Eagles star Jalen Hurts is blatantly disrespected in recent NFL QB Power Ranking
Welcome to the offseason. The winding road, or shall we say the roller-coaster ride that we commonly refer to as being lovers of Philadelphia Eagles football, leads us to familiar territories. Complaining.. Doubting... Negativity... Fear... And, how could we forget the most obvious? ... Asking if this team is good enough to contend and if its quarterback is good enough to lead them.
What a difference a year makes. This time last season, we believed the Birds could make a few adjustments, get back to football's biggest game, and win it. This time around, no one is saying that.
What a difference a few months make. When Jalen Hurts dashed into the end zone to lead his team past the Buffalo Bills, he was the leading candidate to win the NFL's MVP Trophy. Fast forward to the present, everyone seems to have forgotten that guy is still in there somewhere.
Take The 33rd Team for instance. Now, those are our guys, and we love them to death. Their recent QB ranking is bordering on disrespect though.
Jalen Hurts is ranked 17th on The 33rd Teams 2024 QB Power Ranking.
Do not adjust those laptop or desktop monitors. Don't refresh those tablets. There's no need to restart your cellular devices. Yes, you read the headline correctly. Our friends at The 33rd Team rank Jalen Hurts 17th on their ranking of all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
We realize he wasn't at his best, but let's make something abundantly clear. There ARE NOT 32 starting quarterbacks that are better than Philadelphia's QB1, but for the sake of argument, here's some of what Derrik Klassen, the writer of this one, said on the matter.
"Jalen Hurts is a decent quarterback. His athletic ability — when healthy — and his accuracy down the field are enough to make him a beacon for offensive production. However, the rest of Hurts' game still leaves something to be desired."
That's fair. We aren't even upset about that. You shouldn't be either. Here's more.
"It's been four years with Hurts as a starting quarterback, and he still has issues managing tight pockets and throwing over the middle of the field. So many of their true dropback concepts are more static and less taxing than what most other top quarterbacks handle. In fairness, maybe that's not on Hurts, but it is telling that the Eagles changed offensive coordinators in 2023, and nothing changed on that front."
Klassen continues:
"Hurts isn't a bad quarterback. He's accurate, especially down the field, and doesn't often put the ball in harm's way. What he offers in the run game is a major benefit. I just struggle to get over the bar with Hurts because of some of his inconsistencies as a true dropback passer."
Okay... So, in theory, none of that is a bad take, but here's where things get murky for me. Look at some of the names that precede him:
- Patrick Mahomes
- Lamar Jackson
- Josh Allen
- Justin Herbert
- Matthew Stafford
- Dak Prescott
- C.J. Stroud
- Trevor Lawrence
- Joe Burrow
- Jordan Love
- Kyler Murray
- Geno Smith
- Kirk Cousins
- Jared Goff
- Aaron Rodgers
- Anthony Richardson
Ladies and gentlemen, we could name a good number of guys who are on that list that are not better than Jalen Hurts. Your list may vary from ours. You can argue among yourselves who we're discussing, but come on. Aaron Rodgers ranks 15th. Can we state respectfully that a few challenge flags can be thrown here? Again, there aren't 16 starting QBs that are better than Jalen. Some of those guys have yet to win a playoff game.
The analysis is fair. The list could be altered, but here's the most important thing. Jalen Hurts will be fine. We tend to forget he'll be 25 years young when the 2024 NFL season starts. Wow. I wish I had his level of maturity at that age.
The point is this. We all had much to learn when we were that young. None of us were perfect at doing our jobs. There was much to learn, but we figured it out, most of us anyway. Trust Jalen to get it together and bounce back from poor showings as well.
Now 'figuring it out' for Jalen includes mastering the art of setting protections, beating the blitz, finding open receivers, and handling adversity. He'll be fine. He'll bounce back.
Look at the bright side. He doesn't always read stuff like this. He does, however, hear what's said about him. You can best believe he's using all that (and maybe a QB power ranking?) as motivation. Guys are mentioned as MVP candidates for no reason.
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