Donovan McNabb watches Jalen Hurts, studying the Eagles’ quarterback and his sense of history; specifically, a lineage as rich and important as any that has ever existed in the NFL. When Hurts posits that the evolution of the quarterback position—and the Black quarterback’s place within it—can be explained by a series of Eagles signal-callers, McNabb nods and smiles.
Hurts is right—and yet, he may not fully grasp just how right. The Eagles, according to one analysis, at readjack.wordpress.com, have started Black quarterbacks in NFL games more than any other team. Entering Super Bowl LVII last February, that tally stood at 377 starts, or 37 more than the next franchise (Titans/Oilers) and 130 more than the third-most (Seahawks). And Hurts, who nearly won MVP that night in Arizona, extended the total to 378, or roughly one-third of the franchise’s overall games.
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Both Hurts and McNabb understand this lineage, the one they’re both central to, the one that Hurts is reinforcing and enhancing. From Randall Cunningham’s first start in 1985 (112 total, including the playoffs) to Rodney Peete (26 starts), McNabb (158 starts), Michael Vick (41), Vince Young (3) and Hurts (39 and counting, after Week 1), Philadelphia towers over the rest of the NFL. The point was never to simply snag this slice of history; the point, always, was to win. And that’s part of the evolution.
Where other franchises were slow or hesitant to embrace the obvious, the Eagles signed, played and won with the best players they could obtain at the quarterback position. Offensive football evolved, as did the way evaluators considered all quarterbacks but especially Black ones. Cunningham, perhaps unfairly, was known for his legs. McNabb could run and throw. Vick could throw and was electric carrying the ball. And Hurts? He might be the most complete Eagles QB yet.
Last winter, as the first Super Bowl featuring two Black starting quarterbacks drew closer and closer, McNabb considered how far pro football had evolved; why, for Black QBs especially, it had taken so long for significant progress to be made; and why it mattered, however glacial the pace to progress. He could consider the same notions on the eve of another season, as half of the MVP front-runners are Black quarterbacks (Patrick Mahomes, Hurts, Lamar Jackson) and all rank among the best, most vital players in the NFL. Or he could peruse the preseason odds for Lombardi contenders: Three of the top six were also led by Black QBs. Or he could wait until Week 11, when the Chiefs and Eagles tango in a championship rematch on Monday Night Football.
Regardless, what he long hoped for is now obvious, in everything above and in Hurts, the historian. Not only did he embrace the surprise of Philadelphia drafting him, Hurts turned Cunningham, McNabb and Vick into mentors. He understands their legacy. He is proud of it, and his place there. But there’s much more to be done, as evidenced by McNabb’s thoughts in an interview with SI.
“I always pay homage and just like them, I respect the guys that have paved the way for me. People don’t understand the strong fraternity that we have, because of the battles that we were faced with. And for some of the struggles, of blocking out the negativity, and then focusing on the things that we can control. I understood that early, and I’ve had a chance to kind of break down a lot of it, obviously.
“It was more of the barriers of what James Harris and Doug Williams and Joe Gilliam and Marlin Briscoe [went through]. Warren Moon was my idol growing up, because I wore No. 1. In high school. I wanted to be like Warren, like how he handled himself.
“The times have changed now, where now it’s becoming more public. Back in the day, people would hide it if they were interested in that, you know, bringing a Black quarterback here, because the fans would have to kind of ingratiate themselves in that. Now, it seems like every college or every university has an African American quarterback. And it’s because the game has changed enough now where, you know, we’re no longer afraid of putting an African American quarterback behind center.
“Because, yes, we are smart. Yes, we do have an arm. Yes, we have mobility. But we also are leaders that can carry a team and create plays and opportunities for others, including ourselves. And so it’s exciting to watch where the game is now. And we’re bringing that to the Super Bowl, where, you know, yes, we want to glorify it.
“Arriving in Philly, I knew Randall Cunningham was a quarterback. And Randall was a guy that I watched, like, Yep, I’m gonna take that. We can do that. I took parts of his game and added it to mine.
“And then, obviously, my name being called and the boos hit [on draft night]. I had never been booed in my life. I remember in the greenroom, I looked at my mom and dad and just started laughing. We all laughed about it.
“Jalen, coming off of that shoulder [injury, suffered in December, lingering in February], and I know he was probably about 65% to 70%. But he pulled it out for his team [winning the first two playoff games by comfortable margins]. I’ll tell you, he’s wired differently.
“I’m like, like, Jalen, are you healthy? He’s like, You know, bro. I’m like, So you playing? He’s like, What you think?” McNabb laughs. “He’s like, Sometimes you gotta just do the job yourself.
“My response. Good. Because if you wasn’t thinking that way, I was gonna call you soft.
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“When [Hurts] got drafted, I got a chance to talk to his dad [Averion Sr.]. I talked to [Jalen] the night he got drafted. He was asking about Philadelphia, asking what to expect. I told him. And even talking to his dad, his dad was low-key. And he says, you know, He’s a lot different than me and you. He’s a guy that will watch film, ingratiate himself into football. And he understands about the chemistry and the responsibility as a quarterback of building that bond with the players to gain that respect. And then he’ll focus more on what he has to do on the field.
“What you don’t say is what [Philly sports fans] assume. You can’t get upset by what they think you mean, or what they think you’re not saying. So don’t let that bother you. Just focus on the things that you say; keep it short and brief. And keep it moving. You can see it in his press conferences. He’s always saying exactly what he means. The key thing that he said was important: Nobody really wanted me here [the Super Bowl] or expected me to be to this point. Yeah. So I continue to work hard to use that as motivation. Like, that’s what people don’t understand. They don’t understand that bar he met. He was right.
“I’ve talked to Patrick a couple times. It’s exciting, all of this. I love where the game is headed.”
