Eagles’ Nick Sirianni Blasts Criticism Of ‘Great’ Jalen Hurts

Even now as world champions, the Philadelphia Eagles feel they are not quite getting the credit and respect they deserve.

Well, correction – two people likely feel that way: head coach, Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts.

Sirianni has always been seen as a second-tier head coach, despite leading the Eagles to the playoffs and a Super Bowl appearance back in February 2023.

However, having garnered a Super Bowl ring of his own with Philadelphia, their second in franchise history, the former Colts OC has begun to field more respect – especially in media circles, where two seperate NBC and CBS head coaching rankings had Sirianni as a top-five HC in the NFL.

Yet this uptick in respect the same cannot be seen for Hurts. In a recent poll of head coaches and execs by ESPN, Hurts was ranked as just the 9th best quarterback in the league, behind the likes of Justin Herbert and Jared Goff, who have a combined one playoff win with their current franchises.

Nick Sirianni Goes Off On Jalen Hurts Narrative

And Nick Sirianni, for one, is fed up with the disrespect shown towards his franchise quarterback amidst critiques from fans and media that Hurts is scaffolded by the excellent roster around him built by future Hall of Fame general manager, Howie Roseman.

“That’s bull-“, Sirianni said per NBC Sports, when asked about the perception that Hurts is just a game manager with an excellent team around him.

“Anytime I hear that, it’s cool,” Sirianni continued, “it’s like a nice debate thing that people like to have. And I get it, there’s a lot of hours that TV shows and radio stations have to fill to be able to fill that debate. I understand that, but we’re talking about the ultimate team game there is and he does whatever he needs to do to win each and every game.”

“You name me a team that wins and wins consistently that doesn’t have good players around you,” Sirianni said. “Like, you name me a coach that doesn’t have good players around him that wins. Like, you don’t win with bad players, and it’s the same thing you don’t win with bad players as you’re a quarterback either.”

“It’s a team game. Yeah, that always bothers me to be honest with you, when it’s talked about because it’s football.”

Sirianni Emphasizes Importance Of QB – WR Relationship On Successful Teams

Sirianni pointed to the importance of the symbiosis between quarterback and other positions – how one helps the other – and their historical ties to greatness with one another.

“One of the reasons I love football so much is that it takes everybody to accomplish your goals,” Sirianni said. “Listen, you name great quarterbacks, you can go ahead and start naming great quarterbacks. I’ll tell you their great receivers and their great defense.

“You know? Whether it’s Brady with (Rob) Gronkowski or Brady’s defenses, Mahomes with (Travis) Kelce, Steve Young with Jerry Rice. The list goes on and on and on.”

Hurts did have some games where he was not exactly forced to go full Joe Montana, including a 28-3 win against the Giants where he threw the ball just 14 times.

But he is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback that has dominated the best defenses in multiple seasons – 2022 and 2024 – in the most high-pressure circumstances. He may not quite be Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, but he certainly deserves his flowers.