Long ago, we learned the same lesson that many of you have. In self-soothing after a Philadelphia Eagles defeat, we should never turn on sports talk radio. Guess what we did after that humbling defeat to the New York Giants in primetime?
We couldn’t help ourselves. With a second consecutive loss fresh on our minds, we turned on the radio and television. What were we thinking? We spent the entire day hanging out on 94 WIP-FM.
Time passed. One show led us to another, and we landed on Ike, Spike, and Fritz.Ron Jaworski called in, and he shared a thought that, if you’re like most, you’ve probably recited it in your mind a time or two.
“It’s a team right now that’s kind of looked for who they are. What is the identity of this football team? It’s not defense. It’s not offense. And certainly not special teams. We can’t even field a kickoff… We thought we knew this football team, and after I started looking at tape this morning, I said I don’t know who this team is right now.”
It sounds about right. How many of you have found yourselves saying something similar to yourselves? It seems to be a standard theory these days. But, there is seemingly wisdom in the statement (and an answer to questions that we have been asking).
‘Jaws’ had seemingly given us some insight into Jalen Hurts’ struggles. The misfires, extended plays, and bad decisions are all part of an ongoing trend. We wouldn’t go so far as to say Jalen Hurts is shellshocked, but he certainly has a lot on his mind. Jaworski continued…
“I had NextGen staff after last week run me a stat, and Jalen had thrown the third-most uncatchable balls in the NFL. The third most uncatchable balls. It said his percentage of completion is close to 70%… I’ve almost felt this since last year. I’ll go back to last year when he [Hurts] was on that streak of interceptions. He had gone eight games throwing at least one interception, and after the bye-week, he stopped throwing picks. So, I think he became very concerned about throwing interceptions. He just became a guy that almost became too careful with the football. Not willing to take chances, and rather than take the chance, throw the ball away, take a sack, or just not deliver the football on time.”
Jaworski is referencing what so many other analysts have said before him. Perhaps Hurts is playing the game too cautiously. Maybe he has grown so fearful of turning the ball over that it’s transformed him into a more conservative version of himself.
He’s visibly confused at times. So is his play caller and the rest of the offense, and that confusion seems to be translating into predictable offense and missed opportunities.
This past Monday, Nick Sirianni expressed no desire to play the blame game or see his team do so, but he’s always been about accountability. His offense needs to be more aggressive and efficient. As weeks have passed, the stats have become obvious evidence to support that claim.
Philly was good enough to overcome their deficiencies for four weeks, but the magic ran out with two straight losses. The first came, in part, by way of a defensive collapse. Week 6’s failure was partly due to a less-than-stellar effort by everyone.
Two of the lasting memories coming out of the most recent Thursday Night Football affair were two bad-looking throws from Jalen Hurts. He missed a wide-open TD throw to A.J. Brown, electing instead to force one and toss an interception. That one, however, pales in comparison to an ugly overthrow aimed in DeVonta Smith’s direction.
Both throws would have resulted in sure TDs had Hurts been able to connect. Instead, we’re discussing meat left on the bone. It’s too early to make claims of regression. ‘Slump’ sounds like the more appropriate description, but even if that description is accurate, this is a slump that must end quickly. Early losses determine playoff positioning later.
Sure, it’s too early to discuss the postseason. Sirianni’s bunch must take things one step at a time. This week, they need to win. Wiping the sour taste of losing from their mouths should give a good team a spark and some confidence.