A young man’s game | Sports Daily Newsletter
Jalen Hurts and the NFL’s new breed of QBs.
The likes of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are watching the NFL playoffs from home at this point. Of the eight remaining starting quarterbacks in the postseason, all are under age 30, with the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott the elder statesman at age 29. Rumor has it that San Francisco’s Brock Purdy is ready to start shaving regularly. (He’s 23.)
That group of youngsters includes Jalen Hurts, of course. At 24, he’ll go after his first playoff win when the Eagles host the Giants on Saturday night. We’ll find out soon enough whether he is fully recovered from his sprained shoulder. Defensive end Brandon Graham likes his chances with Hurts.
“I think it’s great that we’ve got young guys there that are going to be the face of this league,” said Graham, the longest-tenured Philadelphia athlete at 34. “... I’m excited because if I’ve got to roll with one, I’m picking Jalen. I’m really glad we’ve got him.”
Just don’t call this playoff showdown a defining game for Hurts, David Murphy writes. Hurts has already answered the biggest questions about him with his MVP-caliber season. Can he lead a team to the Super Bowl? Well, just look around the NFL. The kids are taking over for a reason, as many teams have failed miserably in their quest for a “franchise quarterback” (whatever that means anymore).
Looks like the Eagles got in on the ground floor of a new era for QBs.
— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
Boston Scott has scored 18 career touchdowns for the Eagles, and 10 of them have come against Big Blue. They call him a “Giant killer” for a reason (and maybe that fact has gotten into the New Yorkers’ heads a bit).
But the 5-foot-6 “bowling ball” had anything but an easy path to the NFL. He nearly quit football as a little-used walk-on at Louisiana Tech who was struggling to make ends meet. Matt Breen has the story.
If Scott does the usual against the Giants and especially if Hurts returns to MVP form, the Eagles should win on Saturday. And beat writers EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, and Josh Tolentino are indeed predicting the Eagles will be victorious.
Next: The Eagles host the Giants in an NFC divisional playoff game at 8:15 p.m. Saturday (Fox29).
Joel Embiid was a starter in the last five NBA All-Star Games, but the current round of fan balloting has him coming up short. The 76ers center remained fourth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in fan voting released Thursday. The top three frontcourt players and top two guards from each conference will be the starters in the game, scheduled for Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City.
Fans account for 50% of the votes to determine the starters, with a media panel and NBA players accounting for the rest. James Harden of the Sixers remained fourth among guards in the East in fan balloting.
The NBA and France’s top league will explore opportunities for exhibition games that will include players from Africa.
The Sixers raised their defensive game to beat Portland, keeping their West Coast road trip record perfect.
Next: The Sixers visit the Sacramento Kings at 10 p.m. Saturday (NBCSP+).
John Tortorella spoke to the media for the first time since Tuesday night, and the Flyers coach again staunchly defended defenseman Ivan Provorov’s decision to boycott wearing the team’s Pride Night jerseys for warmups on Tuesday.
“Provy’s not out there banging a drum against Pride Night,” said Tortorella. “He quietly went about his business. He and I had a number of conversations [about] how we were going to do this. You have the team, you have him, you have all this going on. Talked to Laughts [Scott Laughton]. Went through the whole process there. [Provorov] felt strongly with his beliefs. And he stayed with it.”
Regardless of Provorov’s decision, Tortorella said that it was a “great night for Pride Night.”
The Flyers gave up four unanswered goals and had a streak against the Chicago Blackhawks snapped.
Next: The Flyers are back in action Saturday against the Red Wings in Detroit (7 p.m., NBCSP).
What is the timeline for Bryce Harper’s return from Tommy John elbow surgery?
Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, gave an inkling during an interview with WIP-FM. Dombrowski said that Harper’s rehab has been going well and that the 2021 NL MVP should start swinging a bat around the end of March.
As messy as the Berhalter-Reyna situation has been, an end appears to be in sight. Or at least, an end to the dual investigations of Berhalter’s 1991 domestic violence incident and the issue of whether the Reynas improperly contacted U.S. Soccer officials.
U.S. Soccer federation president Cindy Cone spoke on the independent investigation and gave media members, including Jonathan Tannenwald, a general idea of when it would conclude.
Worth a look
“Down goes Frazier!” Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of George Foreman’s six-knockdown stoppage of Joe Frazier.
College hoops weekend: Maddy Siegrist could become Villanova’s all-time leading scorer on Friday. Here’s a rundown on City 6 games to watch.
Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s divisional-round playoff game against the New York Giants on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday
What you’re saying about the Eagles
We asked you: What does the Eagles symbol mean to you, and how do you react when you see someone sporting it? Among your responses:
Whenever I see someone sporting the Eagles logo, I look at him/her and give a thumbs up and a hearty Go Birds! — Joseph R.
I love the Eagles symbol. I wear my Eagles gear with great pride, especially on game days. It always makes me smile when I see someone wearing their Eagles gear as well. It shows our support for the Eagles. — Kathy T.
I became a fan of the Eagles at the age of 10 in 1948 while living in suburban Philly. I have always liked the Eagles emblem and think it is the best in the NFL. Now at almost 85 I live in Prescott, Arizona. That is 2,340 miles away, but still actively follow my favorite team. I sometimes run into people here while out hiking or birding who have an Eagles hat or jacket etc. and always stop to chat with them and ask where they are from. In addition I do a lot of bird photography and our local live eagles have always been my favorites. Go Eagles. — Everett S.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Josh Tolentino, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Matt Breen, Giana Han, Olivia Reiner, Keith Pompey, Joe Santoliquito, Jonathan Tannenwald, Alex Coffey, and Kerith Gabriel.