PHILADELPHIA – What is the secret to the Eagles’ winning culture?
A quarterback in Jalen Hurts, who’s playing at an MVP-caliber level, certainly helps, as well as a reliant receiving core led by A.J. Brown, and a dynamic defense under veterans Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham. But it’s their swagger that bonds them and creates a camaraderie unlike any other team.
“We just try to do everything together,” Hurts told The Post on Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, where the Eagles and REFORM Alliance hosted a Holiday Giveback Event for families negatively impacted by the criminal justice system. “You know, we’ve worked really hard in the off season and we’ve put in a lot of time in together, coaches included. We all invested heavily into this.
“So every time we get the opportunity to go out there on Sundays, we want to express ourselves and have fun and let our swagger show and I always encourage them to do that — let your swagger show. If you want to yell, yell; you want to scream, scream; you want to get hyped, dance, do whatever, do it, you know. But we’re all in it together.”
As for Hurts’ swagger?
“Be J. Hurts,” the QB said. “That’s always enough. I am who I am. I don’t put a name on it. I say, ‘breed of one.’
“But I embrace who I am and have confidence in who I am. And more importantly, the work that I put in. I just want to lead. I want to serve. I want to be the best quarterback for my team, my peers.”
The Eagles have had many moments where they let their swagger show this season. Hurts and Brown did just that in a win against the Steelers on Oct. 30, when they performed a touchdown dance that carried over to the bench.
Their close friendship — which stretches back to high school, when Hurts tried to recruit Brown to come to Alabama — has strengthened the Eagles’ locker room after the team acquired the wideout from the Titans in April.
Hurts’ quarterback journey was under a microscope after the Eagles selected him in the second round (53rd overall pick) of the 2020 draft. He took over for Carson Wentz in December of his rookie year, and never looked back, tuning out criticism amid the team’s struggles.
Now, Philadelphia is flying high atop the NFC East at 12-1 — the best record in the league — with Hurts at the helm. They are the only team that’s punched their ticket to the playoffs with a road win over the Giants on Sunday. It was yet another display of a confident Eagles team that’s having fun and winning in the process.
“I think it is really just taking it day by day,” Hurts said. “You know, I think there is a whole true journey to everything that is going on and it’s been a lot of hard work that has been put in for us to get to this point. I think there’s a lot more work to do. It’s great to be where we are, but we’re not, we’re far from satisfied, so we just want to continue to go.”
The 24-year-old Hurts is poised and carries himself with a sense of calmness. His eye contact is stern, and he speaks with an unwavering confidence. It seems as though being locked-in is a permanent state of mind for him.
All of these things, combined with his leadership and play, continue to fuel the NFL MVP buzz that is growing louder by the week. It’s been a two-man race between Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the 2019 Super Bowl MVP.
Through 13 games, Hurts has completed 68% of his passes for 3,157 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions while going for 686 yards and 10 scores on the ground. He ranks first in passer rating (108.4), interception percentage (0.8%) and rushing touchdowns (10).
“I don’t think anything changes,” Hurts said of the MVP chatter. “You know, I think there are a ton of different things that you experience that present new emotions as a human in life. And, you know, you go through different games and you experience new emotions.
“But I think being able to weather those new emotions and stay true to yourself, stay true to your craft, your hustle, the love for what you do, I think that overrides everything. So I just try to stay to consistent in it and stay true to myself and those things regardless of whatever is going on around you.”
Hurts remains true to himself by following a philosophy passed down to him from his father, Averion, who was his high school coach at Channelview in Houston, Texas.
“You got to keep the main thing the main thing,” Hurts said, quoting his father. “You know, and I think as a man, as a woman, whatever you do in your life, you have to make a decision on what’s important to you. But it’s important to stay true to that.
“I just try to stay true to everything I want to achieve. Everything that is important to me in my life, football being one, my family being one, my relationship with God being one. All of those things. Just trying stay true to myself, my values and my principles.”
Hurts also remains true to his core values through a number of philanthropic efforts in the Philadelphia community. The quarterback — along with Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, Jordan Mailata, and Dallas Goedert — joined REFORM Alliance with its co-chair Meek Mill and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin to give 30 children in the PA/NJ area the first-ever “Eagle for a Day” experience.
“We’ve [REFORM Alliance] already passed 16 bills in 10 states,” said Rubin, who is a co-chair alongside the award-winning rapper. “We started this after Meek [Mill] was unjustly sentenced to 2-4 years in prison for popping a wheelie, and we’re trying to fix the underlying laws that are broken and let people go to prison for technical violations.
“So to have Philadelphia sports teams come together, we didn’t bring them together, they wanted to be here. When you think about the pressure that the Eagles are under right now, they took time out of their schedule to come here and bring attention to this issue. That’s special.”
The event included participation in a Jr. Combine experience inside the NovaCare Complex indoor practice facility, followed by VIP tour of the facility, which concluded with a Free Agent signing ceremony. They finished the day at Wells Fargo center for a special press conference with Sixers head coach Doc Rivers before the 76ers defeated the Kings.
“When we look at the guys bringing guys to Philly and bringing guys to this team, obviously we’re looking for talented players, but we’re also looking for good people,” Howie Roseman, the Eagles’ executive vice president/general manager, said. “And I think one of the reasons that we’re winning is obviously we got talented players and talented coaches and athletes — but good people who care.
“They care about playing well and also they care about the community they live in. So it just shows that on an off-day, they decide to come in and be here and try to help these kids.”