For much of the 2023 campaign, the Philadelphia Eagles seemed inevitable, as they stormed out to a 10-1 record and seemed like the best team in the league. From there on out, they won just one more game, and ended up getting eliminated in the wild card round of the playoffs. It was a collapse of epic proportions, and at the center of it all was Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni.
Hurts and Sirianni worked together to quickly turn Philly into a Super Bowl contender, but everything fell apart down the stretch of the season. According to recent reports, the relationship between Hurts and Sirianni was a big reason why things went south, as Hurts decision to not fully take Sirianni's coaching to heart led to animosity being developed between the two.
“Things were off, including between the head coach and quarterback…One source with direct knowledge of the dynamic described the relationship as ‘fractured' and unhealthy last season. At the root of the divide: a disconnect in offensive visions, with what a team source described as a lack of full respect for Sirianni's X's and O's chops.” – Tim McManus & Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
Jalen Hurts ignored Nick Sirianni's offensive vision
Hurts ability to take off on the ground makes him an improvisational quarterback to begin with, but he appears to have taken things to another level in 2023. According to sources around the team again, they viewed it as Hurts trying to play “hero ball,” which led to the offense not being able to produce like they had during their red-hot start to the season.
“‘What was taught was not necessarily what was relayed in the moment,' a team source said. ‘He wanted to add to it, like, ‘It's not quite enough, let me add to this.' Jalen doesn't give Nick enough credit,' the source added. ‘A lot of what we do well does stem from Nick.'”
“One team source described it as Hurts trying to play ‘hero ball.' Another put it this way: ‘He was trying to prove he was worth $250 million every throw.'” – Tim McManus & Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
Despite the collapse, both Hurts and Sirianni are still with the team, and given these shocking revelations about their relationship, it's fair to wonder whether they will be able to recover from last season. Hurts will hopefully evade his hero ball ways in 2024, but if the offense struggles to produce again this upcoming season, Philadelphia will have to make some big changes.
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