The Eagles continue to make coach Nick Sirianni available for regular press conferences. He continues to say as little as possible about the Jalen Hurts situation.
On Thursday, Sirianni was asked whether he agrees with the NFL Players Association seeking a full investigation of the handling of the situation.
“Guys, I’m not going to go into any of that,” Sirianni said. “I respect your question. Obviously, I understand that everybody has questions about this, and I care deeply about Jalen and I want -- his wellbeing is first and foremost, but really, I’m here to talk about the Cowboys and our team in this week of practice.”
Hey, at least the reporters tried. That said, they had an opportunity o Wednesday to get some answers from offensive coordinator Sean Mannion on collateral questions relating to the Hurts situation, but didn’t.
Mannion was asked a couple of Hurts questions regarding his role in assisting Tanner McKee.
“He’s been around, and I know -- Just speaking on the Jalen thing, obviously, just want him to get healthy and just care for the guy and the work that he puts into our team each and every week,” Mannion said. “Certainly, want him to continue to be around and be a positive impact for us while he’s getting himself healthy. That’s the ultimate priority. He was around last week, and I know he’s tackling the health stuff he’s got going on, but he’ll still be a big positive impact anytime he’s around the team.”
Although the Eagles are committed to citing patient privacy when asked about Hurts’s condition (despite the fact that his entire diagnosis has been disclosed via multiple statements), there were areas on which Mannion may have helped shed useful light.
When did you find out Jalen had been taken to the hospital?
Did players ask you about Jalen’s trip to the hospital?
After Jalen went to the hospital, did you believe there was a chance Jalen wouldn’t play the game in London?
Did you at any point begin getting Tanner McKee ready to play?
When did you know Jalen would definitely play?
For how long did you not know whether Jalen would be available?
While unrelated to the diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis, specific questions about Mannion’s knowledge, impressions, and actions relating to the preparation of McKee would shed light on the failure of the team to downgrade Hurts to “questionable” for the game. Because, certainly, there was a point at which his availability to play was in question.
Mannion also could have been asked when Hurts first complained about issues with his calf, and whether he noticed any limitations to his mobility during practice. Mannion also could have been asked whether the decision to not use the tush push play on fourth and 1 from the Jacksonville 37 was influenced by Hurts’s condition.
The broader question for the organization, as noted by Chris Simms on Thursday’s PFT Live, is the failure of the team to make G.M. Howie Roseman available at any point over the past week to address the situation. He runs the show. He surely is the one person in the best position to answer any and all questions about how it was handled.
Apart from whether the situation was handled properly from a medical and football standpoint, the Eagles have done a poor job of providing meaningful answers to obvious questions. While those questions will be unavoidable in the coming investigation under the CBA, the Eagles apparently have successfully run out the clock as it relates to media inquiries.