We are now three days into the drama surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles’ decision to put quarterback Jalen Hurts on the bench in the fourth quarter of the regular season’s final, and there are no signs that she is dying yet.
Pivot Jason Kelce refuted a recent Philadelphia Inquirer report that said the players were angry, and two defenders had to be prevented from approaching coach Doug Pederson on the sideline after he made one of the most controversial coach decisions of the season : the bench hurts and inserts the third string reserve Nate Sudfeld when the Eagles lost by just three points.
In an Instagram post, Kelce said he and others were not only aware that the change could be made, but were excited that Sudfeld would have a chance to make his NFL debut after four years as a reserve.
Kelce: Nobody was in a confrontation
Kelce’s Wednesday morning Instagram post added yet another narrative to this Eagles novel. He upheld Pederson’s decision to remove the Hurts and place Sudfeld, and said that no one, including himself, was confrontational about the decision on the sideline. Although he admitted that he was surprised that the change happened, he said that “we all believe we can win with Nate Sudfeld”.
“I thought about clearing the air just to clarify and describe more precisely what happened during the game on Sunday. At the end of the third quarter, I was informed at the bank that Sudfeld was entering the game. I went over to Doug and asked if he was taking Hurts out, he said, ‘Yes, I think Nate won the right to play.’ I said, ‘Is everyone going to stay home?’ He said, ‘Absolutely’. So I went to look for Suddy. He started taking pictures on the sideline with him, called the other strikers and made them listen to his photo count to make sure they were all up to his pace, and then went on to the next race.
“At no time was anything from me or anyone else confronting. We all knew at the start of the game that Sudfeld should be ready to play and that Doug wanted to see what he could do in a game situation. All of us during the week leading up were excited by Nate, a guy who has been with us for four years to have an opportunity in a real game to show the world what he can do. We all have full confidence in Nate as a player, there is a reason why he has been here for so long and a reason why the team has brought him back. That’s because we feel that Nate is a guy we can win with.
“I understand how he looks and I would be lying if I weren’t a little surprised, given the circumstances in which the change happened when it happened, but each of us did our best and we all believe we can win with Nate Sudfeld. It was a difficult situation to put in, especially when you have a 10-year-old veteran pivot who doesn’t snap the ball accurately on his second play of the game. I know we can win games with Nate because I know that Suddy can play. It didn’t work on Sunday, but as always, it’s not just him. “
Other Eagles players were upset by Pederson’s decision
Kelce used a lot of “us” in his Instagram post, but the whole team may not be as united in this as he says. In an interview with 94WIP on Tuesday, running back Miles Sanders said “no one liked the decision” to put Hurts on the bench and put Sudfeld for the fourth period.
“Oh, man, to be honest, nobody liked the decision. No one. And that is all I can say. I don’t know who was the main person behind this decision, but all I know is that there are a lot of people on the team [who] it was confusing. “
So we have Kelce saying “we all believe we can win with Nate Sudfeld”, and Sanders saying “no one liked the decision” to play Hurts for Sudfeld.
Where’s the truth here? It would normally be somewhere in the middle of those two takes, but in this case, who knows. The only clear thing is that the team is in trouble. The Eagles were a mess on the pitch until the end of the season, and the offseason is starting with that mess going off the pitch and into the locker room.
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