“Uncompromising”. It was the first word that came to mind after a report surfaced about players and coaches being frustrated with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Before the season, I interviewed Birds legend and radio analyst Mike Quick. Here’s what Quick said about Hurts. “He’s uncompromising in who he is and he’s going to be that person. And if the coaches don’t like it, even if it’s some of his guys don’t like it, he’s an uncompromising, excellent leader.” Someone at NCC doesn’t like the Super Bowl MVP’s meticulous mentality. They’re not a fan of how a bona fide, perennial winner moves. He ticks off individuals who have benefited from his success but in essence, also accuses the QB of insubordination. This is all while his squad is 8-2, running away with their division, and currently the NFC’s number one seed holding head-to-head tiebreakers over all the conference’s contenders. Detroit, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, and the L.A. Rams were all losers to Philly. Yet, the sixth-year field general’s character has been questioned despite his résumé and current position in which the team currently sits. Don’t get me wrong, no QB is above critique and the offense needs some work. That being said, Hurts has earned and deserves much more respect than he has been given. Especially more than most other QBs who haven’t won a damn thing in the NFL. “He does things the right way. The way he comes to work, the way he goes about his work”, Quick added. He’s the kind of dude that you would want to have to run anything. If you have something that you really covet, this is the kind of guy that you could put in charge of.” I paraphrase a reference from the show “Raising Kanan” when Raq told her then-teenager, “You may hate my methods, but you love the results!” But around here unfortunately, it’s not if you win, it’s how you win. Perhaps there’s too much heat on first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who has been getting grilled like slabs of ribs at a cookout on Belmont Plateau. Therefore, aim the barrel of the gun back at the QB, whom many still believe his accolades are one too many. For a quarterback who has won as much as Hurts, ‘Iggles’ fans who still haven’t gotten over replacing him with Carson Wentz would much rather take their chances with backup Tanner McKee. Some are even looking for ways to dump the 27-year-old’s contract. It is similar to the fans of James Bond 007 clutching their pearls, envisioning the spy cast as a Black man. The thought of actors like Idris Elba, Damson Idris, Aaron Pierre, or Regé-Jean Page taking over such a role would be deemed as sacrilegious. Of all people, former NFL QB and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky candidly echoed the lack of respect for Hurts. “All this dude does is literally everything that everybody begs every other QB to do or knocks them for not doing”, Orlovsky said, also referring to the 51-14 record since 2022. “We kill guys. Joe Burrow, does he win enough? Dak Prescott, does he win enough? Matthew Stafford didn’t win enough in Detroit. Josh Allen doesn’t win enough”, Orlovsky continued. “He can’t win the big game. Lamar Jackson can’t. All Hurts does is everything that we beg for those quarterbacks to do.” Winning comes in many different sizes, shapes, and packages. This fanbase, let alone society, still has such a long way to go to understand that, especially with such a spotlighted position as quarterback. And as for the ones who don’t like it down in South Philly, if Jalen Hurts is so stubborn, so insubordinate, I dare Eagles ownership and management to find a team where he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause. If not, the disrespect must cease.
https://www.phillytrib.com/sports/football/spivey-the-hurts-disrespect-must-cease/article_86c8963c-ca03-4276-b7f4-b302698069b6.html
Tag Archives: eagles
Renck: In signature win for Sean Payton, Broncos prove they’re afraid of nobody with remarkable comeback vs. Eagles
Broncos Rally Past Eagles in Stunning 21-17 Victory
PHILADELPHIA — The quarterback fought frustration. The tight end remained in witness protection. The cornerback got cooked. The penalties, each more ridiculous than the last, mounted. The Broncos were on the verge of getting skunked. Then something remarkable happened. They finished. They met the moment. At last.
Trailing by 14 points against the defending champion Eagles—who had not lost a home game in 13 months—the Broncos rallied for a 21-17 victory, surviving a heart-in-a-blender Hail Mary pass.
Broncos Analysis: A Blueprint for Success
This game threatened to become a blowout. Instead, it became the blueprint. You saw it: run the ball, convert third downs, use the middle of the field, and turn Nik Bonitto loose (not sure if he showers after games or just licks his paws).
As the football sat lonely in the corner of the end zone with time expired, safety Talanoa Hufanga taunted Philadelphia fans, raising his arms in the air for dramatic effect. The swagger and confidence were no longer just a locker room thing—they were out in the open for everyone to see.
The Broncos are back in every January conversation. They are 3-2 and should be favored in their next seven games. In a remarkable final 15 minutes, they transformed the lingering narrative that they were frauds into a story inspiring fear.
These players, who were the equivalent of a clenched fist after walk-off losses to the Colts and Chargers, punched back. Enough was enough.
“When that ball went up in the air and those two (Eagles receivers DeVonta Smith and A. J. Brown) thought they had it, there was no way I was letting that happen,” Surtain said. “It wasn’t going to be a horror story. Not today. We were writing the perfect story.”
Puff out your chest, Broncos Country. Embrace this group. Why not?
Sean Payton wants the bright lights, the biggest challenges, and his team beat the champs as he passed mentor Bill Parcells on the NFL’s all-time wins list. The Broncos knocked out a great team—in a close game.
Want to be taken seriously? Beat teams you are not supposed to beat—in games you are not supposed to win. That was Sunday.
“That is just who we are,” left tackle Garett Bolles said. “We believe in each other.”
Turning the Tide
They were all they had through three quarters. At one point, the Broncos punted six straight times. CBS did not assign Jim Nantz and Tony Romo this game to narrate a documentary on Jeremy Crawshaw. The excuses were lining up: short week, early start back East. Visiting teams prior to a game in London were 10-17.
“And then we come out and make mistakes. I obviously had one,” said cornerback Riley Moss, who Smith outran for a 52-yard completion on third-and-17. “But guys never stopped competing.”
The fourth quarter turned paint-by-numbers into Picasso. Bo Nix looked like an elite quarterback. He led three scoring drives, completing 9 of 10 passes for 127 yards. He found Evan Engram, who was called out by Payton for bad body language. Engram responded with two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Nix turned to the one player he never had chemistry with last season, college teammate Troy Franklin, drilling a strike for a two-point conversion. And when it mattered most, he leaned on Courtland Sutton—they share the same biorhythms on third down.
Even then, the Broncos needed one more drive to close out the Eagles, and J. K. Dobbins became the Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki. They won between the lines. But also conquered demons between their ears, improving to 3-8 in one-score games over the past two years, including 2-2 this season.
“Today we showed we’re mentally tough,” Dobbins said. “We showed we are a dangerous team.”
Payton’s Signature Win
Let’s be clear. This is Payton’s signature win with the Broncos. Better than the victories at Buffalo, at Tampa Bay, and the streak-buster against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles were 20-1 in their last 21 games.
“You always get a chance to see where you are at. We talked a lot about that,” Payton said. “Our guys did a good job of preparing, and I think the locker room prior to today felt like this would be the result. I have done this long enough. I have pretty good instincts.”
And you wonder if the message to run the ball—written again on his play sheet—finally seeped into his brain as the Broncos imposed their will. Unable to win at the line of scrimmage, the Eagles crossed the line.
The Broncos benefitted from a suspect personal foul on linebacker Zach Braun that extended a late drive. Denver’s patience was rewarded when Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo committed malpractice. With Philadelphia holding a 14-point cushion, he kept passing.
At one point, the Eagles had a 20-second drive. Saquon Barkley finished with six carries—one in the fourth. The same criticisms we have lobbed at the Broncos applied to them. The Eagles abandoned the run. They got cute. And they did dumb stuff.
The Return of the Old Broncos
Sunday, the Broncos were not the same old Broncos. They were the old Broncos, like from 2015—a team that had the discipline, defense, and determination to beat anyone, anywhere.
No, Denver was not without sin. This was not perfection. But it was retribution.
In the smoke-filled celebratory locker room, Payton stood in front of the team and asked a simple question: Who are you afraid of? The answer? Nobody!
“It was electric,” Moss said. “We proved something today.”
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/10/05/broncos-eagles-sean-payton-signature-win/