Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen training camp mistakes expose a ridiculous NFL double standard that is becoming harder to ignore
The video of Hurts’ training camp interception drew 2 million impressions, while Josh Allen’s got fewer than 80,000.
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the thick of training camp, and the national media still can’t help themselves when it comes to Jalen Hurts. Every throw, every rep, every single thing this guy does gets put under a microscope. And I think it’s time we talk about it, because the double standard is getting out of hand.
But before we get into all of that, a quick rundown on Hurts at practice on Thursday. He went 12 of 18, threw two touchdown passes, and had one interception. Look, I’m not someone who gets hyperfixated on every single thing Jalen Hurts does at training camp practice. These reps are not the regular season. But apparently there are some people out there who are.
Schefter says Hurts is faster, and there’s a real reason for it
Adam Schefter talked about Jalen Hurts on ESPN. I didn’t realize that at 28 you could gain speed. How does that happen? Well, Schefter apparently got some inside reports, or guys are talking to him saying Hurts looks noticeably faster. And I believe it. We’ve heard it from multiple sources now, and it’s starting to feel very real.
So how does a quarterback get faster at this stage of his career? You get in better shape, you get healthier, and you develop more of an anticipation to run. A lot of people want to push this narrative that Hurts doesn’t like to run, that he doesn’t want to put his body at risk. I don’t buy that. Every quarterback in the league is going to tell you they don’t want to carry the ball 30 times a game, but the designed run game is a crucial part of Philadelphia’s success. It’s what has worked. It’s what got this team to two Super Bowls in the last four years.
Last season, the Eagles had nothing figured out on offense. We could go through so many examples, but one of the biggest issues was the quarterback pulling the ball and taking it himself. That extra layer of deception just wasn’t present. A lot of people tried to pin all of that on Jalen. I can’t fully put it on him alone, but I think no matter what, he’s gotten in better shape and he’s ready to go. He is going to run the ball a lot more in this offense under Sean Mannion. And Mannion is clearly building that element back in while also letting Hurts throw. It’s a balance, and it sounds like they’re finding it.
The interception that broke the internet (for no reason)
Now, here’s where I need to go off a little bit, because this whole discussion over the last day or two about Hurts throwing interceptions is absolutely ridiculous.
The Eagles’ official page posted a clip on social media of Hurts getting picked off by Quinyon Mitchell, who, by the way, is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. There have been other clips floating around of Jalen getting intercepted or having balls batted down by the defense. And here is proof that the double standard is out of control.
Jalen Hurts throws an interception during training camp practice: 2 million impressions. Josh Allen throws an interception during practice and the clip gets posted on social media: 78,000 impressions.
Are we serious right now? We are analyzing a training camp pass that got picked off by one of the best corners in the league. Are we that bored?
Now, part of it is the Philly fan base. Eagles fans are crazy. We pay attention to every little detail. Other fan bases don’t check in until the regular season begins. But the bigger issue is that people want to find a way to hate on Jalen Hurts. It generates clicks. It generates buzz. No matter what this guy does, they try to find a way to bring him down.
Why don’t they hold Josh Allen to the same standard? How come Allen isn’t getting picked apart and ripped for a training camp interception? You know why? Because it doesn’t matter. None of this matters when we get to Week 1.
Stop trying to overanalyze everything Jalen Hurts does. It’s tiring, it’s redundant, and it’s been going on for far too long. Once the regular season starts, Hurts and this offense are going to remind everybody why the conversation should be about wins, not August interceptions.
