PHILADELPHIA – What do throwing competitions, a Jamboree, and play-action passes have in common? They were all events that took place Tuesday during the Eagles training camp practice at the NovaCare Complex.
Before practice began, head coach Nick Sirianni said that Jalen Hurts would start Thursday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Joe Flacco coming in to relieve him and Nick Mullens finishing up the game. Sirianni did not commit on how long Hurts would play in the game.
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One thing that will be interesting to watch in the game is the mechanics of getting the play calls into the quarterbacks and how quickly the quarterbacks can get to the line of scrimmage, look at the defense and get the play off before the play clock expires.
Sirianni said he would be calling the plays, relaying it to offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, who would then give the formations and plays to the quarterbacks.
As for the plays themselves, do not expect to see the entire playbook on display when Hurts is on the field with the first-team offense.
“One of the things we have to our advantage is that nobody really knows what we’re running,” Sirianni said. “To say we’re going to show everything on Thursday or the following preseason game or the following preseason games, it’s just not going to be the case. That’s an advantage that we have that other staffs don’t because we don’t have any tape out there of us.”
Check out Mike Kaye’s observations from Tuesday’s practice
When it came time to practice, the quarterbacks took part in several of the drills they have been doing since camp began, such as throwing to running backs, working on their drop backs. There was one slight change that not only the quarterbacks took part in, but the entire team.
One period that took place was called the “Third-Down Jamboree,” when the offense and defense went head-to-head on third-down situations.
After practice, the Eagles quarterbacks, Steichen, quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, tight end Zach Ertz, and Sirianni (briefly), took part in a throwing competition after practice. Two poles with nets were placed along the back end of the end zone, along with three dummies, each with yellow buckets at the top of them. There was also a net with three holes in it.
For not playing for a while, Johnson held his own and almost hit four of the six targets. Could this mean Johnson will be signed to the practice squad as an emergency quarterback? (This is a joke by the way). Steichen did not look too bad, getting the ball in the vicinity of the targets. Sirianni’s one attempt into the netting that was about five yards away hit the edge of one of the holes and bounced out, causing Sirianni to have a “C’mon” reaction after the throw. Ertz also just missed the hoops targets. Could there be a tight end reverse pass in the future?
“Yeah, they hadn’t done that in a minute,” Hurts said after practice. “Everybody’s always trying to compete at something,” “You should see us inside when we’re shooting the basketball and playing ping-pong on the table. It’s always a constant thing. He (Sirianni) tries to drive that in with everything he does. We get a little chippy with it too. It’s fun.”
After a busy practice, here is the Day 11 report card for the three quarterbacks on the Eagles’ roster:
Jalen Hurts
Accuracy
Hurts finished the day 11-for-14. Hurts had to elude pressure at times and was once sacked by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who used a power move inside to get to him. Hurts also threw the ball on target during the first couple of sessions against the first-team defense. During the Jamboree, he completed three of his five passes, with cornerback Steven Nelson breaking up one pass and wide receiver Travis Fulgham dropping the other.
An area that he has done well in the last couple of practices was throwing toward the sidelines, especially when it came to the short to intermediate-range routes in that area. On a throw to Greg Ward, Hurts held the safety with his eyes, turned his shoulders toward Ward, threw over the ball so that it would not sail on him, and placed it in an area where only Ward could catch it, or risk the corner running threw him for a penalty.
Favorite Target
Hurts spread the ball around during practice. Ertz and Dallas Goedert were the only receivers to have multiple targets, each being thrown to twice.
Play of the Day
Hurts stepped up in the pocket on a play-action pass and found Goedert moving across the field for a 20-plus yard gain. Hurts dropped the ball in the middle of what looked to be a zone defense. Because the ball was on time and accurate, it allowed Goedert to pick up some yards after the catch.
Overall Grade
As camp goes on, Hurts has been getting better. It could be a sign that the timing between he and the receivers is getting better, along with anticipating where the windows will open up. The next test for him will be when he goes against a different defense.
Grade: B+
Joe Flacco
Accuracy
Flacco completed six of his seven observed attempts in practice. The reason observed was put in was the team split up an 11-on-11 session where Hurts stayed on the field and Flacco and Mullens went to the far field. Flacco looked as if he was in rhythm for most of the practice, not only making strong, accurate throws to the middle of the field but made the right decision and used his outlet when nothing was open.
Favorite Target
Flacco threw the ball twice to wide receiver Quez Watkins, completing both passes to him.
Play of the Day
Flacco placed the ball in the midsection of the running back before pulling it out and finding Ward coming across the middle of the field for a big gain. The defense bit on the play-fake, sucking the linebackers up toward the line of scrimmage. Ward got behind the second level, flashed his hands, and Flacco threw the ball on target. Ward was able to run for a lot of yards after the catch after eluding two defensive backs.
Overall Grade
Flacco also faced a lot of pressure. The coaching staff ruled that Flacco was sacked on one play after about six seconds because no one was open, and the defensive line closed in on him. His incompletion came when defensive pressure came from the outside, forcing him to scramble out of the pocket and throw the ball away. The way he played today should give him some momentum heading into Thursday’s game.
Grade: B+
Nick Mullens
Accuracy
Mullens finished the day completing three of his five observed passes. Mullens threw well during the drill in which the wide receivers ran routes against the defensive backs, highlighted by a good pass to wide receiver Hakeem Butler, who beat cornerback Zech McPhearson. He also looked good during one of the 11-on-11 sessions. However, the Jamboree was where he struggled. After being “sacked” on the previous throw, Mullens was intercepted by linebacker Shaun Bradley on a pass to tight end Jack Stoll.
Favorite Target
Kenny Gainwell was Mullens’ favorite target, throwing in his direction twice. On one of the throws, Gainwell made a nice one-handed catch.
Play of the Day
Mullens found tight end Tyree Jackson across the middle of the field for a big gain on a play-action pass. Mullens delivered the ball in the area of Jackson’s midsection, resulting in a big gain.
Overall Grade
After a couple of practices in which he looked to be on target, Mullens took a step back. Mullens faced some pressure and was able to get out of the pocket to look downfield but could not capitalize on some of the deeper routes that were beginning to develop deep. Mullens could see a lot of time at the end of Thursday’s game, giving him an opportunity to lead the offense for an extended period of time.
Grade: B-
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.