The late hit on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts by the New York Jets' Quincy Williams in Friday's preseason game sent the coach into a frenzied state. The play on the opposite sideline in which Williams barreled into Hurts with a high hit out of bounds was a point of contention for Sirianni, who went onto the field and yelled obscenities at the Jets' coach. I was standing up for my friend. "I won't apologize for sticking up for my players, I probably should have handled the situation better than I did." It was the exact kind of reaction you would expect from a coach whose quarterback's health was put at risk by a hit in an exhibition game. Same for the reaction of Mailata, who immediately got in Williams' face and told reporters he was going to headbutt Williams in reprisal, seeing as Mailata had just been cleared from the situation. It fits a pattern of behavior seen throughout the organization this off-season of going above and beyond to have Hurts' back, from the way his teammates have defended him, to the moves the front office has made all the way down to. Brandon Graham said that he was the type of person that he was. He's a great teammate. We have a lot of good guys on this team that are willing to fight for us. We want to make sure we take care of him and protect him at all costs because he knows he will be the one doing it for us this year. At the beginning of the training camp, such messages were overt. On the first day of practice, Sirianni walked out in a green T-shirt with a picture of Hurts' face in the middle. The fit 🔥#EaglesCamp | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/g9FAlPfCRb It's an easy way to get to know the player. A.J. Brown wore a hat that said "HURTS SZN" when he reported to camp. I like to show love. Brown wanted everyone to know that it was Hurts season. I'm excited for him, he's working hard, and I'm going to be with him every step of the way. 👀#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3RtKTB0SyO The Brown acquisition was seen as a sign of support for Hurts from the front office. The relationship between Hurts and Brown dates back to when Hurts tried to get Brown to Alabama. They meet at the practice facility around 6 a.m. before most other players arrive to detail their day, are often attached at the hip during timeouts, and have been hitting Brown more than any other player. He is trying to get the position of QB1 in Philadelphia for the long term. After this year, he is eligible for a contract extension. The Eagles have two first-round picks in the April draft and have to decide which direction to take the franchise. The next few months will help determine their course, and Hurts has everything he needs to move forward. Brown should complement Hurts well on the field because of his ability to make catches and run after catches, and he should also serve as an advocate off it. Brown took to social media to push back in defense of Hurts, with other teammates jumping in. It's important because it's the quarterback and he's my friend. It won't be a problem if Hurts doesn't reach all of his goals. The staffer said he wants Hurts to succeed more than any other player. The investment in the building is reciprocated. Hurts knows how to build relationships. One associate joked that he can't name a player on the team without Hurts saying, "I just had dinner with him the other night." It's a series of small gestures, like joining a handful of Eagles coaches and players on a day trip to the Jersey shore for some surf fishing in May, to organizing a trip to Miami with his receivers and tight ends during their down time this season. Secrets from our favorite chef: Cr: J's IG pic.twitter.com/uk5xfWtRBOIt's 'Hurts SZN'
Sharks, steaks and handshakes
He knows the location of his bread. He took the entire offensive line to Del Frisco's, one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia.
I thinkalen is great. He will come and sit with us at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It goes a long way because we have his back and he has our back because he always goes out of his way to get to know us. It makes a difference. We want to play hard for whoever, but you kind of get that connection, you want to play as hard as you can for him.
Hurts mentioned his experiences as a coach's kid at Channelview High School in Texas and his time at the University of Alabama as reasons to learn about relationships.
Averion had high standards for how his players and sons conducted themselves.
If you don't take care of your grades or if a teacher calls you, you will be disciplined or sit out the game or something like that. We were supposed to be young men first. One of Hurts' primary influences is a former star player at Channelview who said to respect others and not think that we're better than anyone else. He wanted to teach us how to be young men before he taught us how to play football.
The work of proving yourself between the lines starts once that part is established.
Eagles quarterbacks coach/longtime family friend Brian Johnson cited Hurts' Alabama debut in 2016 as an example of how a true freshman can make a difference. It's not about what you say, it's how you act that makes people trust you. He has always been aware of that.
When asked if there was anything about Hurts that brought that raw emotion out of him, he mentioned all the time they spent together as a coach and quarterback. He began to talk about handshakes. Both of them are playing air guitar. He does that handshake with his son. They will greet each other with it.
I look forward to continuing to work with him.
The results will determine how long the pair last. There appears to be a well-constructed roster for the Eagles. Following a playoff appearance in 2021, a series of acquisitions and the addition of Brown, expectations have gone up. The chatter about Hurts' future will only get louder if those expectations are not met.
He has a lot of people who don't want that to happen.
It's just that I like him. Goedert said that he was his quarterback. It's easy to follow a guy like that if he works as hard as he does and cares as much about the game as he does. He's a good leader. He wants to win and be great. That would be great if I could help him do that.
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