The Eagles Lost Against Green Bay, and Hurts Don’t Want to Lose: How Heinicke Meteorized in Week 12
It was the first defeat of the season for the unusually sloppy Eagles as they slipped to 8-1 on an evening when they were continuously hampered by turnovers.
The dual-threat nature of Hurts allows him to perform any task the Eagles need him to. In the Week 12 win over Green Bay, Hurts rushed for 157 yards and threw for 358 yards and 3 touchdown.
“I think when you play the way we did tonight, and you play the way we did on all three phases – offense, defense, special teams, coaching – when you play like that,” Sirianni said, “it does seem like everything’s going against you, you create your own luck, and we played like crap.”
Having been provided plenty of opportunities – Washington were only able to muster two field goals, two punts and an interception in their five second-half drives – the Eagles looked out of sorts themselves and never capitalized.
Both of the Commanders’ running backs – Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson – had first half touchdowns as a widely expected Eagles victory turned sour.
The Washington defense recovered a fumbled ball from Smith after a failed attempt at a touchdown which put some gloss on an impressive victory for the now 5-5 Commanders.
Although Taylor Heinicke did not dazzle in the start, the win continued his run of plucky results and keeps him in the starting role for Carson Wentz.
“I don’t know,” Heinicke told the media. “There’s a lot of mistakes I’ve made throughout the games, but again, it’s one thing where if my number’s called and I have to play, let’s go out there and play, and I’m going to try to do the best of my abilities, so we’ll see what happens.”
A Black Patriot’s View: The Philadelphia Eagles’ and Kansas City’s Marlin Briscoe’s First Super Bowl QB
He said that he was rooting for two players, the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles and the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, who are Black.
Philadelphia won over the San Francisco 49ers. “I sat there patiently after Jalen and the Eagles had won that game,” Williams said.
Then, there was the game between Cincinnati and Kansas City that ended up being a nail-biting 23-20 victory for the Chiefs.
“When that ball went through the uprights, I can tell you this — cold chills went through my body, and I got a little emotion,” Williams said in an interview with NPR’s All Things Considered. “There wasn’t no tears running, but I had eyes full of water.”
There’s Marlin Briscoe, the first Black player in the Super Bowl era to start a game at quarterback. The Denver Broncos wanted to convert him to cornerback, but soon the team’s white quarterback was injured and the white backup played poorly, forcing the Broncos to give Briscoe a chance.
Nearly half of the league’s 32 teams have started a black quarterback at some point this season, and 29% of the league’s games this year have a Black starter under center. In total, 21 Black quarterbacks threw at least one pass this season, the highest number ever.
On Sunday, for the first time in 57 Super Bowls, both teams will start a Black quarterback. The two players, Mahomes and Hurts, have had superlative seasons. The two are nominees for the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award.
Both acknowledged the history of Black quarterbacks who had fought to pave the way for their opportunity this weekend.
“It’s historic,” he said. It’s going to be a special moment that I hope will live on forever, since so many people laid the groundwork before us, and to be playing with a guy like Jalen who I know is doing it the right way, it’s going to be a wonderful moment.
What happened to Moon when he played football in the U.S. Senate, winning the Rose Bowl, and losing his first Super Bowl game
He said that the leadership positions were dominated by white players, while Black players were moved to more physical positions, like running back and wide receiver.
The National Football League didn’t show an interest in him despite leading the University of Washington to a Rose Bowl victory. Instead, Moon spent six years in the Canadian Football League, where he won five straight championships. After making the switch to the NFL, Moon was named to the Pro Bowl nine times.
The first 2 African American quarterbacks to face each other in the Super Bowl were honored by Moon last week, who wrote that he was proud to see them. We have come a long way.
Williams was not scouted by an NBA team before he graduated college. He was the lowest-paid quarterback in the league. Despite his Super Bowl heroics, his career ended soon after.
“At least I was given the opportunity and was able to do something with it,” said Williams, who is now a senior adviser to the president of the Washington Commanders. It’s a sad situation. But we take the sweet at this particular time.”
“At that point, you start to notice more of an acknowledgement that these guys are here and they can play.” If they can help us win that’s what we need to look for.
Credit for big wins was given to other players while blame for losses came easily. The praise might have been inflated because of a desire for good publicity when a black quarterback won the game.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/08/1155170993/super-bowl-black-quarterbacks-history-hurts-mahomes
What Has Happened to Richardson, the Black Panthers, When Mahomes Was a Probable Superbowl Player?
Jerry Richardson, a 75-year-old black man who owns the Carolina Panthers, bragged to The Charlotte Observer that he asked quarterback prospect camshaft if he had any piercings or tattoos.
The talent of Patrick Mahomes isn’t disputed these days, the 27 year-old who is on the verge of his third Super Bowl appearance and second MVP award, in just five years in the starting job. His highlight reel heroics have redefined the possibilities for quarterback play in the NFL.
It’s like having Michael Jordan out there. The Eagles coach said after the team’s first playoff game that he was their leader. “This guy leads. He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He’s tough as they come.”
Doug Williams said there was progress left to be achieved for Black men in the NFL, especially on the sidelines.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/08/1155170993/super-bowl-black-quarterbacks-history-hurts-mahomes
The Philadelphia Eagles’ Jean Hurts: The Rising Star of the NFL’s Spite-Intl & the Riser
They produced and edited the audio interview with the man. Gabe O’Connor and Patrick Jarenwattananon produced and edited the audio interview with Doug Williams.
That has become the rallying cry of the Philadelphia Eagles. The catchphrase which sums up the city’s attitude towards adversity is emblazoned on sweatshirts, billboards and even Lincoln Financial Field as the team prepares for Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Pressure in Philadelphia is unlike anywhere else. The baying crowd, the intense media and fans unafraid of expressing their unfiltered feelings – the booing and throwing of snowballs at Santa Claus in 1968 has gone down in notorious sport history.
Decked out in the green of the Eagles, the 24-year-old has oozed calm and composure as he’s ascended to the top of his field in just his second full season as a starter, becoming the driving force behind the team’s run to the Super Bowl.
But, from his all-women support team to his love of singer Anita Baker and the viral videos of his powerlifting achievements, Hurts is more than just an NFL quarterback.
However, that can’t be said for his rendition of the Eagles’ fight song “Fly, Eagles Fly” – his singing on the riser after winning the NFC Championship indicated he needs to spend more time with a singing instructor than in the gym.
Hurts took his formative steps as he was helped develop his game by his father, Averion, the head coach at Channelview High School.
Averion said his biggest attribute was his mental capacity rather than his athletic ability, because he had seen how he handled pressure in the biggest moments of his career.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/sport/jalen-hurts-profile-philadelphia-eagles-spt-intl/index.html
The Great Hail Mary: How Hurts Met Nicole at the High School and How Nicole Methesized to win the Super Bowl for the Auburn Lions
Hurts is a keen advocate for empowering the women around him, something he says goes back to seeing his mother, Pamela, raise a family while studying for a master’s degree.
I admire people who are willing to work for what they want. Women who do that daily do not receive the same praise as men, according to Hurts.
There are a lot of different women in my life that are hustlers. Athletes, coaches, women in the business world of sports. I see it on a daily basis. They want their flowers too. So if me saying something about it brings more attention to it, then I’m all for that.”
Lynn told Sports Illustrated last year that she first got in contact with Hurts via a direct message on Instagram after his final college game, in what she describes as a “total Hail Mary.”
She will become the first Black woman agent to represent an NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl and Hurts says he was drawn to working with Lynn because of her determination.
“I know the agent world in the NFL, and all sports, is very male-dominated,” he told Sports Illustrated. “But Nicole was really on top of her stuff. She was prepared. She knew what she was talking about. She was hungry. And she was determined.
The Eagles’ Josephine Hurts: A Big Hitchhiker Before He Got His First NFL Draft Role, After a Big Breakup
People might have heard of him from his power lifting exploits. Having initially began lifting when he was a teenager, Hurts attended powerlifting meets during his high school days.
Steadily though, his on-field performances at college began to earn him wider recognition, especially when he started for the Alabama Crimson Tide as a true freshman, the first to do so for 32 years.
Needing a spark, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban benched Hurts in favor of true freshman Tua Tagovailoa – Tagovailoa led a dramatic comeback which resulted in a 26-23 overtime victory.
When Tagovailoa suffered an injury in his junior season, the Houston native was thrust into the backup quarterback position and played well, giving him a chance to play in the bowl game.
Having declared for the draft, Hurts saw his name slip down the draftboard before eventually being picked by the Eagles with the 53rd overall pick in the second round. The pick was a surprise to many, with starter Carson Wentz just two years removed from an MVP-level season.
People probably did not want me drafted in my first year here. It was probably one of those things. But it always handles itself,” he told ESPN following the 31-7 win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/sport/jalen-hurts-profile-philadelphia-eagles-spt-intl/index.html
The Eagles [Spt. Int.L.] Football Player of the Year: Jaylen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles
“It was a big surprise to many. My favorite [Bible] verse, I went through a lot of stuff in college It stuck with me as John 13: 7 said ‘You may not know now but later you’ll understand’. Hopefully, people understand what’s happening.
Hurts would start as the head coach in 2021, when Nick Sirianni took the job. The offense finished with a 9-8 record and was one of the most threatening running offenses in the league.
The improvement he’s shown with his throwing ability, paired with his running ability, has made the Eagles offense unstoppable, something they displayed emphatically in their victory over the 49ers in the NFC Championship.
“The first time for two [Black quarterbacks] to go head-to-head, that’s uplifting the next generation of quarterbacks,” Hurts said when asked about the significance of the moment.
“That four-year-old, five-year-old kid back in Houston, back in Philly, back in Texas, Louisiana, wherever across the world, it shows that regardless of what someone may say or have an opinion about you, you can do it.
Individually, Hurts has been recognized for his stellar season, being named as one of the five finalists for the NFL’s most prestigious individual accolade, the Most Valuable Player award.
We always found a way to get through rough times, even when they were difficult. You want to be going into a situation like this, and we have a chance to go out there and win it all, so we want to prepare to go do that.”
“I didn’t put in all that work for no reason,” he said. I put all this work in with the intent of having opportunities like this. It will be a good one.
“We just want to go out there and do what we’ve done this whole entire time, to try and play clean football and play together. We have come to finish the job.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/sport/jalen-hurts-profile-philadelphia-eagles-spt-intl/index.html
Hurts: A Philly Thing, and What Philadelphia Did in a Season Like It Was All About Getting What You Had Don’t
A remarkable rise for a second-round draft pick who was doubted even at the beginning of this season. Handling pressure isn’t for everybody, but, come rain or shine, as Hurts says: “It’s a Philly thing.”
Bryan Cook said that when he watches Hurts play, his size and strength stand out to him, and it makes him think of Hurts’s squat total.
Cook said it was a ridiculous amount of weight. He is going to do things that Patrick does not do.
The Eagles had one of the more balanced offenses in the N.F.L. thanks in part to the acquisition of receiver A.J. Brown. The regular season saw Philadelphia come in fifth in rushing yards per game and ninth in passing yards. The Eagles defense was forced to honor the threats by allowing Hurts to make decisions with run-pass-option plays. R.P.O.s give quarterbacks the latitude to hand the ball off to running backs, keep the ball and run it themselves, or throw to a receiver, depending on the defensive look. The Eagles used the R.P.O on 185 plays in the regular season, according to Pro Football Reference.