Chris Simms is up to his old tricks as he again bashes Eagles QB Jalen Hurts
Chris Simms is up to his old tricks as he again bashes Eagles QB Jalen Hurts He just can't help himself. Chris Simms is back with another anti-Jalen Hurts tirade.
John Fitzherbert once said Old dogs can't be taught new tricks. That seems erroneous because dogs age faster than humans and learn new tricks constantly. Anyway, that isn't the point. What we're supposed to glean from that is the phrase's meaning. It's difficult to make people change their patterns of opinion and established behavior. What does that have to do with the Philadelphia Eagles? Interestingly, you would ask that question.
We've all watched Chris Simms talk about Jalen Hurts for years. Nothing ever changes. Once upon a time, though a starter in the NFL, the son of a New York Giants legend claimed Hurts wasn't even among the top 32 quarterbacks at the professional level. Everyone realizes there are only 32 starting jobs in the National Football League, right?
You can see why this drew the ire of so many Birds fans.
Fast forward to the present, and even though Jalen has offered some up-and-down play during his four years as a starter, one could ask a question. What NFL quarterback hasn't? After crafting a 46-20 record as a starter, leading his team to two Super Bowl appearances in four years, and winning one of them, it's time to put Jalen in the 'elite' tier now, right?
Apparently, Chris Simms disagrees. Guess what he's said this time.
Chris Simms has returned to his familiar anti-Jalen Hurts rhetoric.
As we settled into May, we were blindsided by something foreign. NBC Sports' Chris Simms broke character to praise the Eagles organization. While a guest on Up & Adams, he suggested, "The Eagles are the most well-built football team we've seen this century." Come on. We knew it couldn't last.
If you bet the under on the two-week line that he'd return to Eagles bashing relatively quickly, call whoever you must to collect your money. During an appearance on The Herd, he returned to his old ways.
In their analysis, Colin Cowherd and Simms are referencing a recent Pro Football Focus write-up. PFF recently dropped its ranking of all 32 starting quarterbacks ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
As expected, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen all land in the elite tier. Jalen, Jayden Daniels, Matthew Stafford, and Justin Herbert all land in the second tier, one labeled as 'high-end starters'.
As you can see, Simms places C.J. Stroud ahead of Jalen, and though C.J. is uber-talented, that seems disrespectful. John Kosko, the writer of the PFF story, places Stroud in tier 3b, 'solid starters who need more help'.
Mahomes. Burrow, Jackson, and Allen belong in the elite tier, but only two have played in a Super Bowl. Only one has won a Super Bowl (or three). Jalen has beaten all of them. Why aren't we beginning to mention Hurts among the elite? Why is Simms so quick to minimize his accomplishments?
Maybe Fitzherbert was spot on. Maybe old dogs can't be taught newer tricks. Jalen keeps on winning (and improving). Simms keeps finding reasons to criticize his game while praising other NFL signal-callers who often endure the same difficult stretches we have sometimes seen by Philadelphia's franchise signal-caller.
Let's be honest. If occasional periods of ineffective play are a reason to diminish what Hurts is doing, no NFL quarterback belongs in the 'elite category'. Great players are sometimes ineffective. It's a byproduct of playing the toughest position in sports.
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