For Jalen Hurts, Relationships Are Key

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts revealed that his teammates spent some of their free time that day playing Uno or spades.

As the Eagles prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, these sound like odd things to be doing. One might think that the time would be better spent studying game tape, or doing some extra reps in the gym.

For Hurts, though, these moments where they can bond as teammates are just as important to the team’s preparation as any on-field practice.

“If you have a relationship with someone, you know them on a personal level, whatever that means, I feel like they’re going to play harder for you on the field,” Hurts observed.

It’s these connections that he makes with players that also enables Hurts to trust them with the deep ball. Hurts has only given up six interceptions in the regular season, with none over two postseason games. He’s also hurled long balls, including a miraculous catch by Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith in the first drive of the NFC Championship Game and a 68-yard bomb to Wide Receiver AJ Brown late in the fourth quarter.

Building those relationships, that trust, began over the offseason.

“The important thing is to always fall back on your work, always fall back on your preparation,” Hurts remarked. “I think we got really good preparation in all offseason, had really good time with each other, got on the same page with the coaches.”

Connections with the team has been an important sticking point all season, not just with Hurts, but among the coaching staff. Head Coach Nick Sirianni, speaking to the press this week, commented that when the Eagles started 2-5 last season, the team doubled down on the important things. That included connecting with guys.

“The best teams connect with each other,” Sirianni said. “We’re just in the habit of connecting the whole time. These guys are out here doing different things to connect with each other, going out to eat, playing ping pong in there, shooting hoops in there. They’re doing that because that’s what they’ve done for the past 20 weeks.”

Hurts has formed a strong relationship with Brown over the years, especially given their shared history. Hurts tried to recruit Brown to come to Alabama, where Hurts was playing college football. Brown instead played at Ole Miss, but Hurts and Brown now get to be teammates on a team playing for the Lombardi Trophy. Hurts also has a strong relationship with DeVonta Smith too, and it’s built on friendship and trust.

“We come in every day eager to take another step,” Hurts noted. “We’re all dependent off of one another. We challenge each other, we encourage each other, and we push each other.”

Hurts is known for his level-headedness in the most intense moments of his career and how he keeps himself in the moment. Writing for NBC Sports Philadelphia, Reuben Frank said that this was what amazes him most about the 24-year-old quarterback.

“It says a lot about Hurts that there’s no doubt in the minds of anyone who’s paying attention that he’ll handle the moment like he’s handled every other moment,” Frank wrote. “With an unreal level of composure.”

Hurts traces this back to his father, a football coach himself, and being around him on the football field as a ball boy or simply as the coach’s kid.

“A lot of my character, what I believe in, how I am as a leader, how I try to influence and impact the people around me comes from the Texas Friday night lights, those experiences, and the upbringing,” he said.

Hurts knows that Kansas City is going to make for a great game.

“It’ll be a battle,” he said. “You’ve got the best of the best playing against one another. Two really good teams, two well-coached teams. It’ll be a competitive game.”

For now, Hurts knows he wants to put forth the same effort as he has for other games, simply by taking it one game at a time, and focusing on those relationships he’s made with his teammates.

“My preparation hasn’t changed, this team’s preparation hasn’t changed,” he said. “Trying to take it day by day, win the day, and doing it that way.”