Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts may have thrown some interceptions and fumbled a few snaps against the Packers, but at least one former Eagle was encouraged by his Week 1 performance.
Clay Harbor spent three years as a backup tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-12. He had 47 catches with the team, but caught something on Friday that may have been overshadowed by the quarterback’s three turnovers.
Picking up the blitz was a problem for Hurts last season. According to CBS News, he completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 1,306 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions when blitzed. He finished 22nd among eligible quarterbacks in completion rate and 28th in passer rating.
Hurts’ performance was a far cry from 2022 when he completed 58.1 percent of his passes for six touchdowns against the blitz with just one interception. Things got so bad that he reached out to former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale for advice at the end of the regular season.
Other defensive coaches were unimpressed with Hurts’ blitz recognition in 2023 and less than optimistic about 2024.
"The word is out there, if you run zero (blitz) against Hurts, or show zero and back everyone out, he will panic," one coach told The Athletic's Mike Sando. "That has to change. They lose Jason Kelce, who handled the protections, basically did everything, and you bring in a coordinator who likes to drop back. It will be interesting."
The loss of an All-Pro center like Kelce is significant, but something Hurts tried to downplay when speaking with 94.1 WIP at the end of training camp.
"We had a great player in Jason Kelce who took on a lot of responsibility, and as a result of that, I was told not to worry about a lot of things," Hurts said. "And so my eagerness to learn over the years kind of was halted because of who we had, but now times are different and I'm excited for that journey and this opportunity."
Some took those comments as a slight to Kelce, but the former Eagle was quick to congratulate his old quarterback on social media after Hurts’ first “hot read” saying, “First hot throw of the year!! Well done brotha.”
In Week 2, Hurts will face a Falcons defense that sacked Steelers quarterback Justin Fields twice on Sunday after losing Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree to free agency. Each led Atlanta with 6.5 sacks each last year.
Hurts' two sacks taken against the Packers were one fewer than he had against the Patriots in last year’s opening game. If he continues to improve, Philadelphia should put up a big number against the Falcons on Monday Night Football.
