When he selected the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts With the 53rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, team fans Tore wide with a pick.
And they wondered why Eagles general manager Howie Roseman would spend a second-round selection at a position Philadelphia has been assigned to for seasons to come.
The Eagles had Carson Wentz, the second player selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, on a long-term contract already handling the quarterback position, and had 81 touchdown passes over the previous three seasons.
On Sunday, the Hurts set his record as the Eagles’ starting QB to 15-1 this season, including Sunday. 31-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers In the NFC Championship Game, Philadelphia secured its fourth trip to the Super Bowl.
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During his post-match press conference, Notice the hurt “Maybe they never wanted to recruit me here.” A request for clarification , Painful said His selection was “a great surprise to many”.
“But my favorite poetry—you know, I went through a lot of things in college—and it kind of stuck with me—John 13:7,” Painful said. You may not know now, but you will understand later. I hope people understand.
Hurts joined the Eagles from Oklahoma, where he transferred after three seasons at the Alabama.
After winning the SEC Offensive Player of the Year Award and leading the Crimson Tide to a CFP National Championship as a freshman, Hurts helped Alabama reach a CFP title in his sophomore season as well. But Alabama rallied to defeat Georgia in overtime in that rivalry with Toa Tagovailoa at quarterback.
After substituting Hurts in the first half of the championship game, Tagovailoa took over the starting spot for the 2018 season. Oklahoma’s pain rebounded in 2019, when they finished runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
The Hurts will play in another championship when the Eagles take on the winning AFC — either the Cincinnati Bengals or the Kansas City Chiefs — in Super Bowl LVII on February 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
“We’ve put in a lot of work to have this opportunity and to be here,” he said. Painful said. “It’s a moment we want to enjoy as a team, and think of everything we’ve been able to overcome to have this opportunity in front of us. We want to take advantage of it.”
In the NFC Championship Game, Hurts had his least productive outing of the season. Hurts completed 15 of 25 passes for 121 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and ran 11 times for 39 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Hurts scored on a 1-yard plunge as Philadelphia led 28-7 with 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
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“You want to play a big role,” Painful said. But a lot of this — it all comes down to the details. Attention to detail, footballing IQ, the basics to do the right things – whether or not you want to keep the clock running, get the ball quickly or know situational awareness.”
Even though both San Francisco quarterbacks were injured during the game, the 49ers still have the NFL’s No. 1 defense on the field, helmed by former Jesse Lanier High School and Alabama Demico Ryans, the defensive coordinator who appears headed to be named president of the NFL. The American is coach now that his season is over.
“They played a really good game.” Painful said. “They have a really good coach. I’ve always talked about it. He does a really good job with them, especially these guys up front and the full-back corps kind of huddle on the ball. We ran the ball really well, and I think they didn’t give us a lot of chances to get the ball up the field. We had kind of single shots – kind of hit or miss. But we took what they gave us. It just kind of ended up being one of those games.”
Three Alabama alumni have been the starting quarterback for Super Bowl winners – Bart Starr in Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II, Joe Namath in Super Bowl III and Ken Stabler in Super Bowl XI.
“We want to go out and play to our standards,” he said. Painful said. “It doesn’t change no matter how big the game is. Today was good enough for us to win and advance, but we still want to go out and play to our standards. …
“I know the job is not done. I didn’t always know how far we’d come. I never knew how far we’d go. But I never said it couldn’t be done.”
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Mark Inapinet is a sports reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at Hahahaha.