Be like Mike? Jalen Hurts gets championship tip from Michael Jordan on how to win another Super Bowl
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts calls Michael Jordan a friend — the two cigar aficionados were photographed rubbing shoulders over the summer in Greece — so when the retired Chicago Bulls great offers advice, it's perhaps best to listen.
Jordan won six NBA titles, including two separate runs of three straight, so his words of wisdom to Hurts following the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl victory resonated with the QB.
At the top of the list?
'He used every word but repeat,' Hurts said with a laugh.
One by one, from coach Nick Sirianni to Hurts to general manager Howie Roseman to offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, the Eagles stood firm Wednesday on the first day of training camp that the word 'repeat' for the 2024 champions is not part of the vernacular around the complex.
'We're not defending nothing,' Mailata said, later tossing in a profanity for emphasis. 'We're not the defending champs. We're the 2024 world champs, that's it.'
Hurts, who won Super Bowl MVP honors in the Eagles' 40-22 thrashing over Kansas City, said he appreciated Jordan's advice. The best approach in 2025 is for the Eagles to took at the season as a blank canvas, that it's 'purely about resetting,' rather than rambling on about a repeat, which would shift focus to what they accomplished last season.
Maybe that's why Hurts was never photographed wearing the Super Bowl ring in the scores of photos released on social media from last week's ceremony. While most Eagles players were snapped flashing the gaudy bling, Hurts simply held the box in his photos.
Hurts was cryptic when asked if he actually slipped on the ring — which include wings on each side that release from the bezel and feature 145 diamonds, celebrating the Eagles' 145 points scored in the playoffs.
'I've moved on to the new year,' Hurts said. 'It's as simple as that.'
Hurts did say the ceremony allowed him to appreciate the Super Bowl 'one last time.'
Only the ones in uniform have truly moved on from the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl swag blanketed fans and most of them stopped to pose next to the oversized Super Bowl replica ring that greeted them as they made the walk to the field. Fans in Super Bowl gear crushed beers in the parking lot as they waited for the gates to open for camp.
Unlike the diehard revelers, Mailata noted, 'I'm not trying to be hung over.'
Mailata was talking about the so-called Super Bowl hangover, of course, and how the Eagles are taking steps like banning the word repeat in a bid to ... well, win a Super Bowl for the second straight season. The players who talked to the media bulked up on buzzwords such as chemistry and culture, and reiterated the 'tough, detailed, together' mantra that inspired them last season.
Just in case they forget, those words are also stamped on the ring.
'I truly felt like a true champion,' wide receiver A.J. Brown said of the ring ceremony. 'I came there only for the ring. I didn't eat, I didn't do anything.'
Saquon Barkley, who became the ninth 2,000-yard season rusher in NFL history, said it was easy to turn the page after a whirlwind offseason that included a parade, a White House visit and, even for the All-Pro running back, a video game cover.
'Howie asked me, what's better, the confetti or the ring,' Barkley said.
How about a new contract?
(For the record, Barkley said it was the ring.)
Roseman put the Eagles in prime position to repe .. er, win the Super Bowl again with a busy offseason that included making Barkley the highest-paid running back in NFL history, giving him a two-year contract extension and $36 million guaranteed. The Eagles retained All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun before he could test free agency, center Cam Jurgens got a four-year extension and Sirianni earned a multiyear extension, too.
It's all just part of the recipe that add up to the Eagles having the best odds out of the NFC to win the Super Bowl at 7-1, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
With Brandon Graham retired, and Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson having moved on, Sirianni said he was ready to get to work in camp and learn about his new roster.
'It's so important at this time to come together as a football team,' Sirianni said. 'You do that through suffering together.'
Suffering in Philly? What year is this, 1998?
The Eagles have played in three of the last eight Super Bowls and won two of them. They are no longer loveable underdogs but a model NFL franchise with yearly championship expectations.
So what if the Eagles don't want to call it a repeat bid inside the locker room?
'You're not looking back, you're not looking forward,' Sirianni said.
Yeah, but take a look around and let it soak in that, for only the second time in franchise history, the Super Bowl champs are indeed here.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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