Hour 2 –Jalen Hurts Bashing, Jeremy Fowler

Summary

The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 2

Episode Date: April 2, 2026
Main Theme:
This hour is anchored by deep discussions on the Philadelphia Eagles’ offseason drama—particularly the scrutiny and criticism surrounding quarterback Jalen Hurts—and the bigger question of how media narratives can shape the fate of a franchise quarterback. Dan is joined by ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, who recently published a widely debated exposé on the Eagles’ quarterback situation. The show also covers recent NFL moves, the peculiar state of the Raiders’ quarterback plans, trending sports controversies, and the ongoing tension between player performance and image in a social media era.

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Episode Overview

Dan and the Danettes open by returning to ongoing speculation and internal strife within the Philadelphia Eagles, centering on Jalen Hurts’ role, alleged issues with leadership and body language, and the team’s future direction. The discussion is heightened by the timing and content of a prominent ESPN article, explored in detail with its co-author, Jeremy Fowler. Other key NFL moves—particularly Kirk Cousins’ surprising signing with the Raiders—and various sports and pop-culture topics are also covered with the show’s trademark candor and humor.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. NFL QB Carousel: Kirk Cousins Joins the Raiders

• Dan Patrick discusses Kirk Cousins’ move to the Las Vegas Raiders, noting Cousins had interest from multiple teams (Cardinals, Rams, Packers), ultimately reuniting with Clint Kubiak, former offensive coordinator. Cousins brings veteran experience and potential to mentor rookie Fernando Mendoza.
• Poll question discussion (02:25): Should the Raiders start Cousins or Mendoza? All present pick Cousins for week one.

“Maybe you’re bringing [Cousins] in as kind of a dual option: we need your experience, we need you to help guide him. There is no competition here. We might be starting the season with you.” – Dan Patrick (00:35)

2. The Jalen Hurts/Eagles Offseason Drama

• Dan raises the issue of swirling media reports and organizational leaks criticizing Hurts’ leadership and adaptability, comparing the situation to Russell Wilson in Seattle.
• Dan details Hurts’ fluctuating offensive coordinator situation, subpar third down and passing stats, and the unique scrutiny attached to his personality and leadership style.

“The timing of this article coming out—the beginning of April—feels like somebody in the Eagles organization wanted this out and let it kind of ruminate over the summer… Now, look, I’m on record as saying [Jalen Hurts] is not a great regular season quarterback…but there is a feel that he has for the game in big games.” – Dan Patrick (04:11, 05:00)

Key Stats Cited:

• Hurts ranks 24th in third down conversion, 23rd in passing yards per game, 27th in pass play percentage.
• Hurts will make $51 million annually for the next two years; Eagles can exit his contract before 2028.

3. Player Image, Social Media, and Trouble Off the Field

• The show pivots to off-field troubles for Puka Nacua, citing his legal issues and desire for internet fame, comparing him to Antonio Brown and discussing the distractions and risks for young stars.

“In, you know, let’s say three years from now, is he gonna be an all-pro or is he going to be Antonio Brown? That would be my concern here.” – Dan Patrick (10:19)

• Discussion differentiates between Nacua choosing rehab as preemptive image-control vs. Tiger Woods’ history of needing rehabilitation for serious issues.

4. Guest Segment w/ Jeremy Fowler (19:38–31:42)

Raiders’ plans with Cousins & Mendoza:

• Fowler confirms Raiders nearly signed Joe Flacco, but pivoted to Cousins as the best available veteran.
• Predicts Cousins to start week one, with Mendoza developing behind him.

On the ESPN Eagles Article:

• Fowler clarifies that the article’s timing was coincidental; not orchestrated with the team but the result of ongoing, in-depth reporting.
• Hurts’ name “came up a lot” from sources but shares blame with other factors, such as offensive line struggles and coaching inconsistency.

“We started [the story] in-season because the Eagles offense was clearly off…we just sought out to figure out what ails Eagle’s offense. …Jalen’s name came up a lot as certainly not the only culprit.” – Jeremy Fowler (22:57)

• Fowler is careful to contextualize Hurts’ challenges: repeated O.C. turnover, changes in system, but also his “steely resolve.”
• The comparison to Russell Wilson is “not lost on some people, including some in the Eagles building…stylistically there are a lot of similarities,” though personalities differ. – Fowler (26:36–28:16)

Browns QB Situation:

• Discussion shifts to the Cleveland Browns, with owner Jimmy Haslam suggesting DeShaun Watson is both a “big swing and a miss” and the best remaining option.
• New coach Todd Monken’s offense may give Watson a chance to succeed, but rookie Shador Sanders will get first crack at reps.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan Patrick on media narratives:
  “Somebody wanted a hit piece out on Jalen Hurts. But what’s the endgame here?…When I get information—and I’ve gotten information before and I know that it’s slanted—somebody wants to tell me something so I’ll say something about somebody else…I, at least, have to try to get the other side.” (33:20)
• Jeremy Fowler on the Hurts/Wilson comp:
  “That comparison is not lost on some people, including some in the Eagles building, that do see some similarities…stylistically there are a lot of similarities, probably different personalities.” (26:36)
• Dan Patrick on Philadelphia sports drama:
  “Even when they’re good, there’s trouble. There’s something going on there. Even when they’re great, there’s something going.” (08:00)
• On the challenge of player accountability (re: Tiger Woods):
  “Tiger’s got $2 billion. Who’s telling him what to do?…that’s the scary part of this.” (14:15)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:09–04:11: Opening—Eagles drama, poll questions, Cousins signing analysis
• 04:11–08:22: Hurts’ personality, contract, and Philadelphia environment
• 08:22–14:15: Puka Nacua’s off-field troubles, Antonio Brown comparisons, and rehab
• 19:38–31:42: Interview with Jeremy Fowler (Raiders’ QB situation, deep dive on Eagles/Hurts, Browns’ QB conundrum)
• 33:20–34:35: Dan’s reflection on media manipulation and the Hurts “hit piece”
• 37:02–43:51: April Fool’s Day sports pranks, ESPN’s Dream Job memories, and call-in banter

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Additional Topics

• April Fool’s Pranks: The show skewers cruel or tone-deaf April Fool’s pranks by teams and brands, highlighting the importance of knowing your audience.
• SportsCenter & “Dream Job” memories: Dan and company reminisce about ESPN’s more gimmicky stunts and what it was like being left out of management decisions.

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Conclusion

This episode encapsulates the swirling, high-stakes narrative management that dominates NFL offseasons, especially for quarterbacks under the microscope. The interviews and commentary cut through surface-level hot takes, offering insight into how media leaks, internal politics, and personality clashes can shift the fate of talented franchises and players alike. With Dan’s signature humor and skepticism, listeners are reminded that every NFL headline is shaped by unseen agendas and that the story is often more layered than it first appears.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

[Dan Patrick]

You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio Hour 2

on this Thursday, Dan and the Dan Dan Patrick Show. Glad to have you on board. We'll dive into the Philadelphia Eagles offseason issues again, and for a team that's successful, there's always drama. There's always an undercurrent there. This one feels like it's a little more than an undercurrent because it deals with the quarterback Jalen Hurts. Jeremy Fowler is part of the [e-mail] who has a deep dive into the Eagles quarterbacking situation and what their future is going to be with Jalen Hurts. 8773-DP-SHoM Email Address dpdanpatrick.com Twitter Handle @DP-SHoM say Good Morning if you're watching on our streaming partner Peacock, or you can download the app if you haven't done so. The NBC Sports Network also carries the program and good morning to our radio affiliates around the country. The betting lines for the Final Four haven't changed from yesterday. Illinois by one and a half over Connecticut. Michigan by one and a half over Arizona. The news last hour, Kirk Cousins signing with the Raiders. A little bit of a surprise, but I don't know how many options that he had since Tua came to Atlanta. You knew that Kirk Cousins was now I thought Kirk Cousins was going to end up in Minnesota because then he could be a starter or at least he have the opportunity to be a starter again. He's going to be reunited in Las Vegas with Clint Kubiak, a former offensive coordinator who was with Seattle winning the Super Bowl. And you got Tom Brady in the building. You bring in Mendoza and you start to build your franchise. But Kirk Cousins, maybe you're bringing him in as kind of a dual option of we need your experience. We need you to help guide him. There is no competition here. We might be starting the season with you, but Clint Kubiak, I'm going to guess, has a really good relationship with the three seasons they spent together. And this should not be an issue. I like the move because I want to ensure that Fernando Mendoza has every opportunity to succeed. All right, poll question from hour one. Seton and what are we going to go with an hour two?

[Todd]

If you could have any current NBA player for the next five years. Right now Victor Wembanyama has running away with that one 77% of that vote. Are you getting more tired of the Wembanyama coverage or Todd. Todd is up to about 65% of that vote and now that the Raiders have signed Kirk Cousins, what should they do? Draft Mendoza, Draft someone else or trade that pick?

[Paulie]

Right now?

[Todd]

They should still draft Fernando Mendoza. Yeah, I wrote sign Mendoza instead of draft.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, whatever. Yes, Paul.

[Paul]

According to Diana Rossini of the Athletic, Cousins had other interest from the Cardinals, the Rams and the packers before signing with the Raiders.

[Dan Patrick]

All right. Yeah, I thought he was going to end up with the Rams. At least I had been told keep an eye on the Rams. That's why. That was my guess there. But Cardinals situation, yikes. You know, the Raiders is, is something promising of helping build something. You got Genti and Bowers, you know, Max Crosby is still there kind of. And you can help Fernando Mendoza become a better quarterback while maybe getting, you know, an opportunity to play a little bit here. But Kirk D. Cousins going to the Raiders. Do you, do you have an NFL game that you would like to play?

[Paul]

A quick NFL game?

[Dan Patrick]

Okay.

[Paul]

Just to get on record, barring injury, who is the Raiders starting quarterback? Week one, Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza? Those are the only two choices.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. Todd, I'm gonna say Kirk Cousins. All right. Seaton. Yeah.

[Todd]

Kirk D. No question.

[Dan Patrick]

Mark K. I'm gonna go. Kirk D. Cousins, Mendoza, no doubt. Okay.

[Paul]

That's a whole game. Back to you.

[Dan Patrick]

You said it was a quick game and thank you. All right, we'll get to phone calls coming up, but Jeremy Fowler will join us and, and I mentioned this to start the show. The timing of this article coming out the beginning of April, feels like somebody in the Eagles organization wanted this out and let it kind of ruminate over the summer. But I don't, you know, they're talking about body language with Jalen Hurts. He changes the play. Kind of offensively stubborn. I think he's had a different offensive coordinator every year since he's been in college to the NFL. I mean, two years ago he's super bowl mvp. Now, look, I'm on record as saying he's not a great regular season quarterback. He doesn't deal in, you know, gaudy stats. But there is a feel that he has for the game in big games in the playoffs. I think he's got 11 touchdown passes, three interceptions. Two of the interceptions were in his first game in the playoffs. He played really, really well in the super bowl both times. And I don't know if there's a parallel here with Russell Wilson. Okay. Both went to two Super Bowls winning one loaded rosters, both reportedly difficult or potentially difficult to work with.

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[Dan Patrick]

The Eagles also pointing to Hertz being the problem. Like Seattle was pointing towards Russell Wilson. And here's a team that we thought was going to deal, A.J. brown. But I wonder, do you deal? Well, I don't know if, you know, Jalen Hurts is going to be there for two more years maybe. I think he's going to be, you know, making pretty hefty money here, over $55 million. But you know, they're talking about body language is not good there. You know, they wanted to get Mike McDaniel. At least there was talk you were going to get an offensive minded guy, Mike McDaniel in there. Instead, they brought in our friend Sean Manion. So Sean Manion's 33 years of age. He's the new offensive coordinator. Two years of coaching experience. Jalen Hurts is going to have a new OC again. And then, you know, I start to look at these numbers here. The wide receiving corps is going to make about $57 million a year between A.J. brown and Devonte Smith. They have invested heavily in their wide receivers, tight end and certainly running back. The offense is there, but for some reason you start to look at third down conversion. And third down conversion is often considered what separates a good quarterback from a great quarterback. Jalen Hurts ranks 24th in third down conversion, passing yards per game, 23rd in the NFL. Pass play percentage, 27th in the NFL. These are not numbers for a guy making that kind of money who changes the play at the line of scrimmage. Maybe butts head with his offensive coordinator. But there's been something there for a couple years and I don't have any inner knowledge with the Eagles, but I have said there's something there. And I've said that even when they won the super bowl, there's something there. And there is still something there. Yeah.

[Paul]

Paulie, Jalen hurts will make 51 million next year and 51 million the year after. Yeah, they can get out of his contract before 2028.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, that's interesting. It's Philadelphia, you know, even when they're good, there's trouble. There's something going on there. Even when they're great, there's something going. You know, I don't know if A.J. brown's going to be there. I'm assuming after June, A.J. brown won't be there. Yes.

[Todd]

Todd, what would you do if anything, if you're Jalen Hurts, you can't pretend that's not out there. You can't be one of those. What, did someone write a column about me? I didn't hear anything about it. You know, assuming he's aware of this. And how awkward is that moving forward that teammates and. Or executives and who knows who's saying these things about you? If they're, if they're accurate, that's got to be extremely awkward. At the least.

[Dan Patrick]

He's not a talker, though. He doesn't say much. I mean, we've had him on maybe once, but he doesn't. He's not a social media guy. You know, he's none of those things. But I don't know, it's just the timing of it just struck me as, wow. Why now?

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[Dan Patrick]

877 3DP Show. Get to your phone calls. Coming up, Tiger Woods, a judge said that he could go out of the country overseas for rehab. I don't care where he goes, just get rehab. And Pukinakua is going to go into rehab. He certainly had some moments here. The last four months have not been very good for Pukinakua. Also, keep this in mind. When Jackson Smith Jigba got his contract and I thought, okay, Pukinaku is, is ready. He's up. And then all of a sudden the contract talks stumbled. And then I think they've been put off now. They stalled. I'm guessing the off season played a part in that because, you know, JSN got his deal. And I thought, well, now Pukinakua knows what the number is. He was sued for assault and battery following allegations that he bit a woman on the shoulder. Unprovoked anti Semitic statement. That was New Year's Eve. Earlier this month, forced to apologize for making an anti Semitic gesture during a live stream. Puka Nakua is a great football player, but he wants to be famous. He wants to be Internet famous because he talked about dating Sydney Sweeney. And I mean, it just feels like he wants to be more than just a great football player. But in, you know, let's say three years from now, is he going to be an all pro or is he going to be Antonio Brown? That would be my concern here. There's just little things, little things, little things, little things. And then they add up. Okay, you want to get better. I think his attorney or agent was blaming the media that part of the reason why he's going into rehab is because we keep bringing up these stories. We're not making them up. We're telling the truth on what is actually happening. We're just reporting that. So, yes, Paulie, this should be the

[Paul]

point of his career where the contract is an afterthought. After year three, he had 129 catches 1700 yards, 107 yards a game. He's 24 years old, first team all pro with the Rams. They just hand you the next contract. That's what should be happening.

[Dan Patrick]

He's in the final year of his contract and most elite players get taken care of. There has to be a reason why they're putting this off. And I think it's unfolding right in front of us. But if you want to be Internet famous, talk to Antonio Brown. How did it go for him? And I don't know. Pukinakua, I don't think we've had him on the show. I don't, you know, he was a great story. He's a great player. But all of a sudden, you know, now we start to question things and Antonio Brown was incredible for a five year window and he had a lot

[Todd]

of other problems other than just wanting to be Internet famous. He had a, he had a lot of stuff going on.

[Dan Patrick]

But he did want to be Internet famous because he was live streaming from the Steelers locker room, told not to. Yeah, Pukinakua did that as well.

[Todd]

Juju Smith Schuster was very much a guy who's interested in being famous on TikTok.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Yes.

[Dan Patrick]

These guys, they don't, you know, that's not, that's not enough for, you know, some of these guys to be an all pro, a great player. Now they want it to be more than that. Your brand. Yes, I do.

[Todd]

Yeah. I do think that there is a big difference between Puka Nuku and someone like Tiger Woods.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, no, I'm not drawn to any comparison.

[Todd]

Right. But I mean, there's kind of like two rehab stories happening at the same time.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Yes.

[Todd]

And they're not, they're not really the same at all. You know, Puka Nakua had a couple of incidents that you had just listed off that were embarrassing. One of them might get him into some trouble. For sure. They're at the at best embarrassing. Certainly not a good look for him. But he is choosing to go into rehab to get himself right rather than getting a DUI and being forced to go into rehab to help, you know, charges or help, whatever. Those are coming from drastically different places.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes. And I am not comparing these other than it's the timing of it both going in rehab. Puka Nuku is trying to get out in front of what could be potential problems. Tiger is trying to clean up the mess of what actually have been problems. Many, many problems. Yes.

[Todd]

Right.

[Dan Patrick]

Wherever he goes, they said because of, you know, his notoriety that he would be allowed to go out of the country. I just hope he gets help, that's all. Because once again, you can tell us whatever you want to tell us. Even when Tiger said, hey, you know, how did this happen? I was looking at my phone, okay, maybe you were. While you were impaired. That's all that matters. You were impaired behind the wheel. We've all looked at our phones before. But when you say that's the reason why this happened, that's not the reason why this happened. You got in the car impaired. That set up the potential for this. But Tiger going out of the country, he just got to be honest with himself, you know, And. And that's the hard part. Anybody who's been to rehab will tell you. Everybody will tell you to go to rehab. You have to want to go to rehab. You have to want to stay in rehab. You have to. It's up to you. It's empowering yourself to make a decision, because everybody else can say something. His girlfriend, his kids, ex wife, his agent. They can all say this. They probably all have. And Tiger doesn't have a boss. Pukinakua has bosses. The NFL, the Rams. Tiger doesn't have to answer to anybody. People answer to Tiger. That's the scary part of this. Puka Nakua knows to get a new contract. He's got to clean up his act. Tiger's got $2 billion. Who's telling him what to do? I hope somebody, but there's no guarantee. All right, we'll get phone calls coming up. We'll check in with Jeremy Fowler on the timing of this article. Yes.

[Todd]

You just hit the nail on the head, though. He's got a lot of money. Who's going to tell him what to do? Like, that's like, the whole problem with the world right now. People with so much money that you can't tell anybody what to do. And this dude's, you know, we're only a couple of days removed from being like, hey, man, it's not about hurting yourself. You could have hurt other people. But I'm rich, so who's going to tell me not to?

[Dan Patrick]

Yes, Todd.

[Todd]

And I can only assume there's a lot of work, physical and mental work that has to be done in rehab. It can't just be a PR thing. It looks good to say to the world that I'm going into rehab. When you're physically there, you got to do more than just say that you're in a building somewhere.

[Dan Patrick]

You don't have to do anything. I mean, who's going to tell him what to do? We don't, you know, they don't reveal what goes on in there and all it is is a went for 30, 30 days. Okay, I, I don't, I, I won't know. We won't know. We'll take a break. Back after this.

Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app.

[Rob Parker]

Hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sports support. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday. So do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

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[Dan Patrick]

Find exclusions and details@t mobile.com More phone calls coming up. 877.3dp show email address [e-mail] Twitter handle the DP show if you're just joining us, Kirk Cousins is joining the Raiders. That news announced earlier this morning. Let's bring in Jeremy Fowler. He covers the NFL. ESPN Senior NFL National Reporter. Let me start there. Your reaction to Kirk Cousins landing with the Raiders?

[Jeremy Fowler]

Yeah, Dan, great to be with you. The Raiders wanted a veteran. They tried to get Joe Flacco. I was told they actually got pretty close to signing Flacco at one point, but they didn't want to spend huge, you know, starter related money. If he was going to go to the west coast, he wanted starter money. So he just stayed in Cincinnati instead. At that point they pivoted to Kirk Cousins. Really that was the best option. There weren't a lot of other veterans out there just talking with the Raiders. Like they said, hey, we know we have to get a veteran. He's the best option. I kind of almost wondered if Cousins at some point was going to either go to the Rams so you can sit for a year and almost help Your value for 2027 Free agency or even sit out a little bit and wait, you know, for the situation. But I think with the chance to play, it's pretty clear the Raiders want somebody who can at least spot start some games until Mendoza is completely ready.

[Dan Patrick]

Who do you think starts opening game for the Raiders at quarterback?

[Jeremy Fowler]

Well, I mean I think Cousins has a good chance here. He's got some history with Clint Kubiak. He knows that style of offense really well. This gives Mendoza time. The Raiders seem to be leaning on that old school mentality at least a little bit of like, hey, why do we have to rush them out their week one, you know. You know, even if he is ready or has a good camp, like let's give him a little time to develop. You can always put him in week five, week 10, like there are a lot of options and flexibility there. He doesn't have to be the guy you See, so many stories of players starting week one, and they just weren't ready. You know, Zach Wilson comes to mind. I'm not comparing Mendoza to Zach Wilson, but sometimes you just want to make sure. Now, if he's. If Mendoza's just lights out and undeniable in OTAs and minicamp and training camp, and at that point you say, let's go with him, then you have the flexibility to do that. And I don't think they're paying Cousins crazy money here where they can't get out of that deal. And it'd be a sunk cost, I

[Dan Patrick]

guess, the timing of this. Mendoza has his pro day, and then all of a sudden you announce you're bringing in Kirk Cousins. Do you think the Raiders gave Mendoza a heads up?

[Jeremy Fowler]

Oh, it's a good question. I think Mendoza probably knew that they were looking around because the Raiders weren't keeping that a secret, at least in league circles and free agency circles. You know, like they've been talking to Joe Flacco for a good week, week and a half, you know. You know, but I think he wanted something a little more than what he got with Cleveland last year, which is probably 15 million or so, 20 million a year to start, even if it's only going to be for a certain amount of games. You know, the Raiders weren't quite willing to go that far, so Cousins was the next best option. So I don't know if they directly told him, but it's pretty clear at least right now, what their plan is to at least have that option to start a veteran if you want to go that route.

[Dan Patrick]

But they're not shopping the pick. They're. They're taking Mendoza.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Yeah, I would be absolutely shocked at this point. I have not heard anything hard and fast that they're going to shop the pick. Most other teams in the top 10 of the draft are expecting Mendoza to be off the board at one, and the draft starts at two.

[Dan Patrick]

Talking to Jeremy Fowler. You can go to ESPN.com deep dive the ESPN team with a deep dive on the Eagles. And it feels like the conversation around the Eagles in the off season is kind of a slow burn there, like the blame game here. And then all of a sudden, you know, this report spotlights that the blame is. It's squarely on Jalen Hurts. I was curious, the timing of this at the beginning of April that this comes out. Why do you think that happened? Or why do you think you got access to this in April?

[Jeremy Fowler]

You know, we. We've actually been working on the story for a While it just happened to run now because it was ready now, there wasn't like a hard and fast plan to say hey, let' April 1, the day after the owners meetings. The owner's meetings had nothing to do with the story. I was, you're right. The timing was, was a big topic yesterday and a discourse about the story. Why now? So really it's just a matter of reporting and vetting something out that you've been working on. When it's ready, it's ready. That was kind of the situation. But we started in season because the Eagles offense was clearly off. A.J. brown, you know, weekly was upset about something on the sideline. Everybody could see it. You know, the passing game is struggling for a second consecutive year. Even though they won the Super bowl in 24, it was one of the worst passing games in the NFL. And so we just sought out to figure out what ailes Eagles offense. What really is the issue? What's the story with Jalen Hurts and A.J. brown specifically? And as we dug in with the story and asked more sources, Jalen's name came up a lot as certainly not the only culprit. There's plenty of blame to go around here with Eagles offense. Last year from coaching to offensive line play just wasn't as good. The running holes weren't there for Saquon Barkley. The receivers didn't look as fast like they just didn't look as explosive of an offense. So not all that is on Jalen Hurts. But some of the things highlighted in the piece were accentuated when we brought it up to two people and sources both with the Eagles and in and around the program.

[Dan Patrick]

I'm trying to be fair to Jalen Hurts. I've said it for the last couple of years. I don't think he's a great regular season quarterback. He's not going to put up gaudy numbers. Not a pass first team, but in big games he's played big.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Yes.

[Dan Patrick]

He's had a new offensive coordinator every year of his college and pro career, I believe. And now you bring in a 33 year old former quarterback in Sean Manion. I mean, what are we supposed to expect out of him where you keep bringing in a different offensive philosophy here?

[Jeremy Fowler]

Yeah. And to his credit he has had to adapt to a lot of changes and now the system was relatively the same throughout it. Nick Sirianni has tried to keep continuity. You know, you have Shane Steichen who was there originally, who probably did the best job with Jalen Hurts out of all the coaches, to be honest if we're looking back. But, you know, he was part of Nick Sirianni's coaching system. Coaching tree. They were together. Then you bring in Brian Johnson, who's part of the staff. You know, Kellen Moore was really the only departure when they brought him in two years ago, but he kind of blended some of his ideas with what Nick Sirianni was doing. So Hertz has had some level of continuity, but to be sure, he's had to overcome a lot. That's a lot of change, a lot of different voices in your ear. And to his credit, he's had some great moments throughout that, you know, so it's a delicate balance for a story like this because you have original reporting that you feel like, okay, well, this is the story. This is what's going on with the Eagles and the offense. But he's had immense success. He's got a really unique determination and steely resolve that has helped him overcome a lot. And, you know, we highlighted that throughout the story. You know, we try to provide as much context as we could to Jalen Hurts, you know, side of things or his perspective with some of the topics that came up. And so, yeah, it's just a situation where, you know, certainly is a proven good player that you can win with. But there have been, you know, it's. The Eagles are now in a situation where they know something had to change, they had to reset their offense, and it's now a moving train that Jalen Hurts, who's been resistant to some of those changes in the past, now has to get on.

[Dan Patrick]

Can you make the comparison with Russell Wilson in Seattle and Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia?

[Jeremy Fowler]

Well, that's a layered discussion. You know, they are different people, different players. But that comparison is not lost on some people, including some in the Eagles building, that do see some similarities,

[Dan Patrick]

really,

[Jeremy Fowler]

if you go just to straight football, there are some similarities where, you know, they throw a great deep ball, they're athletic, you know, they're known as, you know, good leaders as far as trying to set a great example, really getting after it, setting a good work ethic, you know, like being championship oriented, like all those things. But, you know, they. They have some struggles with certain coverages, not really true pocket passers. You know, Russell Wilson struggled with that, you know, where he. You had to win with a good running game and a good system around them. You know, some quarterbacks you can win really because of, and that's a short list. And then some you need to win with by supporting them. And last year when the Eagles didn't have enough support around Jalen hurts. That's where you saw the offense struggling because it was all on him. You know, some quarterbacks can handle that, but it's a very short list as you know. You know, the Josh Allens of the world, Mahomes, Joe Burrow, some of those guys. So I think stylistically there are a lot of similarities, you know, probably different personalities. I mean, Russell's more known as kind of, you know, he always says the right thing. You know, he's a walking, you know, message board, you know, just with inspirational quotes, things like that. Jalen's got a little bit of that as well, but he's more of an introvert. You know, he's known as that even talking to people with the story. When you ask about, you know, relating to teammates or poor body language or any of those things, they'll fight back and say, well, that's just who he is. If he wins a Super bowl or he gets a 55 million dollar year contract, life changing events, he's going to have the same face. He's not going to smile. He just, he is that way. You know, he's on to the next thing, which is admirable in a lot of ways. You know, it shows he's unflappable but also can be tough in a locker room a little bit, you know, and he's had to adjust to try to relate to teammates, which he did later in the year and did a better job of that than he did at the beginning of the year. There are some similarities. I've heard people bring that up. We didn't make the comparison in the story, but I was wasn't necessarily surprised that I've seen that comparison a lot in the discourse over the last 24 hours.

[Dan Patrick]

Help me understand the Cleveland Brown situation best you can that the owner now it kind of feels like hey, you know, we found this quarterback here they were spending $40 million on and why don't we play him? What is DeSean Watson's chances of starting this year for the Cleveland Browns? Dan?

[Jeremy Fowler]

I think his chances are decent. He has to play over the next three to four months on the practice field. Well, he has to show something. I expect Shador Sanders to be probably first in line.

[Dan Patrick]

You froze up there.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Jeremy is an off season workouts because he's the last guy to himself well enough to earn. Yes, I got you back.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Okay. Sorry about that. So I think Shador Sanders will get the first crack at things when they start reps and OTAs. But DeSean Watson is, it's interesting. He's. He's two things. He's a big swing and a miss which Jimmy hasn't said on the record. He's also now an option whether you like it or not because they owe him the money. He's only got the one year left on the $46 million despite two Achilles tears, all the problems, all the bad play. He was at one point in his Life a top five to seven quarterback in the NFL. If they can get 70% of that, he's probably their best option and they know that. So you know, Jimmy has them saying two different things at two different years. Really called him a big swing and a miss and then now he's calling him an option. I think he can be both. He was a big swing and a miss, there's no doubt about that. You know, four years it has not worked out. But you do have this one sliver of chance. I think he's their best option at quarterback if he can show that he's, you know that he can be mobile enough and move around on this Achilles.

[Dan Patrick]

And this feels like if the owner wants DeSean Watson to start he. It feels like that's going to happen.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Well maybe it can depend on the, the inter office dynamic with those things and you know that's been debated in Cleveland whether the owner wants certain things or not.

[Dan Patrick]

But you got a new coach coming in though, you know, in Monken.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Yeah, I don't think they trust they know Todd Monkins football acumen. He was in Cleveland once upon a time. He's known as a good offensive coach. He got the best out of Lamar for a couple of years. I think they will defer to him and I think he likes some things that he saw from Shador and he I'll say this Todd Monkins offense is more spread offense oriented. It can adapt but I think it suits desean Watson's style more than Kevin Stefanski's offense did. That gives Watson a fighting chance here.

[Dan Patrick]

Great stuff. No, you're busy. Thanks as always. We appreciate it.

[Jeremy Fowler]

Jeremy, of course. Thanks Dan. Appreciate it.

[Dan Patrick]

Jeremy Fowler. You can check out the [e-mail] you know the likability part of this Russell Wilson Jalen hurts comparison, that's what kind of jumped out because it doesn't feel like you know, Jalen hurts isn't a feel good hey rah rah hug you guy. And he just kind of goes about his job. Russ was a little different. People didn't think it was genuine. You had veterans on the Seattle team, they didn't buy into that. And let's let Russ Cook and, you know, the fact that it felt like, you know, the coaching staff, Pete Carroll wanted Russ to be the MVP in the game against the Patriots, you know, so there was a lot of blowback on Russ, and most of it came from the defensive side of the ball with those veterans, with, you know, the A.J. brown situation. I don't know if it's a, you know, hey, it's either Jalen Hurts goes or AJ Brown goes, but quarterbacks don't go. I mean, you owe him, what, a hundred million dollars and you did pay A.J. brown, but we keep waiting for him to be traded to the New England Patriots. And I still think A.J. brown's going to be the one who leaves, you know, in June. But, yeah, just the timing of it was interesting. And, you know, I, I'm going to believe what Jeremy is saying. Hey, we've been working on this. To me, it felt like a hit piece that was originated by the Eagles. They wanted this message out. Hey, we've tried. We tried to get through to him. You know, we, we want better body language. Don't be changing the play at the line of script. You know, all of this stuff that's there and you're being paid as a franchise quarterback. It's not. You're not being viewed or treated maybe like a franchise quarterback. So that's. That was the odd part of this. Somebody wanted a hit piece out on Jalen Hurts. But what's the end game here? You got a new offensive coordinator coming in. What happens? I don't know how it helps. That's what I always wonder. Because when I get information, and I've gotten information before, and I know that is, it's slanted, somebody wants to tell me something, so I'll say something about somebody else. And that's why whenever I get something, if it. It is inflammatory or incendiary, I always want to know the other side. I, I at least have to try to get the other side because, you know, we get manipulated. You get played occasionally, but, you know, that's what I would want to know. What is be being said? Who is saying it and why are they saying it? Now, we'll take a break. We'll come back your phone calls, update the poll results. We're back after this.

Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our [e-mail] and within the iHeartRadio app, search FSR to listen live.

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Really? How's this?

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[Dan Patrick]

a big April Fool's Day joke guy, but you know when you have one that happens and you go, okay, you got me. I'm okay with that. But there are some bad ones. Yesterday, I'm going to start with the Washington Wizards. The Wizards had a contest where they blindfolded a guy and he was going to get $10,000 if he made the shot from half court. So the crowd was all in on it, that they were going to act as if he made the shot. Everybody, the announcer, the mascot, everybody's in on it. They're going to celebrate. And he didn't make the shot. And then he takes off the blindfold, and he's going crazy. And then they tell him that it was an April Fool's Day joke. That's not cool. Yeah, Paulie, I've watched a video a

[Paul]

few times, and it does look real. They told him, the announcers, you've won some other prizes from the Wizards gift pack, but we have a note into the Wizards asking if this was real or staged, because that. That's not funny.

[Dan Patrick]

That's mean.

[Paul]

Yeah. If you think you win $10,000 and you win no thousand dollars, you're not laughing.

[Dan Patrick]

They should let him play like he should be able to do. He should be able to suit up and do the layup line.

[Todd]

That's not nice at all.

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[Paul]

Yes, Paul, the other April Fool's jokes trend on social media yesterday were things you'd want to happen that aren't happening. Like, there was a tweet about Entourage coming back for a ninth season. There's a lot of fans of that show.

[Dan Patrick]

Sure.

[Paul]

And people were very fired up about it. And then the. The actual people from Entourage had to say, this was just a joke.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. I don't. It's.

[Paul]

You want to tap people on the shoulder.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. Yes. It's just a. You got me. Like, what's the company? Underdog.

[Paul]

Yeah. Underdog is a fantasy sports company, and about a month ago, they laid off 20% of their staff. They made a joke that they were shutting down a portion of their website and one of their game channels, and it did not go well for them on social media.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, read the room.

[Paul]

After just laying off 20% staff, you make a joke about more layoffs.

[Dan Patrick]

Let's see here. Dylan in Orlando. Hi, Dylan. What's on your mind today?

[Caller Dylan]

Hey, Danny and the men. Even though I'm Dylan from Orlando, I was actually born and raised in Las Vegas, and I hear a lot of people giving out name suggestions for the Vegas basketball team expansion. I have a name that I think is probably the best one. Also a color scheme. My Name is the Vegas Night Owls. Just like the city, they come alive after the sun goes down.

[Paulie]

And I think you can do a

[Caller Dylan]

little cross promotion with the Vegas Golden Knights. And the color scheme would be a dark blue, not quite navy, but kind of a dark night theme blue, and a silver color for the silver state of Nevada. See if you can pass it on to Adam Silver. Thank you and God bless.

[Dan Patrick]

All right. Thank you, Dylan. I think Scorpions might be the leader in the clubhouse. The Vegas Scorpions. Now, you could have a nice logo with that. You could have some fun with the Scorpions. Mike in Wisconsin. Hi, Mike. What's on your mind today?

[Caller Mike]

Hey, good morning, fellas. Thanks. Thanks for taking my call. So, Dan, I got kind of a random one for you. I saw an old clip of the show Dream, Dream Job that was on ESPN way back in the day. Got me thinking, were you involved with

[Caller Dylan]

that show at all?

[Caller Mike]

And how was that received by some of the veteran guys that built SportsCenter that they were bringing in some random person off the street, become an anchor?

[Dan Patrick]

I think it was Mike hall who ended up winning. I think Mike is still a sportscaster.

[Paul]

Big Ten Network.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Paul]

Doing very well.

[Dan Patrick]

We didn't like it at all that it was gimmicky. We weren't asked, by the way, but, you know, we had to come up through the ranks, and we were going to have a contest and let somebody be a Sports center anchor. I think I might have been on set with Mike, his first Sports center, but, you know, I wasn't a fan of it. Now he's proven that he has the talent and has been in the business for quite some time. But at the time, like, we had management doing stupid things that they would be, you know, we had one boss who put a game show, I think it was called Teammates. Yeah, they put a game show in Sports Center. We would do like 25 or 30 minutes, and then we would do a game show with these athletes. And I went, oh, my God. Why? Why? You don't need to. Because the Sports center, espn was making hundreds of million dollars a year, and then you want to screw it up. But, you know, you had management people who wanted to put their stamp on certain products. There I go, no, what are we doing? It's SportsCenter. You don't have to do anything to it. Yes, Todd.

[Todd]

I was working on a show once, and they decided, let's have it be more interactive. So while a guest, it was, happened to be Eric Lindros, who just got traded to the Rangers, while he's physically on set, being inter interviewed for this show. They're putting up comments, both positive and negative, ripping like, go back to Philadelphia. We don't need you. Lindros, like, while he took the time to fly out and do a show,

[Dan Patrick]

you would have these comments, you know, they were scrolling across the bottom of Eric Lindros on camera. You're just going, what are we doing? Remember when we had the Baja Baha Men?

[Todd]

Yes.

[Dan Patrick]

They. We had a house ban for Sports Center.

[Paul]

Whom Let the dogs Out.

[Dan Patrick]

And I'm going, oh, my God, what is going on here? And I remember one of my bosses said, hey, this is going to be awesome. I said, do they play another song other than who Let the Dogs Out? Yeah, I like the early work by the Baja Men. Like, what are we doing? We're gonna have a house band. I'm too old for this. Yes, Paul.

[Paul]

I went back and looked. Dream job was 9-03-Espn. And it was basically an offshoot of what they saw with the success of American Idol. And that was the theory, you know, let's try something. 10,000 people applied. There are 12 finalists. Mike Hall, 1. He went to Mizzou, did very well, and now he's at the big tenant.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. And, you know, Mike has done a good job. I just didn't like that. Hey, anybody can be on SportsCenter. Because that, of course, is not the case. Our job is to make it look fun and easy, and it's not, especially when it's live. And I didn't want somebody to start their career and maybe have a moment where, you know, boom, goes the dynamite. And you're just. Management never conferred with us on. Because we were just effing talent. And they never, ever ask. It's like, why would we ask you? Let's ask a coordinating producer who just got here four days ago. Let's see. Fresh. Fresh in Milwaukee. Hi, Fresh. Welcome back.

[Paulie]

What's up, DP and the Dan X. Well, I got two quick lunchables for you and the boys, and I'm out of here. All right, first, dp, you brought up some great unicorns. And it got me to thinking, have there been any unsuccessful unicorn in sports? Second question is, and this direct off of Todd's Wendy, what current NBA athlete do you think will age best in legacy discussion?

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, you're not. No examples there.

[Caller Mike]

Like, well, we.

[Paulie]

We're going with Todd's wimby. He's saying, you know, maybe the wimby's getting tired. We know sometimes they're moving around the mvp so nobody gets tired of who's winning that. So I'm just thinking like will Ant man, how, how, how well will his legacy hold up?

[Dan Patrick]

I think it's post season success because these guys are all going to put up impressive numbers. Everybody puts up impressive numbers. By the way, I think we had the 40th game this year where a team scored at least 130 points and lost the game, The Wizards. Congratulations. Two hours in the books, one more to go. I do like the Browns. April Fool's joke. I thought that was pretty good. I'll have that for you when we return.

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[Todd]

I want a new phone.

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