Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of the more polarizing stars in the NFL. He's physically gifted, but some argue that his passing ability isn't what it should be for the position and instead, he's more akin to a running back who can throw, not a quarterback who can run. On Friday, ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky was asked by Evan Cohen of "Unsportsmanlike" about his view of Hurts and why other quarterbacks, such as the Los Angeles Chargers Justin Herbert, appear to get more praise than the Philly passer.
In video shared by Awful Announcing, Orlovsky appears a little flustered by the question, but he doesn't shy away from it, noting that he's grown to appreciate Hurts, though he admits it took a while. Part of the issue, Orlovsky said, is that Hurts supplanted a personal favorite of his, Carson Wentz, who's now a backup QB for the Minnesota Vikings. "When Jalen came onto the scene, I was very skeptical of Jalen," he said.
"I was very much more in favor of Carson Wentz because I was a Carson Wentz person when he initially took over, and then it was that friction point of, 'You're really moving on from Carson for Jalen Hurts?' It was definitely the prism of looking at Jalen from the college performance, and critical of Jalen probably that first year and a half, two years as a starter. Ever since then, Hurts has won me over." Orlovsky apparently couldn't help himself from undercutting that sentiment by knocking Hurts as a pure passer. He also implied that Hurts isn't "what [a QB] should look like," as opposed to Herbert.
"I've said this a million times; he's never going to be the person that you choose to play quarterback if we're wearing T-shirts and shorts," he said. "I understand we don't play like that, but I don't doubt Hurts. I've so far removed myself from doubting Hurts, no matter what situation.
I think why you're a fan of Herbert is because that's what it should look like. Your brain tells you that's what it should look like. ... But I'm a Hurts guy now." Later on Friday, former NFL QB and current analyst Robert Griffin III defended Hurts with a not-so-veiled shot at Orlovsky. -T-Most points scored by 1 player in a Super Bowl -First QB w/ 100+ pass rating and 50+ rush yards in 2 Super Bowls That’s what it should look like playing QB." It's hard not to see Griffin's comments as a rebuke of Orlovsky's preconceptions about what a QB should look like, but the debate over Hurts is likely to keep lingering.
Despite a Lombardi Trophy and all the other accolades, some still prefer a prototypical pocket passer over the athletic Hurts. Perhaps another Super Bowl MVP would change their minds.
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