Days before Super Bowl LIX, Averion Hurts still hadn’t quite figured out the family’s travel plans over to New Orleans.
But the longtime Channelview head coach and father of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts just knows he will be in the building at Caesars Superdome come game time – maybe.
Jalen and the Eagles will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl, which will be their second such meeting in the last three years.
“When you get into those things, logistics are totally different than the outside world can think,” Averion said in a conversation with The Defender. “It’s different, but hopefully everyone will be there to support him… if not, I love watching TV because I can cuss at the TV.
“In the stadium, I have to act like his dad. At home, I can be me. Ain’t nothing but the walls here.”
Of course, Averion is only joking. He will definitely be in the building as a proud father of the young man he raised and coached at Channelview.
“I’m proud of him, but I’m happy for him because I understand the hard work he put in along the way,” Averion said of the Eagles’ return to the Super Bowl stage. “Two times in three years ain’t normal. I’m happy for him and his teammates and everybody involved in the organization. They’re back.”
Indeed they are.
Also back is the matchup that produced a thriller during Super Bowl LVII in 2022, in which the Eagles came up three points short (38-35) to begin the Chiefs’ current two-championship run. But it’s also the second time that these two Texas-bred quarterbacks go head-to-head on the NFL’s biggest stage. Mahomes is a product of Whitehouse High School and then went on to Texas Tech before being picked 10th overall by the Chiefs in the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, Mahomes has become the most accomplished quarterback with three Super Bowl titles and three Super Bowl MVPs to his credit.
Meanwhile, Jalen has become one of the NFL’s best and most successful quarterbacks after being drafted in the second round (53 overall) in 2020 after starring at Alabama and Oklahoma.
In a state that hasn’t always been known for producing great quarterbacks, Jalen and Mahomes seem to have changed the narrative.
“It speaks volumes to me for them,” Averion said. “Being a high school coach and a member of the THSCA (Texas High School Coaches Association) and to have two young men anytime, but when you say a rematch and for the second time… When you say both quarterbacks are from the state of Texas, it’s an honor to be able to call yourself a Texas high school coach. And for one of the players to happen to be your son, that’s a little extra.”
It’s also a little extra because it’s just the second time that two Black quarterbacks are facing off in the Super Bowl. The first time was when Jalen and Mahomes met in 2022.
While Averion believes that storyline is now in the past, there is also no questioning the growth of the Black quarterback in the NFL. The AFC and NFC Championship Games this postseason almost featured four Black quarterbacks playing for the right to go to the Super Bowl, but Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens came up short against Buffalo, leaving Washington Commanders’ rookie Jayden Daniels, Jalen and Mahomes to vie for the two Super Bowl spots. The Eagles, of course, smashed the upstart Commanders and their spectacular young quarterback, 55-23, during the NFL Championship Game.
The FULL STORY 💚🦅
— Shiba Russell (@ShibaRussell) February 12, 2023
My rare, in-person interview with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ Dad, Averion Hurts, just 2 days before Super Bowl 57. We met up at the @turkeyleghut pop up in Tempe, one of his fav Black-owned bizs from back home in Houston. pic.twitter.com/f2ecX8qN5x
“I think the narrative is flipped because there are so many talented young men out there playing and still coming and of all colors. It’s not like it was before when it was, `You’re a hell of an athlete or whatever and you don’t need to play this position. You’ve got to play something else,’” Averion said. “Lamar might win his third MVP, but you weren’t supposed to play quarterback.”
But now the focus is on the rematch and Jalen getting a chance to right the little wrongs that played a part in the Eagles’ narrow loss to the Chiefs the last time.
Jalen had a spectacular game. The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback completed 27-of-38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown while running for 70 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
“I’ve moved on,” Hurts said to the Philadelphia media.
But Averion sees it for the opportunity that it is.
“If they were fortunate enough to come out with a win, it’s great to have it against the people who beat you the last time,” he said. “No matter what, you want to get the win, but to get it against someone who kept you from it the last time, that adds a little extra sweetness to it.”
Being able to hold the Lombardi Trophy after this season might be a little extra special after all Jalen has endured this season. He suffered a concussion and knee injury while also dealing with some scrutiny as the team shifted to being more run-focused with the addition of running back Saquon Barkley to combine with Jalen’s dual-threat abilities.
“Those things are about personal challenges, but if the whole goal is winning you don’t really care how. An old ugly bear knows nothing, as the old folks used to say,” Averion said. “It’s a deal where they had their ups and downs. They had a good start early, then they had some injuries and a couple of guys were out and then they came back and they started running the ball and they became really dominant.
“It’s the ability to answer the phone when it rings. If you are needed to do something, then you’d better be ready to show it when it happens. If not, you have one game left, and I could care less how they win. Just win.”
