For Jalen Hurts, learning the nuances of playing quarterback in the NFL didn't solely involve listening to his position coach and veteran quarterbacks. He branched out when he arrived in Philadelphia and has continued that throughout his young career with the Eagles.
Surely, his list of tutors include Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo, quarterback coach Brian Johnson and assistant quarterback coach Alex Tanney. That's just the start, Hurts said.
"I think as you grow as a quarterback, you always want to soak up as much as you can," Hurts said. "I think being able to see the game from multiple perspectives, seeing it from center's point of view, seeing it from the O-line's point of view, defensive backs point of view. All of those have helped me."
One of the first people to work with him when he arrived in Philadelphia was offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland. Hurts and Stoutland each have ties with the University of Alabama but weren't at the school together. Stoutland was the highly-regarded offensive line coach under Nick Saban during national championship seasons in 2011 and 2012. He left following the 2012 season to become the offensive line coach in Philadelphia and added the run game coordinator role in 2018.
"I have a great relationship with him," Hurts said. "As soon as I got in here, he's been hands-on. He's been trying to get me to see some things."
Hurts also credits veteran center Jason Kelce for his growth.
"His knowledge and his veteranship and experience have meant a lot to me," Hurts said.
Hurts is a day away from playing in his first Super Bowl. He's a big reason why the Eagles advanced to Super Bowl LVII to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
"I usually keep my prayers to myself," Hurts said. "But I say, God knows, God knows. I really lean on him and try to keep him at the center of everything I do. I know without Him, without God, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't be the man I am today without having that faith in him, without having integrity, leadership and diligence and all those things. I think the biggest thing is you get so influenced by the things around you, you just want to pray that you're the person that God calls you to be. That's what I'm going to do, be the person that God wants me to be."
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