PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Who should be the Eagles' starting quarterback on Dec. 19 against Washington: Jalen Hurts or Gardner Minshew? The debate rolls on — but only among fans and observers. There doesn't seem to be much debate among Eagles insiders.
Coach Nick Sirianni doesn't seem interested in giving it much life. Earlier this week, he said Hurts has played really good football, "so when he's healthy and he's back, he'll be our starter."
Eagles radio broadcaster and former wide receiver Mike Quick told 94 WIP that Minshew impressed him: "I liked the way he ran the offense. I like the way the guy plays. I like the fire that he plays with."
However, Quick said, while he thinks Minshew might give the Eagles a better chance to beat Washington after the bye week, this season isn't about that.
The debate between the two quarterbacks comes down to weighing the value of squeaking into the playoffs vs. the value of the overall development of the team.
This season, Quick says, the big picture is more important, "because this is not a year where they could possibly go very far in the playoffs, if they get into the playoffs."
His broadcast partner, Voice of the Eagles Merrill Reese, agrees.
"Jalen Hurts had a bad game against the Giants. But other than that, he's done a lot of very good things," Reese said. "He's shown some great signs. He's made some great throws, all of a sudden we're forgetting. People are saying, well, he really, really can't throw the ball very well. We forget some of the great throws he's made."
Reese said this season needs to be about developing Hurts.
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"He's done some very good things, and you have to work to continue his development and see how high his ceiling really is."
Minshew is a high-quality backup, said Quick, but the Eagles have to see if Hurts is more than that, and the only way to learn is by playing him when healthy.
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