Jalen Hurts isn’t one to hide that he’s had a different caller since he was in high school. The last time Hurts had the same contact for consecutive years was his father, Averion, when he was playing at Channelview High School in Texas.
That changes with the Philadelphia Eagles this year, as offensive coordinator Shane Steichen calls the plays for the second straight season. To say Hurts is excited would be an understatement.
“We’re really excited to see some consistency with play calls and fundamentals and how we run our plays — everyone being on the same page,” Hurts said at CBS Sports headquarters at camp. of the Eagles on Tuesday. “That’s the main thing I preached. Forget all the different factors that can change. How can we be on the same page? How can we communicate? How can we be consistent?
“I think having the same people around helps a lot.”
Although Hurts has had a different game every year since his first season at Alabama, he hasn’t used that as an excuse. Hurts continues to develop as a passer and strives to be better in all aspects of the game. Adversity has helped make Hurts the leader he is today.
“I don’t think I missed anything. I think everything went according to plan,” Hurts said. “For me, I think timing is everything. It shows for any great team, for any great dynasty, any great thing there – it takes time. With that time you have to communicate, you have to do your job. , you have to hold each other accountable to be on the same page.
“That’s what we strive to do here. Just communicate, be on the same page, go out there and execute.”
Hurts is only the second quarterback in Eagles history to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 750 yards in a season — the eighth to hit those numbers in NFL history. He’s also the only quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in his first 20 career starts (he’s only started 19 games in his career).
Hurts led all NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards (784) and rushing touchdowns (10) despite playing the final quarter of the season on an ankle that needed intervention surgical — just the second quarterback in league history to have 750-plus rushing yards and 10-plus rushing touchdowns in a season. He is also the youngest quarterback in Eagles history to start a playoff game (age 23).
That playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just motivated Hurts, who went 23 of 43 for 258 yards with one touchdown and one interception (60.0 passer rating). The Eagles faced a 31-0 deficit after three quarters in this one, as Philadelphia had 12 yards after their first three possessions and 118 yards in the first half. Hurts missed open receivers and was behind on a myriad of pitches early in the game.
Hurts learned a lot from the playoff loss, part of his development as he strives to take the Eagles to the next level. He is determined to build on last year’s success.
“We’re just hungry this year,” Hurts said. “We have the guys we have, we’ve been through the things we’ve been through. Now we want to learn from that. Whether it’s from week 1 of last year to the last game of last year, there there is a lot to learn from and grow from.
“We have more experiences in our bank. We have to use them.”
