Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (Post-Game Transcript)
On the team’s performance in a short week:
“Yeah, a ton of perseverance out there today. It took everyone as a team, and it comes down to winning. Winning is the main thing. It will always be the main thing. And it takes what it takes, regardless of how it looks, what you have to go through to get it. We’ll grow through this situation and this experience in the game. Win, lose or draw, we want to grow from every situation, but to be able to stay at it, find a way, stick together. That was pleasing.”
On being evaluated for a concussion:
“I guess I beat the protocol.”
On if he knew how:
“I beat the protocol.”
On if he was surprised to be evaluated:
“It happens. Was I surprised? I don’t know.”
On if he felt the effects of hits in the first half:
“No.”
On what he was saying to Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell during the fourth quarter drive:
“I don’t remember what you’re talking about. Probably not the words I should say right now, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
On what turned around in the fourth quarter:
“We just got it rolling. We were able to get some positive plays. And when you’re able to get completions, keep the sticks moving, keep progressing, and then impose your physicality in the end of it, that’s what it comes down to. It’s always good when you can score in the red zone, and then when you score outside of the red zone, that’s good as well. But situationally, I felt like everything was – I have to watch the film, but it just has to be better in the red zone. Be better in the red zone. We had a ton of good drives. Just have to finish. Have to finish. That’s a really good team. They’re a really good team. They’ll continue to be a good team. They have great players, and they’re well coached, and there’s a ton of respect for that group.”
On the defensive performance…
“I call [Eagles LB] Zack Baun the tone setter in that group, that linebacker group, in general. But [Eagles LB] Zack Baun, how he’s been able to come here, be a part of this team, take leadership in his role, and his actions do a lot of talking for him. That’s something that I respect a lot. And just to see how he shows up, how the physicality he plays with, how he flies to the ball, I think it’s a great fit for this city and obviously, this defensive scheme. So I just encouraged him to continue to lead that group, continue to do the work he’s doing, and everybody continue to build and feed off one another. Defense played a hell of a game again. That was my message to him. And I knew it was going to take all of us tonight, but the number one thing I was telling him was just keep it going while it’s hot. They had a great defensive showing in Dallas last week. And after a short week, they kept the party going. So just have to keep building.”
On how much he knew about Eagles LB Zack Baun before he got to Philadelphia:
I knew he was a New Orleans Saint. He had a role there, he was a really good player there. They let him slip away to us.”
On whether the offense feels as if the defense is always going to keep them in the game:
“There’s a confidence that you want to have in your team. I have a ton of confidence in my teammates and in the defense, but my mentality and perspective is to go out there and take advantage of every opportunity. You know, we want to help one another. We want to be there for one another, but ultimately, we don’t want to compromise our standards because of another group. And so it takes a team, but every phase has to hold their end of the rope, and we just have to continue to build. Everybody on their side of the ball played lights out. I think offensively, there was some miscommunication at certain moments, and maybe we didn’t operate at the highest level we could have. Obviously, scoring in the red zone is the biggest thing. But you know, when you look at 435 yards or total offense, that’s pretty good. We just have to take advantage of our opportunities.”
On whether it feels as if it’s only a matter of time before RB Saquon Barkley has an impact in a game:
”Every game is different. You try to walk the path of each game and treat them all independently. We want to just go out there and execute. The mentality is always that you’re one play away, and if you keep pressing on, keep going, you know, everything kind of answers itself. So we just want to be a football team that plays each play as its own play, treats it one play at a time, and takes that approach in the game and gives it our best.”
On RB Saquon Barkley’s performance:
“How many carries did he have? He put in some good work today. I guess it does take time, but every game is different. And when I say it takes time, it’s always one play away. So it can be the first touch, the second touch, or the 10th touch, or the 25th touch, whatever it is. We just have to keep pressing and keep playing the game. And, you know, I’ve been talking about this thing of us being multiple and us having a multiple approach. It can look different. And so I think as we embrace that as a football team, how different these things can look and how we succeed and how we put up points and produce, I think we’ll be able to continue to diversify ourselves in our efficiency and how good we are in that. So we seem to continue to build, utilize everything that we have to its fullness. But you know, I have to find ways to get us going in the red zone, finishing in the red zone.”
On his assessment of the team through 10 games:
“A big picture. Taking it one day at a time, taking it one day at a time.”
On his perspective of TE Grant Calcaterra’s fumble recovery:
“Yeah, that’s crucial. You know, we talk about effort, we talk about flying to the ball. And honestly, the number one thing that’s been killing us is flipping and finding [the ball]. And flipping and finding if you don’t have the ball in your hands. So obviously, [Eagles TE] Dallas [Goedert] makes that catch, and he tries to go get some YAC (yards after catch), and it’s the guy you don’t see. And I know he’s wishing he would’ve had better ball security there. But why do you flip and find? Why are you in pursuit of the ball offensively and defensively? Because you never know what can happen. You want to be there. So, good things always happen when you fly to the ball and get to the ball, and it’s a crucial moment in the game, for sure. That was able to extend our drive. I think it’s a great example of effort, finishing the play. You talk about roles, [Eagles TE] Grant [Calcaterra] is – I think I said this already – one of the most selfless guys on the team with his role. And you know, it looks different. You know, he popped off for a little bit in absence of Dallas, and now he makes one of the most underrated plays of the game, and being able to recover that fumble, extend the drive and have the opportunity to give it to [Eagles RB] Saquon [Barkley] a couple more times, so it’s a big play.