It seems that analysts have lost any sort of reality on understanding what quarterbacks are expected to do nowadays.
And Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is the best example of that.
Despite some middling individual numbers over the last couple of seasons, Hurts' 46-20 record is second best in the league over the last four years as a starting quarterback. He has been to the Super Bowl twice, and was game MVP of Super Bowl LIX last February.
Those kinds of markers would vault any signal-caller into the top of the position group in most years.
Right?
For people like Chris Simms, though, that only tells part of the story.
“We have a little bit of revisionist history here. He won the Super Bowl, and everybody just forgot about the 10 weeks before that,” Simms said. “His top receiver said 'What's wrong with the team? The passing game.' How can you now be one of the best quarterbacks in the game?”
NBC analyst Simms, of course, is ignoring one key part of the judgement on Hurts.
Unlike most quarterbacks who put up big numbers despite playoff losses, Hurts can best be judged on his wins. And there are a lot of them.
In the last two years, Hurts has defeated the likes of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, and Jayden Daniels. He's also often outplayed those quarterbacks in the game if head-to-head is your thing.
Numbers don't mean anything when people judge Hurts. All that does matter is wins. And that's why analysts and fans have a hard time dealing with Hurts' legacy at this point.