PHILADELPHIA – For each branch of the armed forces, precision and details are essential and can be the difference between winning a battle in the theater of war and suffering casualties and giving up ground. For Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, his emphasis on the details, even down to his three quarterbacks’ footwork, is what he hopes gives the team an edge in this upcoming season.
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In front of 200 military members and their guests, the Eagles celebrated Military Day Saturday at the NovaCare Complex while the quarterbacks continued to get acquainted with the offense.
Before the practice began, Sirianni said that he was not only observing how Jalen Hurts and the rest of the quarterbacks were securing the ball with two hands in the pocket, he was also looking to see how Hurts’ footwork was progressing. Sirianni said that quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson is helping Hurts with those aspects of his game.
“It’s a work-in-progress,” Sirianni said. “You’re just trying to get a little bit better at that each day. It starts with trying to do the right thing with your drop. Just like any fundamental, you want to get better at it.”
Given that Sirianni is placing extra attention on this part of quarterback play, there will be a slight change to the report card, replacing decision-making with footwork.
Here is the Day 4 report card for the three quarterbacks on the Eagles’ roster:
Jalen Hurts
Accuracy
Hurts attempted the most passes beyond 20 yards during this practice, mainly during the one-on-one drills between the wide receivers and cornerbacks. Hurts displayed some nice touch on a long pass to John Hightower, giving the speedy receiver enough time to run under the ball and make the catch. Hurts is still looking to work on some aspects of his accuracy. Hurts missed tight end Zach Ertz on a crossing route as he was getting open. Hurts also threw a ball off-target to Travis Fulgham that cornerback Steven Nelson broke up. Hurts has shown some progress with each passing day.
Footwork
One thing when it comes to footwork is the depth of drops depending on the route. For example, on a three-step drop for a slant route, a quarterback’s first step is usually the biggest because they want to get some depth away from the offensive line, so they are not immediately in their face when they throw, with the next two steps being used to gather and throw.
Hurts has done a good job when it comes to getting away from the line. Hurts gathered his steps quickly Saturday, allowing him to plant and throw, getting the ball out quickly enough when he decides on his target.
Favorite Target
During training camp, Hurts has been throwing to wide receiver DeVonta Smith and the tight ends. However, with Smith sidelined to a leg injury, Ertz and Dallas Goedert were the focal points Saturday.
Play of the Day
During the first 11-on-11 drill of the practice, Hurts was being rushed and began to scramble. Seeing Ertz beginning to break open after making a move on safety Elijah Riley, Hurts threw a pass with some nice touch to Ertz, gaining nearly more than 35 yards on the play.
Overall Grade
Hurts is continuing to solidify himself as the starting quarterback and his grasp of the offense is evident. At one point of practice, after seeing a certain defensive alignment, Hurts called an audible, and the run play was able to pick up positive yards. Hurts is still young and is continuing to develop as a passer. If he continues this trajectory with his passing, the Eagles’ offense could become more potent.
Grade: B
Accuracy
Flacco worked the middle of the field on Saturday and was able to not only discern the coverages but get the ball out quickly and on target, especially to the middle of the field. During his portion of the seven-on-seven drills, Flacco completed all five of his passes, spreading the ball around to five different receivers who were able to find the soft spot of the coverage and presented themselves for him to target.
Footwork
Flacco is not the most fleet-of-foot quarterback. His attempt to scramble to pick up a first down early in practice proved that. However, he is very efficient in his delivery. Flacco can get a lot of his throwing power not just with his arm but by getting his feet set, gathering himself, and stepping into his throws.
Favorite Target
The only receiver with more than one target was tight end Jack Stoll, who was targeted twice. Flacco continues to spread the ball around to different receivers.
Play of the Day
One of the passes Flacco made was a ball that was threaded to running back Kenny Gainwell for what would have been a first down. Flacco was able to get the ball into a tight spot because linebacker JaCoby Stevens was tightly covering Gainwell.
Overall Grade
Flacco had what his best practice of training camp. If he were to come in a game because of a Hurts injury, he appears as if Flacco could be the type of quarterback who will take what the defense gives him and try to methodically move the ball down the field, especially with the way he has been hitting his check-downs and passes in the middle of the field.
Grade: B
Accuracy
After showing that he was on point with his precision early in camp, Mullens suffered a setback in this area. Mullens threw behind Hightower when he had a step on his defender. He was also off-target on a pass to Michael Walker, allowing safety Grayland Arnold to deflect the pass.
Footwork
One thing that Mullens has done well so far has been making sure that he gets his feet in a position to throw while he is on the run, something that is valuable when trying to avoid the pass rush. One thing that may have been a one-practice thing that he needs to work on is his depth on three-step drops when participating in seven-on-sevens. A few times, Mullens took two quick steps and did not get much depth. Granted, there is no pass rush during that period, and it is something that he may want to get in the habit of doing during those sessions.
Favorite Target
The only player who received more than one target from Mullens was Hightower, who was targeted twice.
Play of the Day
Mullens was able to find running back Elijah Holyfield when he was running across the middle of the field. It was one of the passes that Mullens was able to put out in front of a receiver and allow them to run after the catch.
Overall Grade
Mullens was stripped by defensive end JaQuan Bailey when he was in the pocket. Even though defenders usually don’t swipe the quarterback’s hands during training camp practices because the coaches want the rest of the offensive players to get acclimated to the routes and let things play out, Mullens has to make sure that he does not potentially create a turnover.
One thing Mullens has been doing that could be something to watch from here on out is the way he pats the ball before throwing. Most quarterbacks do gather to hold the ball close before throwing. However, the deliberate pat before the ball leaves his hand can become a tell for the defense and can indicate when the ball is about to be released.
No one is going to have a perfect camp, and Mullens proved that, as he has performed well up to this point. He will try to bounce back when the team takes the field once again on Monday. The turnover is one of the reasons for the lower grade.
Grade: C-
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.