Getting Better

Posted: October 28th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 3 Comments »

Quarterback is the most difficult position in professional sports. There are a lot of talented QBs, but getting one to play well is hard. Getting a QB to play consistently well is really hard.

Think back to 2017. Carson Wentz was on his way to being NFL MVP. The Eagles were the best team in football. Life was good for Wentz and the Eagles. Then he tore his ACL. The team won the Super Bowl without him and Wentz was never the same player again.

Jared Goff took the Rams to the Super Bowl and then fell out of favor. He’s now playing at an elite level in Detroit. Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have each been discarded by multiple teams. Both are playing well this year.

Hurts was solid in 2021, showing he could start and win games. He led the Eagles to the playoffs and had some good performances. The Eagles added AJ Brown and Hurts had a great  year in 2022. He led the team to the Super Bowl and played great in the biggest game of his life. 2023 was a different story. Hurts struggled with turnovers and he had some key mistakes as the Eagles season fell apart.

There were a lot of questions about Hurts coming into this season. And rightfully so. Could he get back to his 2022 level? Would all the turnovers from last year go away? How would he adjust to a new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore?

Hurts had a great Training Camp and got everyone excited. Then he threw a pair of bad INTs in the opener. He still led the Eagles to a win in Brazil and made some key plays. The next three weeks featured more turnovers and erratic play. The Eagles went into the bye week at 2-2. There were more questions than ever when it came to Hurts.

Since the bye week, things have changed. No turnovers for Hurts (or the Eagles). Hurts has thrown 4 TDs and has a passer rating of at least 119 in each game. He’s been more impactful as a runner (5 TDs and some key scrambles). Hurts has made some terrific throws, short and deep. He’s had a deep ball of at least 40 yards in each of the past three games. Watch some of his third down throws against the Bengals and you see accurate passes that moved the chains.

Before you start making Super Bowl plans, we need to see if Hurts can continue playing like this. His performance in 2022 would tell you he certainly can, but as I mentioned with the QBs earlier, playing consistently well is really hard. Hurts has the physical ability. The big issue for him is the mental part of the game.

  • Vision
  • Awareness
  • Decision-making

A lot of people are ripping Greg Cosell for what he said about Hurts last week.

Hurts was coming off an up and down showing against the Giants. When you evaluate, you go off what you have seen. Cosell saw Hurts fail to make good reads and decisions so he said what he said. I’m sure this week will be a different story. Hurts played his best game of the year in Cincinnati.

QB is a weird position. You never know when the light will go on. Improvement isn’t always linear. Maybe the Bengals lack of a consistent pass rush is what it took to bring out the best in Hurts. Maybe Moore improved with his play-calling. Maybe Hurts just finally felt comfortable in the new offense and things clicked for him. There is probably a combination of things that led to Hurts strong showing.

If Hurts can continue to build on what we saw Sunday, the Eagles are going to be a dangerous team.

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3 Comments on “Getting Better”

  1. 1 The Linc - “The Eagles look like contenders” - SportSourcio said at 11:01 AM on October 29th, 2024:

    […] Getting Better – Iggles Blitz […]

  2. 2 The Linc – Over View – Your Daily News Source said at 1:32 AM on October 30th, 2024:

    […] Getting Better – Iggles BlitzHurts was coming off an up and down showing against the Giants. When you evaluate, you go off what you have seen. Cosell saw Hurts fail to make good reads and decisions so he said what he said. I’m sure this week will be a different story. Hurts played his best game of the year in Cincinnati. QB is a weird position. You never know when the light will go on. Improvement isn’t always linear. Maybe the Bengals lack of a consistent pass rush is what it took to bring out the best in Hurts. Maybe Moore improved with his play-calling. Maybe Hurts just finally felt comfortable in the new offense and things clicked for him. There is probably a combination of things that led to Hurts strong showing. If Hurts can continue to build on what we saw Sunday, the Eagles are going to be a dangerous team. […]

  3. 3 The Linc – News247Planet said at 1:46 AM on October 30th, 2024:

    […] Getting Better – Iggles BlitzHurts was coming off an up and down exhibiting in opposition to the Giants. Once you consider, you go off what you will have seen. Cosell noticed Hurts fail to make good reads and choices so he mentioned what he mentioned. I’m positive this week shall be a distinct story. Hurts performed his greatest sport of the yr in Cincinnati. QB is a bizarre place. You by no means know when the sunshine will go on. Enchancment isn’t all the time linear. Possibly the Bengals lack of a constant cross rush is what it took to deliver out the perfect in Hurts. Possibly Moore improved along with his play-calling. Possibly Hurts simply lastly felt snug within the new offense and issues clicked for him. There may be in all probability a mixture of issues that led to Hurts robust exhibiting. If Hurts can proceed to construct on what we noticed Sunday, the Eagles are going to be a harmful staff. […]