Eagles news: Chris Simms explains his ranking of Jalen Hurts

Something has come to our attention. We spent years listening to tirades from Skip Bayless and his negative takes on the Philadelphia Eagles. We did so believing that much of what he stated was only mentioned in an attempt to draw our ire and fan a flame or two. Still, we lent an ear and did so with knots in our stomachs, and we arrived at the following conclusion.

This dude actually believes what he is saying.

Fast forward to the present, and we do a much better job of tuning him out. We just haven't mastered the art of ignoring Chris Simms even though every fiber in our being tells us that we ought to, especially when it comes to all things related to Philly's star signal-caller, Jalen Hurts.

The NBC Sports mainstay and son of a New York Giants legend has again released his preseason quarterback rankings. We told ourselves we weren't going to read them anymore. We had decided it wasn't worth the stress, but guess what? We have fallen down the rabbit hole again.

It's still hard to agree with where Chris Simms ranks Jalen Hurts, but at least he tried to show him some respect this time.

Have you ever had a friend that just couldn't seem to get it together? You know... the guy that could never arrive at the rally on time because he kept running out of gas?

For several seasons, listening to Simms talk feels like waiting for that same guy, a friend whose most reliable form of transportation is an old vehicle in desperate need of a tune-up. We know he's on his way. Unfortunately, we also know he will be late and we won't like the excuse.

At this point, we have given up hope that Simms will catch up with the rest of us and recognize Hurts for his talent. Honestly, there are times when we question whether or not he is watching the same game as the rest of us.

Jalen Hurts lands seventh on Simms' top 40 quarterback countdown. That's better than where we have seen him fall in recent years, but yes, it's still too poor of a ranking as he is slotted behind Lamar Jackson (fifth) and Trevor Lawrence (sixth).

Give these a look. Thank NFL on NBC's YouTube channel for providing both of the clips.

Yeah... No... If you're frustrated, we ask that you not be. You were warned about what you were about to watch, but again, we'd like to be fair. Maybe he deserves a pat on the back for giving QB1 his due. Still, we'd like to offer you all a few parting gifts.

Here are a few takes on Jalen Hurts' game that you'll probably be willing to agree with.

CBS Sports ranked Philly's QB1 third on their recent power ranking.
Pro Football Network gave him a nod too. The latter publication slots Jalen in their 'Franchise' tier. He is their fourth-ranked signal-caller. Let's begin the party with CBS.

"Wear and tear is something to monitor with Hurts because of his physical approach to the ground game, but you simply cannot question this man's will to win, and his seismic leap as a downfield passer in 2022 has him on an MVP course."

- Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports

No one would question anything there. With that, we head over to PFN.

"A sore shoulder late in the season limited his performance and availability, but Jalen Hurts, nevertheless, played at a high level upon his return, getting better every game until he put in the best performance of his career on the highest stage. Hurts opens up the passing game with his ability to run the ball, but he’s deadly from the pocket too. His rushing threat adds a unique dimension to the offense that’s made Philly one of the most efficient and productive teams in the NFL."

- Arif Hasan, Pro Football Network

Here's one for the road. SI's Ed Kracz hung out with John McMullen and Jody Mac on the June 6th edition of JAKIB Sports' Bird 365. Here's what was said during their broadcast.

That ladies and gentlemen, is how you end things on a high note. Jalen Hurts is so much more than the NFL's seventh-ranked quarterback. Whether we're discussing last year's results or this year's expectations, we just can't make that make sense. Look at the bright side though. This gives us something to talk about as we move towards another training camp.