The faces were different and so was the defense. Jalen Hurts remained the same.
The Eagles quarterback completed the two-hour practice session against the New England Patriots in Foxborough without throwing a single interception. He hasn’t thrown a single pass this summer and Tuesday was the 12th day of training camp.
It’s not like his teammates are popping champagne to celebrate this accomplishment, but it’s a big deal because if Hurts threw it like he did a few times in the spring, the radio waves would overheat with chatter and concern. Fans would burst with anger and the media, myself included, would chronicle every mistake.
“You can’t really worry about that stuff,” receiver AJ Brown told reporters in Foxborough. “None of that matters. Is he going to come out here and execute? Yes, and that’s all that matters. I know you guys keep stats and all that other stuff, but this is training.”
“Who cares if you intercept a pass? It’s practice. We try new things. I try new things when I get going. Who cares if I lose? It’s just practice. That’s what I want you to try.
“I don’t think anyone is too upset about not intercepting a single pass. It doesn’t matter. We’re trying to implement it and keep working.”
Still, Hurts seemed more and more confident the more he got to know Kellen Moore’s offense, and that confidence translated into solid execution.
Defensive lineman Brandon Graham assessed it this way: “You can see Jalen getting more comfortable every day. Just the way he moves, even faster than last year, I think. I think he probably struggled with some issues last year, but you can see he has a new and better outlook on life this year.”
“I’m happy for him because you can tell he’s excited. People always criticize him for not smiling, but I know him personally, the boy is really happy with what’s happening. I can’t wait to see him go out there and do his thing.”
Exactly when Hurts might play is always unknown during the preseason. He was supposed to play in the opening game against the Baltimore Ravens, but head coach Nick Sirianni pulled the plug on the starters after they had warmed up, saying it was still too wet because of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, although it wasn’t too wet to warm up.
The weather should be nice on Thursday when the Eagles play the Patriots, but Tuesday’s joint practice could mean that the offensive players will once again have to watch from the sidelines in civilian clothes.
That will be followed by a home game against the Minnesota Vikings on August 24, just two weeks before the regular season begins on September 6 against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. That final friendly might be too close to the start of the season for Sirianni to risk injuries with his top teams.
Hurts was asked by reporters in Foxborough if no preseason training would be enough to get the offense ready for the opening game.
“The goal is to always be ready when the first game comes,” he said. “I don’t know what the future holds, but we got better (Tuesday).”
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