It’s only Week 4, but Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is already dealing with relentless criticism.
Hurts may have thrown for two touchdowns this past Sunday, but he only had 93 passing yards in the team’s 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Six days earlier, he was outplayed by Case Keenum in a loss to the Chicago Bears.
While on his podcast this week, Eagles legend Nick Foles ripped Hurts for being late on several throws against the Rams.
“He was very late on this,” Foles said. “Very late. We’re not playing high school football. We can’t wait until they’re wide open. … But if he gets it on time. He catches that ball right now, look how much grass is in the triangle of defenders. He’s going to catch it and he’s going to knife upfield, most likely going to be a first down. If not, it’s going to be very, very close. But when you wait, watch what happens when he throws it late. He throws it late. He sort of double clutches it, and it’s stopped right there.”
Foles, who is loved by so many Eagles fans, tried his best to avoid going over the top with his assessment of Hurts. However, he was pretty adamant that Philadelphia needs better quarterback play.
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images.
Who else criticized Jalen Hurts?
Former Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who won a Super Bowl with the franchise during the 2017 season, believes Hurts hasn’t done enough this year. He believes the Super Bowl MVP needs to prove himself, especially now that Saquon Barkley is banged up.
“At some point, Jalen Hurts has to prove that he hasn’t been propped up by an all-world offensive line, two No. 1 wide receivers outside and [star running back Saquon Barkley],” Long said. “I’m sorry. I’ve tried to be as gentle as I can in these situations after games because I’m perfectly aware of the [expletive] that a quarterback has to deal with. When you win, and you’ve delivered on the biggest stages, I do think that buys you time. And in Philly, the market is huge. You’ve got your talk show people. I try not to be one of those people. But I don’t think he’s as good as people think he is. And that’s not a personal attack. I’m just calling it how I see it.”
Hurts has not responded to Foles or Long at this time. To be fair, he truly needs his play on the field to do the talking.
