On Roob’s Eagles observations: A worrying Jalen Hurts trend originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
A disturbing pattern in Jalen Hurts’ three seasons as a starter, an underdog cornerback with crazy college production and a Wes Hopkins statistic you’ll definitely appreciate.
We’re just three days away from the Eagles’ 12th gameth training camp at the NovaCare Complex after 17 years at Lehigh, 16 years at West Chester, seven years at Widener, five years at Albright in Reading, 17 years in Hershey and 11 locations in the franchise’s first 18 seasons.
So this is our last offseason 10 Observations until… we’ll see!
1. Here’s what worries me about Jalen Hurts: In 36 games over the first 13 weeks of the three seasons since becoming the Eagles’ full-time starting quarterback, Hurts has a 95.4 passer rating, 52 TD passes and 21 INTs and a 65.0 percent completion. percentage. His passer rating is 12th of the 37 quarterbacks who have thrown 400 passes during that span, and the Eagles are 26-10 in those 36 games — the best record in the NFL. In 11 games over the last five weeks of the season? Hurts has an 82.7 passer rating with nine TDs, nine INTs and a 63.0 percent completion percentage. That 82.7 passer rating ranks 22It is of the 29 quarterbacks who have thrown 200 passes in the last five weeks of the last three seasons, and the Eagles are 7-4 in those games. Four of his eight lowest passer ratings came in the final five weeks of a season. My theory is that season-ending injuries and general wear and tear had a dramatic cumulative effect on Hurts’ performance each year. He had some very good games late in the season and was obviously tremendous during the 2022 playoffs, but he also only played one game in the four weeks leading up to the 2022 postseason and had a week off the week before the postseason began. -season and then two easy wins and another bye week before the Super Bowl. But it’s clear, whether he has a known injury or not, that Hurts hasn’t been the same player late in the season as he was in the early months. I would never want Kellen Moore to take away his running ability because it is a weapon. But I think he needs to keep Hurts’ long-term health in mind when calling plays. And I also think sometimes Hurts needs to be smarter about making contact when it’s not necessary. The Eagles won’t get to where they want to be if Hurts isn’t close to 100 percent in January, and Hurts, Moore and Nick Sirianni will have to do everything in their power to make sure that happens.
2A. If the Eagles make the playoffs this year, Nick Sirianni will become just the sixth coach in NFL history and the second since the 1980s to lead his first four teams to the postseason. The others:
John Robinson, sheep [1983-1986]
Bill Cowher, Steelers [1992-1987]
John Harbaugh, Ravens [2008-2012]
Chuck Knox, Rams [1973-1977]
Paul Brown, browns [1946-1955] (played in AAFC 1946-1949]
2B. Who remembers when Bill Cowher played for the Eagles? Cowher began his short NFL career as an undrafted linebacker with the Eagles in 1979, but never entered a game. He signed after the season with the Browns and played in 25 games from 1980 to 1982. The Eagles traded an undisclosed late-round pick to the Browns after the 1982 season for Cowher, who became the Eagles’ special teams captain. He played 16 games in 1983 and four in 1984, almost all on special teams. Cowher suffered a knee injury in the Week 4 loss to the 49ers at Vet and never played again. The Eagles invited Cowher to training camp in 1985, but by then he knew his future was in coaching and accepted a job with the Browns as a special teams coach. Seven years later, he landed the Steelers head coaching job and in 2020 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, becoming the first former Eagles linebacker inducted into the Hall since Chuck Bednarik.
3. Wes Hopkins threw nine interceptions against the Cowboys, tied for the most in history. Terry Kinard of the Giants also had nine. Lito Sheppard is tied for second with eight.
4. The Eagles’ over-under win total in Vegas this year is 10 ½. Six of the last seven times their over-under has been 10 or more, the Eagles have won fewer than 10 games. The only exception? Last year. In 2005 there were 11 ½ and they were 6 to 10, in 2011 there were 10 ½ and they were 8 to 8, in 2012 there were 10 and they were 4 to 12, in 2015 there were 10 and they were 7 to 9 and in 2018 and 2019 it was 10 ½ and 10 and it was 9 to 7 in both years. Last year the over-under was 11 ½ and they won 11. So 2018 is the only year since 2004 that the Eagles’ preseason projected win total was 10 or more in which they won a game of the playoffs.
5. We’ve talked a lot this offseason about this impressive group of young corners the Eagles have produced, led by Quinton Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Isaiah Rodgers and Kelee Ringo, but also including Eli Ricks, Tyler Hall and Zech McPhearson. But another intriguing guy who will be fun to watch in camp is Shon Stephens, the 5-foot-11 player the Eagles signed as an undrafted free agent in April. Stephens may not have ideal speed and has never played Division 1 ball, but his production at the Division 2 level has been remarkable. After brief stints at JUCO Bakersfield (Calif.) and Missouri Southern State of Joplin, Missouri, Stephens had eight interceptions for D-2 West Liberty (W. Va.) in 2022 and eight more for D-2 Ferris State of Big Rapids, Michigan , last year. There are 16 interceptions in 22 games, and that draws attention regardless of the level. So does a 4.38 40 at Michigan State’s pro day. Roster numbers will be tough for Stephens. Assuming the Eagles keep seven corners, Darius Slay, Mitchell, DeJean, Rodgers and Ringo are locked in and Avonte Maddox and Eli Ricks seem likely. But at the very least, a good summer for Stephens will mean a spot on the practice squad. One thing everyone agrees on is that there aren’t many fast, young, creative corners.
6. Since Jeff Lurie bought the Eagles, only four teams have had fewer losing seasons. Lurie purchased the Eagles in 1994, but 1995 was his first full year as owner, so the Eagles played 29 seasons under his ownership – from 1995 to 2023. They had just eight losing seasons during that span (as well as 19 winning seasons). . and two .500 seasons). During the same 29-year period, the Steelers had three losing seasons, the Packers and Patriots five, and the Colts seven. The Eagles also had eight. Of those six teams, all but the Eagles had a Hall of Fame quarterback during that span — Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning.
6B. In the 29 seasons before Lurie purchased the Eagles from Norman Braman – 1966 to 1994 – the Eagles had 10 winning seasons, 17 losing seasons and two .500 seasons).
6C. In franchise history, the Eagles have had 42 winning seasons. Therefore, 45% of the winning seasons in Eagles history have occurred since Lurie purchased the team.
7. The Eagles have scored at least 30 points in the postseason 10 times – once under Dick Vermeil, once under Rich Kotite, once under Ray Rhodes, twice under Andy Reid, twice under Doug Pederson and three times under Nick Sirianni.
8. The Eagles had 49 first downs in their last three games last year — 17 in a loss to Arizona, 19 in a loss to the Giants, 13 in a loss to the Bucs. That’s the fewest first downs in a three-game span since the end of the 2005 season, when they had just 42 with Mike McMahon at quarterback — 13 against the Rams, 11 at Arizona and 18 against Washington.
9. The only player the Eagles have drafted in the last 20 years who has 10 interceptions for the Eagles is Nate Allen.
10. Of the 63 players who played in at least one game for the Eagles in the 2017 Super Bowl championship season, 17 are still in the NFL – including four for the Eagles. Along with Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham, Jake Elliott and Rick Lovato, all still with the Eagles, the other 13 are Nelson Agholor [Ravens]Derek Barnett [Texans]Ronald Darby [Jaguars]Rasul Douglas [Bills]Zach Ertz [Commanders]Kamu Grugier-Hill [Vikings]Jordan Hicks [Browns]Mack Hollins [Bills]Rodney McLeod [Browns]Jalen Mills [Giants]Isaac Seumalo [Steelers]Nate Sudfeld [Lions] and Carson Wentz [Chiefs]. Several others who played last year and did not officially retire are not currently on the team: Corey Clement, Sidney Jones, Jason Peters and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Nick Foles, who hasn’t played since 2022, is also out of the league but has not retired.
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