A week from Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), formerly the head football coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati, said he sees the match-up of the teams' two starting quarterbacks as one of the key storylines of the contest.
During an appearance on Tuesday's broadcast of Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Tuberville spoke highly of both Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
However, he also praised Hurts, formerly the starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners, for exceeding expectations in the NFL.
"I think it's going to be an excellent game," he said. "You've got two storylines here. You've got one of a quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, who, by the way, I recruited when I was at Texas Tech. He's got a great family, and what a great kid he is, and for him to play with a high-ankle sprain in cold weather like that, my goodness. He was probably 50% and still played pretty well. He just fought through. He might as well have a broken ankle because it is just as painful, a high-ankle sprain."
"And then, of course, you've got another guy who nobody really gave a chance to be a great addition to the NFL in terms of quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts," Tuberville continued. "And then, my goodness, he has gone in there and proved most people wrong and has taken his team all the way to the Super Bowl. He could even be the MVP of the NFL. So, two good storylines there, two good quarterbacks that are going to fight it out. You've got to have a quarterback that can get the job done in the Super Bowl. It's going to be fun to watch."
Tuberville pointed to Hurts' mobility as his forte, both as a passer and a runner.
"The key to that – if you just look at it, you've got Lamar Jackson," Tuberville said. "You've got other quarterbacks that are mobile like Jalen. The thing about Jalen – he stayed healthy. He's taken some licks, but he stayed healthy through a long, drawn-out season, including the playoffs. That's a key to a quarterback like Jalen, who is a little bit susceptible to sometimes to [not] being very accurate on his throws, but he has gotten better. That is not his forte. His forte is being a threat out of the pocket and, of course, running the ball. When you stay healthy – if Lamar Jackson had stayed healthy, I think you'd have seen the Ravens up much higher in terms of the playoffs. Whether they would have won or not, I don't know. That's kind of how Jalen has made it to this point. I just hope he continues to stay healthy because, man, I tell you what – he can run the ball. He's carrying on what he did in college."
Jeff Poor is the executive editor of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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