Nick Sirianni talks about Jalen Hurts’ development in the passing game

Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to reporters on Wednesday and talked about what improvements he’s seen from Jalen Hurts’ passing game, how he knew Haason Reddick was due for a breakout game, and what he know about Jaguars’ QB Trevor Lawrence. He also mentioned the (sort of) advantage Doug Pederson might have with his knowledge of some of the Eagles players.

Here’s what the head coach had to say:

On Jalen Hurts

Sirianni was asked specifically what he’s seen as far as the QB’s development in the passing game, and he pointed to how Hurts is seeing the field.

“He’s identifying what’s coming and he’s knowing where to go with the football. His accuracy has been really outstanding. So, I think his numbers speak for itself, and where we are at this point in the season, and he’s been on it.

So, it’s that development that you always want out of every quarterback is to see it faster, to get the ball to the guys that the balls supposed to go to based on the coverage that they’re playing, and that it’s an accurate ball. And, he’s continued to improve on those things.”

He admitted that Doug Pederson having some inside knowledge about some of the Eagles players is obviously an advantage, but also pointed out that Hurts is a completely different player than he was two years ago — as are all the other players who have continued to improve —, so it’s not all the same.

Sirianni was asked about the notion that a quarterback can help elevate the game of the players around him, and while the head coach agreed, he mentioned that it also goes the other way. He explained that’s why football is the ultimate team game — the quarterback can’t play at his best unless the receivers are playing at their best, and they can’t do that unless the offensive line is playing their best, etc...

On Haason Reddick

Last week, Sirianni named Reddick as someone who was really close to having a breakout game and then he did just take in Week 3 against Washington. The head coach elaborated and said that as an offensive coach, it can be very tempting to overlook a defensive end who maybe hasn’t had a sack in three weeks, and then the DE has an explosive game. It’s an easy trap to fall into. So, he just knew that Reddick was getting really close, and they see him at practice every day, and knew he was close to a big game.

On Jaguars’ QB Trevor Lawrence

Sirianni said that he didn’t do a whole lot of scouting on him coming out of college, but did do some and did more this year. Obviously, though, someone doesn’t get drafted No. 1 overall for no reason, and he was the biggest talk around the league coming out of Clemson.

“He’s a really good football player, and you saw some of that, too, at spurts last year and definitely stretches at the end of the year where he played really outstanding. He’s just building on that. So, this is a good football player and really talented. People say once in a lifetime quarterback prospect, so we see all the talent that he has and we’re gonna have to be on it and make sure we get some stops on him.”

Other notables

• Sirianni was asked if it’s harder to accurately evaluate tape after a win, but the head coach insisted that with their approach of always looking to get better, the result of a game doesn’t matter. They know that when they get back to work, the first thing they’re going to do is address the mistakes and starting making corrections, regardless of whether they won or lost. The head coach said that after a win, it’s actually a little easier to really get after guys about some of the mistakes.
• The head coach talked about the lack of a run game against Washington, but he credited the Commanders defensive front and noted that they took away some of those options. When they did that, they focused on the passing game, and when that was the focus, they shifted back to the ground game. Sirianni credited his offensive coaches with being fluid in their approach.
• Sirianni talked about how against the Vikings, they let their foot off the gas in the second half, and how they went the opposite direction against the Commanders, and were maybe too aggressive. He said a wise man avoids all extremes and they have to be better in the second half, but that starts with coaching. It’s something they’ve been aware of this week.
• Last week, Sirianni showed Kobe Bryant film to his team and this week he picked something from Tiger Woods that emphasizes the inner motivation needed to continue to improve even if you’re the best.