Eagles coach Nick Sirianni offered a pointed response to the notion that quarterback Jalen Hurts was along for the ride during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run last season.
“I think that’s bulls—,” Sirianni said.
“I mean, he plays the most important position in all of sports. And it’s the most ultimate team game there is. And what I admire about him is his selflessness of doing anything we need to do to win.”
After a 2-2 start to the season, the Eagles shifted their offensive approach, leaning more on Saquon Barkley and the ground game and less on the passing attack. Philadelphia went 12-1 down the stretch led by Barkley, who finished with a career-high 2,005 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns en route to being named Offensive Player of the Year.
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Hurts finished the 2024 season with the least number of attempts (361) and passing yards (2,903) since becoming the full-time starter in 2021. But he delivered when called upon, including in Super Bowl LIX when he completed 77% of his throws and totaled three touchdowns to win MVP honors.
Hurts is surrounded by a standout cast that includes Barkley, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and a top-tier offensive line, but that does not make him unique relative to many other quarterbacks who have had lots of success in the league, Sirianni argued.
“One of the reasons I love football so much is that it takes everybody to accomplish your goals,” he said. “You can go ahead and start naming great quarterbacks, I’ll tell you their great receivers and their great defenses. You know, whether it’s Brady with Gronkowski or Brady’s defenses early on, Mahomes with Kelce, Steve Young with Jerry Rice, the list goes on and on and on. I just think sometimes that’s good debate, I guess. I wouldn’t even say it’s good debate, but it’s debate that people are able to have. But yeah, I guess, my first initial thing was it’s bulls—.”
