Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni are fine

The response certainly came off awkward. But it really means nothing.

Earlier this month, as the Eagles closed minicamp, Jalen Hurts was asked a question about Nick Sirianni’s acceptance of the changes being implemented to the offense under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

“Um, I mean, that’s a great question,” said Hurts, stumbling, and you can see him trying not to laugh. “I don’t know that I know the answer to it.” That was followed by Hurts replying to a follow up question as to what he has seen from Sirianni adjusting to it, “Um, I think he’s been great in the messages he’s delivering to the team. Trying to be very intentional in what he’s saying. Yeah.”

Hurts was called out for not being more demonstrative in praising Sirianni with typical in-house flotsam clichés. When he did not, Hurts was questioned as to whether he had a working relationship with Sirianni.

He does.

The fact is, Hurts will need to have a greater relationship with Moore.

The two will be dealing with each other every day.

Hurts seems to be willing to learn.

“I think this whole entire offseason, it’s been about learning,” said Hurts, in a rare effusive moment for him, which holds far more credence than anything he uttered about Sirianni. “Learning and taking in new knowledge, new perspective with the minds that we have in the room. I think throughout the whole entire thing, that’s kind of been the emphasis. You get to a point where you kind of feel, ‘Hey, I’m going to feel comfortable with this, I’m going to like this.’ But that time comes when you can rep it, rep it, rep it later on.

“But right now, it’s been a lot of new inventory in. Majority of it, probably 95% of it being new. It’s just been that process and it’s been a fun process because you get to see what works for other people. The number of coaches that I’ve had since I’ve been here, I’ve been able to take in a lot of new knowledge and new understanding. So, I think the goal coming in was to learn Kellen’s offense and master it and I think that’s been a process and I think by the end of it, I want it to be mine and have it in my own way.

“I think that’s kind of a credit to the lack of continuity with that and it being a thing where I’ve kind of had to take all these new things and new voices and still go out there and be successful and efficient. I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen again.”

Most teams in the NFL run the same things. Disguising what they run is significant. The Eagles hardly disguised anything in 2023. Teams knew what they were running. It basically left Hurts out there to fend for himself.

Moore has a penchant for using pre-snap motion. He ran motion throughout Eagles’ minicamp involving everyone.

The deeper concern with the 2024 Eagles, hopefully, has been fixed.

And it does not involve how Hurts and Sirianni get along.

The 2023 Eagles quit the last seven games. The team lost faith in late-season defensive coordinator replacement Matt Patricia and first-year offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman are smart enough to know that if the Eagles did quit on Sirianni, they would have fired him. They did take quite a bit of control from Sirianni. Moore, to everyone’s understanding, will run the offense. Vic Fangio will have complete autonomy of the defense, much like Jim Johnson had under Andy Reid.

Sirianni will call the coin toss.

But think about this: On a blustery winter day Sunday, December 29, at about 7:15 p.m., and the Eagles down to Dallas, 24-23, after scoring a touchdown with 2 seconds to play in regulation and the playoffs hanging in the balance, it will be Sirianni making the ultimate decision what to do next, kick the extra-point and force overtime, or play for the win, not Kellen Moore or Vic Fangio.

Sirianni will have the game in his hands.

That is where the real power lies.