In the Jalen Hurts vs. Gardner Minshew QB Debate, the Answer Is Clear for the Eagles – Philadelphia Eagles Blog

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Monday marks the one year anniversary of Carson Wentz get the branch to support Jalen Hurts.

Call for Philadelphia Eagles to make the midfield switch come weeks earlier, as Wentz grapples with the worst season of his career. Coach Doug Pederson then protested for a while, understanding the weight and potential consequences of such a decision. But with the Eagles following Green Bay Packers June 20 in Week 13, and offense again stuck in neutral, Pederson faced the Hurts early in the third quarter.

The agony brought the offense to life and pumped some juice back into the season. He beat 10-2 New Orleans Saints the following week in the first start of his career, and despite his ups and downs in the final three games, he proved to be the more effective back four of the two. However, the move to Hurts set off a chain of events that resulted in the disgruntled Wentz being traded and Pederson and most of his staff fired.

A year later, the lesson from that situation would apply with the Eagles quarterback once again becoming the topic of conversation. Gardner Minshew start Sunday in place of wounded and lighted New York Jets, went 20 of 25 in 242 yards with two touches in one Win 33-18. Tight ending Dallas Goedert (six catches, 105 yards, two TDs) had a competitive day in his career and the passing game was fruitful, piqued curiosity about possible offense against Minshew on a grip basis. drive longer.

Coach Nick Sirianni did his best to end the debate before it had a chance to refuel.

Sirianni said of Hurts: “He was playing really good football when he was involved, so when he is fit and back he will be the starter for us.”

Hurts won that right.

He will make the first three interceptions of his career first Giants in New York and was inconsistent in the passing game – his 60.1 completion rate ranked 28th in the NFL heading into Week 13 – but overall, he committed a fairly high level of offense. The Eagles are eighth in red zone success rate (66 per cent), fifth in conversions from third down (45.4%) and 10th in points per game (25.9 ) under Hurts. Hurts is second among quarterbacks with 695 yards of dash, just behind Lamar Jackson. From Weeks 7-11, Hurts was the #1 ranked QB in the NFL in QBR (75.0) before taking a step back against New York.

This is not a case of the starting midfielder holding back a team. Without the same desperation as last year to get things started.

Even if it did, switching to Minshew would not be the right answer. Unlike other positions where you can change starting positions without much impact, flipping midfield positions can have an irreversible impact. It can split loyalties in the dressing room and force players to make guesses about the coaching staff and the whole operation. The chances of being pushed back were much greater when QB was demoted having cemented himself as a respected team leader, as Hurts did.

With Wentz, whatever trust he left in the organization flew out the window as soon as he was substituted in the lineup. The risk isn’t worth the reward in testing their existing QB1 relationship.

With Wentz given the right to trade for the season, Hurts was given control. The team has moved into transition and with the Eagles holding up to the first three picks in the draft in April – capital they can use to go after a midfielder if they choose – this season has largely becomes finding out whether Hurts might be the long-term answer.

That remains the most important question facing the Eagles. There are still four games left on the regular season’s schedule, giving Philadelphia four more opportunities to evaluate Hurts before making a decision to change the franchise.

Minshew can be an effective full-back. He has 39 touchdowns in his career and 11 interceptions. He looks really good on Sunday. But that’s against the Jets, who have a habit of making opposing midfielders look really good. Even before giving up 418 yards to the Eagles on Sunday, the Jets’ defense was the NFL’s worst for the first 12 weeks, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Minshew mania is fun. It’s natural to wonder what the offense might look like in their next game against Washington when he’s in control.

But you don’t have to look too far back in the history of this team to know that short-sighted decisions to play as a quarterback often take your toll.