July 14, 2022
Water is above us, at least in July.
Clickbait, narratives and nonsense come out of every possible outlet that’s desperate to be seen. Some might be based on something concrete – even credible – but most are excuses for people with any semblance of a platform to be seen.
“Hey, did you see Deadspin picked up my latest recap of a 7-on-7?”
We are so desperate for Eagles content when there isn’t any Eagles content, we will take something that isn’t even relevant, and blow it up.
Nobody ever won a Super Bowl by having a flawless day of OTAs, but one or two – or five – bad passes on that same day creates a forest fire. Only you can prevent these fires, but you’re too busy on social media with a flamethrower. It’s also rarely done for anyone other than the quarterback or head coach.
Nobody is rushing to a YouTube show to hear about how Jordan Mailata struggled in early July, but we will damn sure soak up anything possible on Hurts. The latest back and forth that had AJ Brown even weighing in is just further proof that players rarely get a fair shake in this city, compared to the majority of large sports fandoms elsewhere.
Sure, you are told by local media members to your uncle that if players just show up and own it, then everything will be fine. That if guys like Alec Bohm can turn around and apologize, or if someone like Bryce Harper can walk into this city with a cool t-shirt, or the latest draft pick shouts out Federal Donuts then we love them for life.
It's as easy to pander to us as it is to piss us off, but so long as you show up and own it, the city will always love you. The latest with Jalen Hurts shows that isn’t the case.
It’s one thing to go over how Hurts played since taking over the starting role – dissecting his ups and downs, pros and cons, and seeing what needs to improve. There is certainly a mixed bag to be excited about overall, but concerns on the field still linger.
But what about all that “show up and be accountable” crap?
Hurts went through one of the more dysfunctional seasons as both the starting QB and head coach saw their last days. He took over for Carson Wentz and was professional the entire time. He was never too high after a win or gutsy performance and has owned in any public discussion how much he needs to change.
In short, this young man was thrown into the ring of dysfunction and showed up each day, looking to improve and owning anything along the way.
What has it gotten him in the middle of July - outside of a viral story about how bad he’s been… in the middle of July. The benefit of the doubt is gone, as people would rather conveniently pass by the fact that it's the middle of July and blow up a bad day. The reasons could be tenfold, but it happens a lot.
Maybe the guy said the wrong thing at a press conference. Maybe he rooted for the Cowboys as a kid. Maybe he made a mistake in the third or fourth game he played here, and you never forgave him.
Whatever the nonsense is that you would stake your claim that an off day in July would be the ground zero for an awful season, it’s just that – nonsense.
Some athletes run face first into a wall and get free beer for life. Others just know how to connect to our city – whatever the hell that means, as we know it to be arbitrary at best. Some players come here and just want to be left alone, so they will pander to the lowest common denominator.
Other players just show up, don’t complain, and do whatever they can to get better – and we love the for it. Except, for some reason, Jalen Hurts.
• James Harden took a pay cut to help the Philadelphia 76ers make some marginal moves this offseason. He did it because he had to, not because he wanted to. No team – playoff bound at least – was going to pay Harden that top dollar deal on the open market. He would be hated worse than Hurts – I kid, but would have been crushed here if he took the full deal.
What other choice did he have?
It locked him in but as stated in a previous column, the Sixers are building quickly on Harden time, not Joel Embiid time. If this were truly about Embiid’s window, then the team would have the flexibility to trade for Donovan Mitchell – pairing two of the game’s most electric stars together.
Signing James Harden took that away, and now we have to hold our breath like Sam Bradford is back in town.
• This is your weekly reminder that the Philadelphia Phillies are making the playoffs.
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