Preparing for 49ers, Sirianni praises Hurts’ intangibles

The Philadelphia Eagles are headed to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in five years. For Head Coach Nick Sirianni, he couldn’t think of someone better to be steering the offense at quarterback than Jalen Hurts.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Sirianni compared Hurts to basketball legend Michael Jordan, who Sirianni considers to be the best basketball player of all time.

“My height of watching basketball and who I always wanted to be as a kid growing up was Michael Jordan,” he said. “You were able to see a lot of things about him in ‘The Last Dance’ about his competitiveness and about just his desire and will to win.”

Sirianni remarked that he sees the same thing in his third-year quarterback.

“As good as he’s played this year, as well as he’s run the football, as well as he’s thrown the football, reading defenses, accurate throws, as well as he’s done all that,” he commented, “what you notice first about him is his will to win, his competitive drive.”

Hurts, who went 16-24 in passing attempts with 154 passing yards on Saturday and rushed nine times for 34 yards, definitely has the stat lines. But it’s those intangibles that stand out to Sirianni, and others who watch him.

After securing the number one seed in the regular season finale, Sirianni had given players the next day off to rest up. Sirianni was going to enjoy some time with his own family, until Hurts now-famously asked him if they could watch game film the next day.

“Mrs. Sirianni gave me a hard time about that one,” Hurts quipped knowingly. “And his kids. But I told him we had business to attend to….We have the opportunity of a lifetime.”

The Eagles head coach understood that Hurts is going to be the constant, even-keeled person he is.

“No man suddenly becomes different than his cherished thoughts and habits,” Sirianni said on Monday, echoing a line he heard from Frank Reich, former Indianapolis Colts head coach and the Eagles Offensive Coordinator during the 2017 Super Bowl run. “I know Jalen, he’s going to be locked in, and he’s going to work and prepare every day to be ready for this game, and he’s going to be ready to go.”

The only time the Philadelphia Eagles met the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs was in December 1996, when the 49ers stomped the Eagles 14-0. Hurts will be leading the Eagles in their second matchup, and also meeting someone he’s played against before in 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Those two met when Jalen was at Oklahoma and Purdy was at Iowa State. Hurts’ Sooners got out to an early lead and by the end of the third quarter were holding onto a 21 point lead before Purdy led the Cyclones to score 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Sooners won that game after the latter narrowly missed a two point conversion late in the fourth quarter and failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.

When asked about what he saw in Purdy, Sirianni simply commented that he’s “a winner.” Sirianni, who is close to the Iowa State program due to his friendship with Matt Campbell, their head coach. But he says he isn’t talking to Campbell about Purdy.

“Every game that Brock Purdy plays well in, I think that’s good for recruiting classes at Iowa State,” he said. “If the Eagles play well, how does that help Iowa State?”

Instead, Sirianni went back to those intangibles that Hurts has as part of his on-field leadership style that give him the confidence in this team.

“He’s unlike anybody I’ve been around just with how much he loves this game, how much winning drives him, how much getting better every day drives him, how much leading drives him,” he said. “He’s special. He is a special dude.”

Featured Photo: Jason Kelce (left) and Jalen Hurts congratulate each other after defeating the New York Giants in the Divisional Round on January 21, 2023. (Facebook Photo/Philadelphia Eagles)