Hurts turns the page | Sports Daily Newsletter

Jalen Hurts’ words were like a breath of fresh air. (Too soon for us to say that in these smoky times? Sorry ...)

The Eagles quarterback signed a mega-contract last month that could be worth up to $255 million, but he shows few signs of letting all that cash affect him. One suspects that Hurts already was moving on from the 38-35 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs by the time the team jet left Arizona.

If there was any doubt about whether he has moved on, Hurts laid it to rest Thursday as the Eagles wrapped up their offseason program. The Birds will break until training camp begins late next month, but then it will be full speed ahead.

“Thinking about it holistically, last year is over,” Hurts said. “Anything that we were able to do last year … nothing that’s been done prior will get us to where we want to be now.”

Where they want to be is right back in the Super Bowl, of course, and they would seem to have the talent to pull it off. So Hurts will file away last season’s inspiring run and hope to learn lessons after falling just short.

“You have to completely reset that,” he said, “but also allow the things you’ve experienced to fuel you, fuel that fire, and grow.”

— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

In today’s NBA, continuity is king. So why would James Harden consider leaving what largely has been a good thing with the 76ers for the uncertainty of free agency? Harden has played well for the better part of two seasons, Joel Embiid has become the MVP, and Tyrese Maxey has developed into a borderline All-Star. Harden has been rumored to have interest in a return to the Houston Rockets. He reportedly is torn between both franchises, but Harden’s choice should be clear if this is about winning, Inquirer columnist David Murphy writes.

When MLB outlawed extreme defensive shifts as part of sweeping rules changes for this season, everyone — from the statheads to hitting savants — assumed the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber would be among the biggest beneficiaries. He wasn’t suddenly going to win a batting title, but .250 seemed within his reach now that more balls would be out of defenders’ reaches. Instead, on Thursday, Schwarber lugged to the plate a .173 average, the lowest mark among 146 players with at least 200 plate appearances.

A deeper look at the numbers suggests Schwarber has been cursed with some bad luck, and that’s bound to turn around. But it’s still worth wondering if the abolition of the shift will ever pay appreciable dividends for Schwarber, the epitome of baseball’s modern “three-true-outcome” hitter.

Even with José Alvarado set to return from the injured list Friday, it’s worth wondering whether the Phillies would be better off with Craig Kimbrel getting the majority of save opportunities.

Zack Wheeler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, the Phillies trailed entering the bottom of the ninth, but at the end of the day, they came away with their fifth straight win.

Next: The Phillies open a three-game home series against the Dodgers at 7:05 p.m. Friday (NBC10). Ranger Suárez (1-2, 5.47 ERA) will start against Dodgers right-hander Michael Grove (0-2, 8.14).

The Flyers have a difficult decision to make with the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft. There’s a chance that decision could be even more difficult than expected.

Russian winger Matvei Michkov widely is considered the second-best talent in this year’s draft. But he also has a KHL contract through 2026 and is coming from Russia, a country at war, where some players have had difficulty leaving for the NHL. The Flyers know this better than anybody, given the situation with goalie Ivan Fedotov.

For those reasons, there’s a chance that Michkov slides to No. 7. Would the Fedotov ordeal deter the Flyers from drafting Michkov, a player with genuine star potential? Giana Han looked at the dilemma that Danny Brière and Co. could be faced with on June 28 at the draft.

Glimpses of spring practices in shorts and shells have to be taken with a grain of salt: Jalen Hurts threw a pair of interceptions on the final day of organized team activities at the NovaCare Complex. Jeff McLane provides his practice observations.

But according to Nick Sirianni, the wide receivers are looking good. That’s what he said in response to a question about if the Eagles might be interested in DeAndre Hopkins. And in that wide receivers room, Sirianni reserved special praise for Quez Watkins.

The Eagles moved the workout indoors because of poor air quality.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Josh Tolentino, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, David Murphy, Ed Barkowitz, Matt Breen, Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Giana Han, and Jonathan Tannenwald.