Jalen Hurts on A.J. Brown: ‘I’m proud of him’

Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts had a career-high four passing touchdowns in their win over the Steelers on Sunday, and he spoke after the game about trying to be a triple threat — he’s got to be able to attack with his legs, with his throws, and mentally. Still, as per usual, the QB wasn’t satisfied with his performance and is looking to improve.

“I guess I was in the zone. I felt like I could have done more. I feel like, you look at the third quarter, I think there was an opportunity to make some plays, had some negative plays there. I think, two-minute drive before halftime, I took some sacks I feel like I could have avoided, probably could’ve got the ball out. And then we kind of started hitting some low, and it’s a testament to the receivers that we have, the protection we had all game.”

Hurts went on to say that they were unwavering and focused on playing to the standard that they set for themselves.

“Hell of a game by A.J. [Brown]. You know he’s making big-time plays. I know he wants some back for sure, but hell of a game by him.”

The QB was asked about the improvement he’s made over the past year and how much of it was the work he put in compared to the improvement and addition of people around him. Hurts said it was hard to talk about himself in that way, and emphasized how much work goes in, not just by him, but by everyone to make improvements as individuals and as a team.

“The beautiful thing about this team is we’ve grinded together. We’ve had OTAs, we’ve had training camp, we’ve bonded. We’ve put in so much valuable time together to chase this feeling of achievement, and chase this feeling of going out there and playing at a high level.”

Hurts went on to admit that there’s still a lot of work to do, but the success they’re having is a testament to what they’ve done as a team, noting no man is an island. Someone might miss a throw, or a block, or a catch, but they have each other’s back.

The QB was asked about what it’s like throwing the Brown, and being able to throw the ball up and know he’ll likely catch it.

“I have a lot of trust in A.J.. Have a lot of trust in him. I think that’s a lot of the reason that he’s here. We’ve always had a great relationship, and I think it’s been beautiful to see how it’s unfolded throughout the year — personally for him and I, and also us on the field. I’ve always had a lot of admiration for his mentality, his want to, and he’s been doing great things for us. I’m proud of him, as a friend and as a quarterback.”

Hurts and Brown have similar mentalities when it comes to highlighting their missed opportunities before celebrating their successes, and the QB thinks that mentality isn’t something that’s learned, it’s something that in them and their teammates.

“I think the great players are eager to be the best, and be the best all the time, and when you look at the opportunities you didn’t take advantage of — like, you can go out there and have a statistically perfect game, catch every ball, do everything, but there’s always something. There’s always something, and enough is never enough. And, we just strive for that. We strive for something we may never get, but we continue to go chase it.”

The quarterback said that mentalities do shift during a short week like they have heading into their Thursday night game against the Texans. Hurts admitted that going back to his hometown, and playing Houston, has always been a dream of his. He spent a lot of time as a kid in the Texans’ facility — his Godfather was on staff — and he has a lot of memories there.