Going into Super Bowl LIX, there are plenty of storylines to keep tabs on. The Philadelphia Eagles are set for a rematch from just two years ago against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts is looking to come out on the winning end, this time.
Speaking of winning, the Eagles have now won 15 of their last 16 games including the playoffs. This team is rolling on both sides of the ball, and they're doing it their way. Saquon Barkley is having a season to remember, and everyone else is just living in his world.
Yet, plenty of folks still find time to throw a good amount of criticism at this team and, specifically, Hurts.
In today's edition of Hurts criticism, we bring you former NFL wide receiver and current FS1 analyst James Jones. A vicious and disrespectful rant, it was.
"It ain't rocket science. You've been playing weak.
"You ain't been balling ... to me, what I took out of it, a straight jacket, that means somebody is holding you back," Jones said.
Just in case this flew over Jones' head, Nick Sirianni was already asked about this comment and explained Hurts was just having fun with that comment. He didn't mean it literally, nor did he mean any disrespect to his head coach.
That's saying something from an emotional coach like Sirianni, too. He and Hurts are both emotional in their own way. They're both passionate people who love to win, and clearly, it doesn't matter how they do it.
Of course, Jones was far from done with his tirade, though.
James Jones' rant on Jalen Hurts was silly, baseless and exactly what we should expect from the national media
"They (AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith) get in trouble for reading books on the sideline but they've been in straight jackets all year long," he continued.
First of all, Jones talks about "watching the tape" and seeing Hurts not throwing the ball when he should be. That's all fine and dandy, but if we want to talk about paying attention, then Jones clearly hasn't been paying attention.
DeVonta Smith isn't the one bringing a book to every game. That's only AJ Brown. And, if Jones was indeed paying attention, he'd know that the book is a non-story. Again, Brown has brought that book to every game. It is a non-issue and it always has been.
This is once more a byproduct of the media.
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Now, back to the "straight jacket" conversation.
"That's weak to me. You're calling out your coach right there ... if anybody is in a straight jacket it is 11 and number 6," he finished.
Does Jones realize the Eagles were dead-last in pass percentage this past season? It sure sounds like he (among many other media pundits) have no clue what Philadelphia's offense is predecated on, and that's the run game.
Philly is a run-first team. They passed the ball a league-low 44.14 percent of the time in 2024.
There isn't much else to say other than the fact that Jones' comments were an emotional response from a critic who truly doesn't understand the reality of Philadelphia's situation on offense. We can watch people continue to create stories and narratives that don't truly exist within that locker room.
All the while, the Eagles keep winning and are now on the world's biggest football stage -- again.