In an era where the connotations against the role of a ‘game manager’ are negative, Jalen Hurts has been mastering that role to perfection. One of the standout moments in the Eagles’ Week 1 victory was how selflessly the QB set up play for his new weapon, Saquon Barkley, basically playing the role of a point guard.
Advertisement
In his latest chat with Jason Kelce, Jalen revealed that his role as a playmaker for the RB was all about repaying Barkley for his workhorse-like attitude on the field.
What makes Barkley one of the greatest RBs of this generation is his unreal engine. The former Giants star is a livewire on the field and is the go-to man for a team’s dirty business being handled. What’s even more impressive is how he manages to rake up elite rushing and receiving numbers despite that.
For example, Eagles’ Week 1 match against the Saints where the RB had the best rushing [109 yards & 2 TDs] and fourth-best receiving stats [23 yards & 1 TD] for an Eagles player.
Considering how Barkley tallied more scores than the QB himself, Jalen was asked by Jason how he managed to be so selfless toward his newest teammate.
His answer in reply was simple: He has immense respect for the dirty work that Barkley puts in.
“With a guy like that, you just want to put him in positions to make plays, you know. He does a lot of the muddy work, the dirty work with some of those downhill runs and you know, he was good for us in the first week. So just excited to see you know how his role grows and how he continues to compliment us as a team.”
Another debutant who managed to leave a positive mark for the Eagles was Kelce’s replacement, Cam Jurgens. And when asked about his presence and the big role, Hurts had glowing words for the Nebraska alum.
Despite lift-up, Jalen Hurts & Co. appear well-oiled
One of the biggest concerns for the Eagles heading into the season was how they’d manage the void left by Jason Kelce. Despite being highly rated internally, Cam Jurgens was not seen as being at the same level as the future Hall of Famer. Adding to the unease, Jurgens had never played the position before.
But in his debut against the Saints, Jurgens was honestly not bad for someone playing as a center for the first time. A rating of 68.7 from Pro Football Focus [11th rank overall] is not Jason Kelce’s level, but still respectable.
What’s impressive, on top of that, is how quickly the new signings have integrated. One of the major concerns with a massive overhaul in personnel is integrating them. Jalen, in his chat with Jason, acknowledged this concern, citing how everyone’s either working with a different coordinator or a center or an attacking partner.
But what’s helping Jalen & Co’s cause is their willingness to take “that extra effort.” Hence, it’s no wonder they scrapped past a win against the Packers in a fixture that many would not have fancied their chances pre-game.
