It's always a good look for a team to support their quarterback, and for the most part, the Philadelphia Eagles have been able to do that publicly with Jalen Hurts.
The problem is the reports over the last month, whether it's members of the organization who are not happy with Hurts' play on the field or Hurts asking the team to run fewer QB-designed runs. There seems to be a lot of negative press about Hurts coming from sources within the building.
While appearing on SportsRadio 94 WIP, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III would approach those "sources" with a solution to delivering bad Jalen Hurts news to the media.
“Some of the players, if they’re leaking reports or have grown tired of certain things, I think you need to get those guys out of the building, period. I think Jalen Hurts is your guy, and if you’re not on the Jalen Hurts train, then you shouldn’t be in Philly. That’s how I would approach it, because he’s earned that level of respect and he’s been a great leader for them.”
RG3 wants everyone gone who is against Hurts
There's a lot to unpack in what Griffin is saying about Hurts. Griffin seems to have a high respect for Hurts, which is understandable with the work he has done in Philly over the last five years.
Hurts has put together quite the resume since the team selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has been to two Pro Bowls, two Super Bowls, won a Super Bowl, and was last year's Super Bowl MVP. Not many quarterbacks are doing that.
This year seems to be a different story. Even when Hurts was completing over 70% of his passes and only had three total turnovers for the season before the bye week, there were still doubters of Hurts. It got worse after the bye, with all the reports about him that seemed like a borderline smear campaign.
Nobody can deny that Hurts has not been playing great since the bye week, with his eight turnovers in the last five games. He does, though, deserve the time to turn it around and the respect for what he has done for this franchise.
Back to what Griffin was saying, it seems tough to just get rid of everyone who is against him. That might set the wrong tone in the locker room, as everyone can be professional and still work together to win a Super Bowl, even if they don't support each other
The moment players start being vocal on camera and mics about Hurts is when something needs to be done. That hasn't happened yet, as the message in Philly is the same: that everyone deserves equal blame.
Read more: DeVonta Smith delivers the logical truth about Jalen Hurts after Eagles loss
While Griffin's heart is in the right place, this isn't the time to divide the team even more. Let the professionals work it out, and let's see if the Eagles can turn this season around before it gets too much out of hand.