The secret weapon that has made a big difference for Jalen Hurts originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
What has changed for Jalen Hurts since last year?
For starters, he’s more accurate, completing 69 percent of his passes, compared to just 65 percent last year.
And he has nearly halved his interceptions: one in 36 attempts last year, compared to one in 71 this year.
And he has increased his yards per pass attempt by nearly a yard per pass, from a career-low 7.2 last year to a career-high 8.1 this year.
What else has changed?
His coach.
Doug Nussmeier is in his first year as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach and is the third position coach Hurts has had in the last three years.
Hurts is having the best part of his career, and by all accounts, Nussmeier’s arrival has a lot to do with that.
“Just being around him, knowing his background, where he comes from and the experience,” Hurts said Wednesday. “There’s a lot of value in that, and just the conversations we can have.”
Nussmeier, like offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, is a former NFL backup. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Saints in 1994 and spent time backing up both Jim Everett and Heath Shuler. After bouncing around training camps and the CFL, he turned to coaching in 2001. He and Moore first worked together on Jason Garrett’s Cowboys staff in 2018, and when Moore left for the Chargers in 2023, he took Nussmeier with him. And then also brought him to Philly.
So far, so good.
“Obviously his handprint and footprint are on this system, and he has been next to Kellen for several years,” Hurts said. “So just a great mind, who can also learn the game from Doug and Kellen. I think it’s always a tool. I just want to use that. Take advantage of the people I share time with and benefit from it.”
How much of a difference Nussmeier has made is impossible to quantify. The entire structure of the offense has changed with Moore replacing Brian Johnson and Nick Sirianni stepping away from the offense in large part.
But with three games remaining, Hurts has a passer rating of 104.5 – 3rd-highest in Eagles history (behind Donovan McNabb in 2004 and Nick Foles in 2013) and 5e-highest in the NFL this year.
He also ranks seventh with 8.1 yards per attempt, ninth in interception rate and sixth in completion percentage.
Not to mention fourth with 32 total touchdowns – behind only Joe Burrow (37), Lamar Jackson (37) and Baker Mayfield (35). With three games remaining, that’s six fewer than his own franchise record of 38 (23 passing, 15 rushing) set last year.
Hurts is having the best season of his career in every respect. There have been some hiccups – too many interceptions before the bye, holding the ball for too long for a while – but each time he has worked through them.
And Nussmeier deserves credit for his role in the steps Hurts has made this year.
“I’ve been fortunate to be with Doug, going back to Dallas and LA and now here,” Moore said. “I worked with him in the quarterback room for a long time. I think what makes Nuss (effective) is his experience. He has been a college football coordinator for many major schools for a long time and has gained a lot of experience there.
“I think he does a great job with the details and the fundamentals of the position. We hammer that home every day, every week. Linking the QB’s footwork to the passing concepts and making sure we all have the timing right, the anticipation, all that stuff. He prepares those guys very well.”
Hurts is currently in the midst of the best 10-game winning streak of his career, a stretch that coincides with a franchise-record 10-game winning streak.
Since Week 5, he has completed 70 percent of his passes with 14 TD passes, one interception and a 115.5 passer rating, 3rd-best in the NFL during that stretch behind Lamar Jackson (127.4) and Jared Goff (126.3).
Since the bye week, Hurts has totaled 26 touchdowns and three turnovers.
“(Nussmeier) is an excellent coach who has played at this position and at a very high level in the NFL and major college football, so you know Doug has been a great coach for a long time and has coached a lot of good players (and) is coordinator,” Sirianni said. “I just think he did a really good job coaching Jalen.”
Where specifically did Nussmeier help Hurts?
“Doug is just a really good coach who consistently focused on the details of his drop, the fundamentals of play and throwing and the drop, the footwork that goes with it,” Sirianni said. “So all those things.
“I think Doug is just a bulldog. Anytime there’s a problem or a mistake, he’ll be on it and I know they’ve talked about that a lot.
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