Randy Moss had some interesting comparisons to past NFL quarterbacks for Jalen Hurts
By Josh Hill
Jalen Hurts is the new starter in Philadelphia, and Randy Moss is turning back to the clock with how he sees the young starter panning out.
Philadelphia Eagles fans hoping for a breath of fresh air are filling their lungs with as much Jalen Hurts hype as possible. The rookie from Oklahoma (by way of Alabama), is going to make his first official start on Sunday against the Saints, but everything about the Eagles quarterback situation still revolves around Carson Wentz.
ESPN’s Randy Moss knows this, and tried to reset the narrative on Hurts when talking about what his impact for the Eagles could be. Yes, Philly needs to figure out what to do with the massively expensive problem they have riding the bench. But the immediate future could begin to look brighter for Eagles fans especially when considering some of the comparisons Moss cooked up.
“I remember when Dante [Culpepper] went down, or when Tom [Brady] went down and [Matt] Cassell came in,” Moss said on Sunday NFL Countdown. “Or when Alex Smith went down and Colin Kaepernick came in. I see some of the same similarities to Jalen Hurts and what he brings to this table.”
Moss made a point to highlight exactly how Hurts is an underdog. It’s not that he’s coming in to replace Wentz or that he’s a rookie trying to find his footing against playoff-tested teams, it’s that his story is being overshadowed by the one about the guy now behind him on the depth chart.
“There’s an underdog mentality to a guy like Jaen HUrts because nobody is talking about him, they’re talking about what the quarterback situation will be next year and how much money they owe.”
Moss was part of the Minnesota Vikings team that endured a huge injury to Dante Culpepper when backup Brad Johnson came in and rattled off six straight wins. Matt Cassell led the Brady-less Patriots to a winning record and a playoff berth, while Colin Kaepernick took the Niners all the way to a Super Bowl — and within a few yards of winning it.
There’s also the Eagles recent history with backups replacing Wentz. Nick Foles winning a Super Bowl for Philly is the stuff of legend, and his follow-up act of bringing the Eagles back to the playoffs when he replaced Wentz a second time isn’t half bad.
Hurts has a lot of work to do if he wants to reach the lofty level of those quarterbacks Moss compared him to, but stranger things have happened in Philadelphia with backup quarterbacks and this change could be exactly what fans and the team needs.