Be like Mike? Jalen Hurts gets championship tip from Michael Jordan

National Post

3 days ago

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts calls Michael Jordan a friend — the two cigar aficionados were photographed rubbing shoulders over the summer in Greece — so when the retired Chicago Bulls great offers advice, it's perhaps best to listen.
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Jordan won six NBA titles, including two separate runs of three straight, so his words of wisdom to Hurts following the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl victory resonated with the QB.
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At the top of the list?
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'He used every word but repeat,' Hurts said with a laugh.
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One by one, from coach Nick Sirianni to Hurts to general manager Howie Roseman to offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, the Eagles stood firm Wednesday on the first day of training camp that the word 'repeat' for the 2024 champions is not part of the vernacular around the complex.
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'We're not defending nothing,' Mailata said, later tossing in a profanity for emphasis. 'We're not the defending champs. We're the 2024 world champs, that's it.'
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Hurts, who won Super Bowl MVP honors in the Eagles' 40-22 thrashing over Kansas City, said he appreciated Jordan's advice. The best approach in 2025 is for the Eagles to took at the season as a blank canvas, that it's 'purely about resetting,' rather than rambling on about a repeat, which would shift focus to what they accomplished last season.
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Maybe that's why Hurts was never photographed wearing the Super Bowl ring in the scores of photos released on social media from last week's ceremony. While most Eagles players were snapped flashing the gaudy bling, Hurts simply held the box in his photos.
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Hurts was cryptic when asked if he actually slipped on the ring — which include wings on each side that release from the bezel and feature 145 diamonds, celebrating the Eagles' 145 points scored in the playoffs.
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'I've moved on to the new year,' Hurts said. 'It's as simple as that.'
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Hurts did say the ceremony allowed him to appreciate the Super Bowl 'one last time.'
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Only the ones in uniform have truly moved on from the Super Bowl.
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Super Bowl swag blanketed fans and most of them stopped to pose next to the oversized Super Bowl replica ring that greeted them as they made the walk to the field. Fans in Super Bowl gear crushed beers in the parking lot as they waited for the gates to open for camp.
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Unlike the diehard revelers, Mailata noted, 'I'm not trying to be hung over.'
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Mailata was talking about the so-called Super Bowl hangover, of course, and how the Eagles are taking steps like banning the word repeat in a bid to … well, win a Super Bowl for the second straight season. The players who talked to the media bulked up on buzzwords such as chemistry and culture, and reiterated the 'tough, detailed, together' mantra that inspired them last season.