Hurts’ prayer | Sports Daily Newsletter

The imagery of football equipment lying in the grass — evidence at a crime scene following a shooting at a Roxborough High School football scrimmage that left one boy dead and four other teens injured — was fresh in the mind of Sixers coach Doc Rivers on Wednesday.

“I mean, it’s just amazing what’s going on in Philadelphia and everywhere with the guns,” Rivers said after practice. “It’s just sad. A kid loses his life.”

Rivers was far from the only prominent Philly sports figure speaking out in the aftermath of the incident. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts became emotional when addressing reporters, and other leaders in the Eagles locker room chimed in on social media and in interviews.

“It’s very sad,” Hurts said. “Kids are doing what they love in a place where it’s supposed to be safe, where we say, ‘Go chase your dreams.’ They’re out there playing football, and they don’t make it home. It’s just very unfortunate. I’m praying for the families. I pray for change.”

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson spoke with Eagles reporters Wednesday about his return to Lincoln Financial Field, and he’s hopeful that he’ll be greeted warmly by the fans.

“I remember back when I was with the Chiefs [with Andy Reid] and we came back and he got a standing ovation,” said Pederson, who was Kansas City’s offensive coordinator at the time. “Hopefully it’s in that realm. But, look, this is Philly, anything is possible with these fans.”

The Eagles, of course, are looking to beat their former Super Bowl-winning coach, and Trevor Lawrence. They’ll look to have Haason Reddick pressure the Jaguars quarterback. After his strong showing against the Commanders, it’ll be worth watching to see if Reddick can be more consistent.

Meanwhile, A.J. Brown missed Wednesday’s practice for personal reasons and Darius Slay didn’t participate because of a back issue. The two players behind the Batman cape — Brown’s purchase and Slay’s nicknaming — are however seeing an interest in linemen getting in on the action.

Next: The Eagles host the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. Sunday (CBS3)

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Doug Pederson on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday

Missed chances and a four-run fifth inning for the Cubs led to another Phillies loss on Wednesday.

Hurricane Ian could force the Phillies and Nationals to move up their Saturday doubleheader to Friday.

Next: The Phillies wrap up their series in Chicago at 2:20 p.m. Thursday (NBCSP). Ranger Suárez (10-5, 3.38 ERA) will start against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (1-2, 4.28).

Tyrese Maxey took a huge leap in his second season with the 76ers, becoming a fan favorite while averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. At the team’s training camp, coach Doc Rivers said he has noticed a more confident Maxey. “This year, he knows who he is,” Rivers said. “Now he just has to keep getting better at basketball.”

Maxey has become known for his work ethic, and his offseason training followed that pattern. “He’s done everything,” Rivers said. “More than we’ve asked him to do.”

The Sixers finished their second day of camp at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., a city in the path of Hurricane Ian. For now, the Sixers plan to stay in place.

The Flyers released another injury update on Wednesday, and, for the first time in a while, it wasn’t bad news.

GM Chuck Fletcher revealed that Sean Couturier will not need to undergo a second surgery on his back, although the 29-year-old remains “week-to-week” in his recovery. Couturier, far and away the team’s top player, missed the final 53 games last season with a back injury that resulted in him undergoing back surgery in February.

The second-period struggles seem to have continued into this season, as the Flyers dropped a preseason game to the Washington Capitals.

The Inquirer soccer contributors are back with a look at the U.S. men’s national team, even if the current view isn’t a pretty one. Frankly, it’s frustrating when the team fails to score a single goal in two games and the coach chooses to not bring in one of the top options at the striker position.

Still, perhaps absence makes the heart grow fonder, as Jonathan Tannenwald, Gustav Elvin, and Andrea Canales make their own final World Cup roster picks.

We asked you: Do you like the idea of DeVonta Smith returning punts for the Eagles?

Among your responses:

DeVonta returning punts is a bad idea. In recent years in the NFL, the percentage of punts resulting in a return for TD hovers around 0.5% or less - no better than 1 in 200. Even if his talent doubles those odds we’re talking about maybe a one percent chance each time he is on the field for a return. Might sound worth a shot until you consider that on every punt there are several guys running full speed for 40 yards getting ready to smash Skinny Batman and potentially take him out for several games or more.

The relatively small possibility of him breaking a big return does not justify losing a bankable 80 to 100 yards receiving every game and a dozen or more TDs over the course of the season. — Greg B.

Over the last decade, punters have gotten better at getting their punts to the locations they’re aiming for. It’s become more sophisticated. When the Eagles know the opposition has to punt and that it has return capability, why not let DeVonta return punts. We must keep in mind that in today’s game, punters have shown that they are kicking the ball longer, and in many cases balls are kicked when the opportunity arises, as close to the goal line as possible. When these short distance punts arise, there’s no need to put DeVonta out there as a return is not probable. When the opposition is punting from their own 30 or longer, that’s when we should consider putting DeVonta out there where there’s plenty of space to operate in. — Larry D.

It seems that punts returns go for more than a few yards. Why risk DeVonta since his speed will rarely break for 3-5 yards? Covey ( one of the best returners in his college career) should be the guy to return; maybe once in a while he can gain significant yardage. But risk a great receiver being hit by guys weighing hundreds of pounds? Sounds like the wrong choice to me. — Alan S.

The only mistake the Eagles made in the off-season was not keeping Devon Allen around for exactly this purpose. — Joe G.

It is not a good idea to use DeVonta Smith to return punts. while field position after receiving a punt will probably be somewhat better, that benefit is small compared to the risk. Much of the offense improvement is due to having Smith paired with A. J. Brown at wideout. having both on the field more than doubles their impact, as defenses must account for two exceptional receivers on every down. along with the pair, Quez Watkins and Dallas Goedart put great stress on the opponent’s ability to defend the pass, and increase the chance for a big play on every down. the benefit is beyond the simple yardage that any one of them gains. And this unit has helped to fuel the Jalen Hurts transformation, into one of the more dangerous QB’s in the NFL. The running game benefits as well, as other teams must prioritize pass defense at the expense of run stopping. we have watched this play out now for three weeks. that marginal punt return benefit does not warrant the risk of upsetting the high octane offense that has been created by the Eagles. — Jay W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Gina Mizell, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gustav Elvin, Andrea Canales, Keith Pompey, EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, Olivia Reiner, Giana Han, Mike Jensen, Alex Coffey, Kerith Gabriel, Isabella DiAmore, Aaron Carter, and Matt Mullin.