Eagles QB Jalen Hurts takes 'protecting the football' to another level
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has fumbled eight times so far this season. While not all of them have been lost fumbles, it doesn't make them any less costly. Eagles' head coach Nick Sirianni stressed the importance of protecting the football earlier in the week as the team prepares to face the Seattle Seahawks for […]
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has fumbled eight times so far this season.
While not all of them have been lost fumbles, it doesn't make them any less costly.
Eagles' head coach Nick Sirianni stressed the importance of protecting the football earlier in the week as the team prepares to face the Seattle Seahawks for their Week 15 matchup.
"We have to do a better job protecting the football going to the ground," Sirianni said on Tuesday. "Jalen has to do a better job with that, going to the ground, and we got to do a better job coaching that."
Sirianni pointed out that falling to the ground while holding onto a football is difficult to do because your body wants to react in a way that will keep you from hitting the ground. He also discussed using a simulator that would help Hurts fall more naturally with a ball in his hands.
"There are different ways to simulate going to the ground," Siranni said. "It’s one of the most unnatural things that you can do in football, to be able to protect the football as you go to the ground, because naturally, your body wants to sprawl out to catch yourself and sprawl out with the arm that’s carrying it.
"So, we got to put them in those situations even more. That’s my job as the head coach. Let’s make sure we simulate this drill more of going to the ground. That’s what we have to do to help the players out."
And sure enough at practice on Thursday, Hurts was spotted intentionally falling to the ground while holding onto the ball.
A string was also attached to the ball and pulled on it … to make it feel a bit more real, I suppose.
Thanks to NBC Sports' Dave Zangaro for capturing the simulation on camera:
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Actions speak louder than words.
