will help him on those occasions he’s sub-par.

So why does it Hurt to be this good?  Because not all of the above items are sustainable.  Many are, that’s the good news.  But the salary cap will work against Philadelphia as their successful young players, especially Hurts, get appropriately paid, forcing the need for the organization to walk away from some of their almost equally excellent teammates. Because “being the best” owner, GM or coach rarely lasts forever as either aging and/or other brilliant minds intercede.  And superstar athletes themselves are mercurial… Their talent is temporally finite, controlled by the effects of father time.   That’s why it Hurts to be this good, because temporal limits make this temporary. We need to enjoy it while it lasts!