Stop using the “he needs more time to develop” excuse for Jalen Hurts
by John Kincade
Jamie Lynch and Bob Cooney had an exchange yesterday on the John Kincade Show that got me thinking. Why is one of the constant defenses offered for Jalen Hurts the “young guy” excuse? That is constantly applied to Hurts but not his peers. In review, Hurts is the guy who should NOT be using the young guy, inexperience excuse.
Jalen Hurts played in 56 college games at Alabama and Oklahoma and appeared on the biggest stages. Numerous Conference Titles and College Football Playoff games. That is as many games played under the most intense scrutiny as any QB in college football history.
Let’s compare Jalen Hurts to another QB who played on a huge stage. Joe Burrow only started two years and appeared in just 28 games. He won a National Title and translated that into a trip to the top of the draft. He managed to accomplish that in just half the college games that Hurts played in.
Tua Tagaviola played in 24 less college games than Jalen Hurts at 32. Hurts had beaten him out to be the starting QB at Alabama until being replaced at halftime of the National Title Game. Hurts had so much more experience than Tua, but Tua went 5th and Hurts went in the middle of the second round of the draft. Experience didn’t work in Hurts favor this time.
Justin Herbert played in 21 less games at 35. Somehow he was ready to be a top puck in the draft and start from the jump for the Chargers. He is now one of the most accomplished starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Nobody talks about how he overcame his inexperience to succeed, so why do we hear about how much time Hurts still needs to get ready.
Truth is that Hurts was by far the most experienced of these recent college quarterback examples when he arrived in the NFL. He should have been more prepared than any of them.
Jalen has shown growth and his leadership skills are off the chart. By this time, talking inexperience with Hurts is just wasting time or trying to cover up for him not yet taking that next level jump as a passer, behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
Let’s keep conversations based on fair comparisons about where he is and where he should be in his development. It’s a talking point that needs to be retired because it’s false.
