Philadelphia Eagles Rivals Must ‘Headhunt’ QB Jalen Hurts, Says Dim Chris Simms

NFL analyst Chris Simms is off-base again when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, saying rivals should “headhunt” him.

PHILADELPHIA - Chris Simms stuck his foot in his mouth again during a visit to Mike Florio’s Pro Football Talk Live on Wednesday.

Asked about the success the Philadelphia Eagles have had using the so-called tush push, Simms said: “If I was a defensive coach, I’d be going — go headhunting on the quarterback here, go ahead, dive over, go crazy, try to kill the quarterback. …

“That’s what I’d do. I don’t mean it like that. Well, I don’t mean ‘kill,’ but make him pay, make him think twice about it.”

It’s no secret that Simms has an axe to grind with Jalen Hurts.

Remember his top 40 quarterback rankings leading into the 2022 season? He didn’t even have Hurts listed, though he had other notables such as Case Keenum, Kellen Mond, Marcus Mariota, and Drew Lock in his top 40.

Not very bright, this guy.

He showed just how dim he is again with his remarks about hurting an NFL quarterback, who just happens to be Hurts.

Simms, remember, played quarterback in the NFL, though not at a very high level. In fact, at a very low level, so one might think that he would know that it’s not wise to put a bounty on another player who plays a position he attempted to play.

Simms was 7-9 in a five-year career that lasted all of 23 games with 12 touchdowns and 18 interceptions with a 58 percent completion percentage..

Jalen Hurts executes the tush push in Super Bowl LVII / © Matt Kartozian, USA TODAY

But to say, “Kill the quarterback?” That is irresponsible, to say the least.

Hyperbole? Sure. Bad word choice? Absolutely.

Nobody outside of Philadelphia likes the Eagles’ tush push. In Philly, though, there is a "push" to rename it the Brotherly Shove. It’s a Philly thing, so why not brand it as such?

The thing is the Eagles probably don’t even need the push to be successful. The offensive line is very good at executing it and Hurts has the ability, with his powerful legs that squat 600-plus pounds, to push the pile on his own.

Asked for his thoughts on Simms’ inflammatory words, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson took the high road on Thursday, saying he understands the controversy, but said he has no thoughts on the play or people’s opinions on the play.

“The bottom line is this, we try to put our players in the best position possible,” he said. “That play has been an advantage for us, it’s been a weapon for us over the course of the last year-and-a-half. We know it will be a focal point for defenses to try to take that play. But in terms of what people say or how they comment on it makes no difference or has no bearing or effect on how we operate.”\

Johnson referred to the quarterback sneak as a play that has been around for a very long time. It’s not the Brotherly Shove, but the concept is similar, obviously.

“You go back through the history of the league,” he said. “I remember as a young teenager watching Tom Brady run it against the Ravens on a huge fourth down conversion. I remember at one point in my career, the play was called, ‘Brady.’

“We used to call it Brady because we saw him do it a bunch. That play has been run for probably as long as the game’s been around. Fortunately for us, we have a great group of guys who can execute it at a high level.”