Nick Sirianni, Robert Saleh share candid reaction to late hit on Jalen Hurts

Early in Friday night’s preseason game between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets, Jets linebacker Quincy Williams leveled a late hit on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. That prompted an NSFW reaction from Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni, and he discussed that afterward.

Hurts, the former Alabama and Oklahoma star, was alright after the huge hit in the first quarter, but Sirianni clearly wasn’t happy. Cameras caught him yelling at Jets coach Robert Saleh, but he made sure to clarify in the postgame press conference he wasn’t upset with Saleh.

He was simply standing up for his quarterback.

“I wasn’t mad at Coach Saleh,” Sirianni said after the game, via ProFootballTalk. “I was mad at the situation. I was more mad at the player than Coach Saleh. Coach Saleh is a great guy. I have so much respect for him. It was just emotions of the game.

“I was just sticking up for Jalen. I’ll never apologize for sticking up for my players. I should have handled it a little bit better than I did. Obviously, I didn’t want that hit to happen on the sideline. I know it happens, and I know it’s football. I was more mad at the situation, not mad at Coach Saleh.”

Robert Saleh: Quincy Williams hit on Jalen Hurts was ‘egregiously awful’

Saleh also addressed the play and voiced his displeasure with it, especially since it resulted in a penalty. He added it goes back to extending drives, which can’t happen against an offense as explosive as the Eagles’.

“I talked to him after the game,” Saleh said. “Egregiously awful from Quincy, and he knows that. He knows better. And those are the plays that Quincy has to get out of his game if he wants to become the linebacker that I think he can be, that we all think he can be. It’s one thing to make a mistake in the game, it’s another thing to make a mistake that leads to points, touchdowns.

“It’s a good drive, we’re off the field, Jalen is a phenomenal quarterback, and to stop them, hold them to a field goal after giving up an explosive — pretty good showing for the first drive. Then to have that happen extends the drive. Anytime you extend the drive like that it’s probably going to lead to bigger points. So Quincy knows, but at the same time those are the plays he’s got to get out of his game if he wants to be the player we think he can be.”