Patriots HC Bill Belichick shuts down Jalen Hurts comparison
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is known to sing high praises for the opposing teams, but he had a lot more to say about this 2023 Philadelphia Eagles squad than usual–specifically about Philly's quarterback, Jalen Hurts. According to Belichick, there is nobody in the league that compares to Hurts and don't even try […]
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is known to sing high praises for the opposing teams, but he had a lot more to say about this 2023 Philadelphia Eagles squad than usual–specifically about Philly's quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
According to Belichick, there is nobody in the league that compares to Hurts and don't even try to put him in the same sentence as another quarterback.
During Wednesday's presser, Belichick was asked if the team would benefit from using practice squad quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham to try and simulate some of the looks that the Patriots might get from Hurts.
Belichick went on a rant.
“Yeah, I mean Malik’s got some good skills,” Belichick said. “I think it would be a stretch to compare Malik Cunningham to Jalen Hurts now. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who was second in MVP voting last year, or whatever he was. Athletically, there’s some similarities, but you’re talking about arguably the best player in the league, or one of the top two or three best players in the league."
Sure, Cunningham doesn't compare to an accomplished NFL veteran like Hurts, but his rushing (3,184) and passing yards (9,664) from college could make him a reasonable option to practice "going against" the Eagles.
"Nobody has anybody that can be him, and if they do, that guy’s probably not playing on the scout team for that team anyway," Belichick added. "I mean, it is what it is. We go through that every week. Every team’s got a few good players, and some great players, and it’s hard to replicate those players. If you have one, your guy’s probably not on the scout team doing that for that guy anyway. You do the best you can. We’ll have somebody to try to simulate the best we can what Hurts does, but we don’t have anybody like Hurts, and probably, neither does anybody else.”
It almost sounds like Belichick is hurt that he doesn't have a Hurts.
We'll see how well the Patriots prepared to take on Jalen Hurts and the rest of the reigning NFC champs come Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Latest injury report for Eagles vs. Patriots, Week 1
The Eagles are looking healthy.
Featured image by Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
