There is already plenty of intrigue surrounding Sunday’s tilt between the Giants and Philadelphia Eagles that it doesn’t really need much more to stoke the fires between the NFC East Rivals. But the crucial divisional clash will mark a pair of reunions of sorts as Brian Daboll faces Jalen Hurts, who he coached at Alabama and James Bradberry squares off with his former team.
With the importance placed on the game, it would almost be easy to forget about the extra narratives going into the game. But Hurts has become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and Bradberry has been an important piece for Philadelphia on the defensive side of the ball.
Daboll had nothing but praise for the Eagles’ star quarterback, who he coached during his time as the offensive coordinator at Alabama.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Jalen. Tremendous person first and foremost,” Daboll said before Wednesday’s practice. “Highly competitive, extremely smart, great leader, (it’s) the reason why he’s probably at the top of the list for MVP right now. Playing with a great team, you can go on and on about Jalen. He means a lot to me.”
Hurts has been otherworldly for the Eagles and will only add to the tough task ahead for the Giants’ defense on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The Eagles’ star QB has thrown 2,940 total yards this season, has a completion percentage of 68.1% and in 12 starts he has just thrown three interceptions.
None of the success has come as a surprise to his former offensive coordinator.
“He’s always been really good. He’s won a lot wherever he’s been,” Daboll said. “He’s a winner, (and) he’s a leader at that position. I think he can galvanize a locker room, which obviously he’s done. He’s made every throw he’s had to make, he’s tough to bring down when he runs, whether it’s design runs or scrambles. He’s just gotten better and better like a lot of young guys do that have a lot of talent. He’s just gotten better and better.”
The Giants will be even more familiar with Bradberry when he steps onto the field Sunday in an Eagles jersey. Bradberry signed with Philadelphia in the offseason after he became a casualty of the Giants’ cap situation.
Now he’s become one of their best weapons this season racking up 30 total tackles, three interceptions, 14 pass breakups and a defensive touchdown. He holds a coverage grade of 81.2 by Pro Football Focus and a 76.2 grade overall.
While the outside perception may be to expect Bradberry to have extra motivation going into Sunday’s game, it hasn’t been something that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni had noticed. A.J. Brown went through a similar scenario last week when he went against his former squad and Sirianni’s advice had been to just stay focused on your routine and don’t get involved in the emotions.
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“When I said that to James this morning I looked at him and I go, ‘I think you’re the last person I need to say this to,'” Sirianni said in a conference call with York reporters. “Because he’s so calm and even-keeled. And he doesn’t get too up and he doesn’t get too down. He’s the last person I needed to say, hey don’t let playing this team affect your preparation for the week. Just be ready to go.
“And when I was saying that to him that’s exactly what I said cause I know what a great pro he is.”
