In Week 1, Jalen Hurts was a different player when a snap opened up with motion.
Afforded a chance to get additional clues about what the defense had planned pre-snap, Hurts shined, getting the ball where it needed to with ease while largely evading the negative plays that pop up from time to time for even the most dominant QB.
But when his passes fell short? Well, why don’t the number do the talking, as Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analytics did on social media?
Asked about this disparity between motion and non-motion statistics during his media availability session, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore noted that he wanted to keep his players moving before the snap whenever possible moving forward, as it really opened things up for his QB1.
“Yeah, motion is an aspect that certainly we want to utilize as much as we can. By game plan, it’s going to be different. There are certain schemes that it may give us an advantage. Sometimes it may be more window dressing, and we’ll see how much we emphasize it,” Moore explained. “But I think, again, we want to try and present the defense and stress their pre-snap communication, whether it be tempo, whether it be cadence, whether it be the motion aspect of it. I think every game plan is going to have a little different flavor, and so I thought he did an excellent job. I think he saw it well. He saw the adjustment the defense was making, and he was able to find a bunch of completions off of it.”
While motion may be the current in-vogue trend in the NFL, as the Miami Dolphins seemingly opened Pandora’s box in 2023 under head coach Mike McDaniel, it really does provide some important information to a quarterback that can completely change how they attack a defense after the ball is snapped. If that added info is enough to turn Hurts into a certified technician, then Moore is on the money to use it all the time, as the Eagles should exploit every advantage they have in the pursuit of winning a game, the division, and the Super Bowl.
Kellen Moore is proud of Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in Week 1
Asked for a more general overview of the Eagles’ efforts in Week 1, Moore complemented his offense for sticking to it in the face of adversity, as they could have very easily fallen apart when the times got tough early on, but they instead stuck together and ultimately secured the win as a team.
“Yeah, I thought resiliency showed up, certainly some production, and plenty of things to clean up. It’s a Week 1 game,” Moore noted. “Ultimately, you’ve got to find a way to perform well enough to come out with victories. I think those are huge in early games, and I think our guys saw the growth opportunities that we had. They were excited about that as far as where we could take this thing, so it’s a matter of continuing to build throughout the season. Good first step.”
Considering Week 1 wasn’t just the Eagles’ first game of the season but Moore’s first game with the Eagles, too, it’s not particularly surprising that there would be some growing pains along the way, even if some things, like a blown snap, likely weren’t on anyone’s Bingo card heading into the game. Back in the Northern Hemisphere on a traditional football night, who knows, maybe the Eagles will put it all together and not only defeat the Falcons but do so in a way that silences any doubts about the team’s ceiling moving forward.
