As the regular season nears its conclusion and the Eagles prepare for what they hope will be a deep playoff run, their goal is to secure the NFC’s top seed, which would keep them from having to do much traveling. When Hurts is on the road, though, he likes to stay as routine-oriented as possible, whether that means getting on airplane WiFi to watch college football on Saturdays, or acclimating to a hotel that’s out in the boonies.
Which cities on the NFL schedule get you extra excited? Where are you the most geeked up to play?
It’s always great to go to the places where you win. But for me, it’s always great to go back to Houston. I am at home when I’m in Houston. I’ve only had the opportunity to play there once, but all of my childhood was there. For that game, I had about 30 family and friends. That was a great moment, for sure.
How does your preparation and game day routine change for a home game vs. a road game?
I try to keep it as consistent as possible, especially with my daily prayers and devotionals—my spiritual time, I guess you would call it. Maybe I’ll listen to church, or listen to some good music. I’ll check in with my family on FaceTime. I try to keep everything with me that I need, so the routine is as good as possible.
What’s your move on the plane?
What I like to do on the plane is take notes of whatever I’ve been doing all week. I like to saturate in my preparation for the week. I’ve found that the plane gives me a lot of time to take a deep dive into scripture, and then go back on my week of notes and the game plan for the opponent. Those things are very important to me, and I feel like you have to intentionally pursue them to continue to build wisdom. Once I’m done, maybe I’ll catch an Alabama or Oklahoma game, because we travel on Saturdays.
I would love to experience the team flight after a big road win. Can you put into words what that vibe is like?
Yeah, the plane environment—[chuckles]—is eclectic. Everyone is processing what happened in their own way, that’s what makes it special. That’s always fun. You may have a gang of teammates watching the film together, you may have a gang of teammates talking about the game, you may have a gang of teammates joking and enjoying themselves. It’s a great environment, for sure.
Do you immediately pull up the film, or do you let it breathe?
No, I watch the film. Again, I think about the routine. There’s always an eagerness to see what I could have done better. I even have the same routine for home games. I go down to my office, watch the game, and be very critical of myself. Nothing changes on the plane. I think watching film on the plane, as a quarterback, you get the opportunity to immediately talk to your teammates about what you saw and get everyone’s opinions. I get the opportunity to talk to my coaches, as well, about areas of improvement. It’s a fun process! Honestly, it’s an underrated thing when it comes to quarterbacking: learning from the game and moving on to the next opponent.
When you’re packing for a road trip, what are the must-haves?
I need the toiletry bag, my brush, and a wave cap. That’s for home and away games. Another essential is my iPad. That’s a Jalen Hurts work-mandated thing. I can’t go anywhere without it.
Do you still like being in a hotel?
You know, football is different from the other sports because we don’t travel as much. But when we do, it’s more people traveling. So it depends on the city. Sometimes you’re staying in more rural areas, and sometimes you’re staying in well-established downtown areas. I enjoy seeing what each hotel has to offer.
One thing that is mandatory is having a microwave in my room. There’s always an issue when I go to warm up my food. We’ll run into fans that are staying at the hotel, roaming around the hallways, going floor to floor. When you’re at the hotel, you just want to relax and get geared up for the next day. Sometimes that’s challenging when you’re moving around. When I get to a new city, there are times when I’ll go out to eat, but that’s rare. I like being able to chill, soak in the time, and reset for what’s to come: Sunday fun day.
Where are some of the places where you have to stay in a rural area?
We played in Cincinnati this year. It’s a great place, it kind of reminds me of Oklahoma or parts of Texas. But I had no idea where we were, and didn’t know what to expect. That’s no knock! I just had no idea. When you stay in places like that—which was a great hotel, a big convention center hotel—compared to staying in LA by the Staples Center or Midtown in Dallas, you notice the difference. But every trip brings its own memory, and that’s what’s special about it.
