Sirianni is most accurate in this response. Unlike other sports, football requires more reliable execution from every participant between the lines. It is the most interdependent sport of the major four in America, and the most difficult for one to dominate individually.

One cannot overlook a key detail within this reality, though: Philadelphia’s roster has also been constructed by one of the savviest general managers in sports, Howie Roseman. Hurts is surrounded by an incredibly talented cast of contributors.

The same arguments were made against Tom Brady for a good portion of his career, in which some truth existed. The first Patriots dynasty won largely on the backs of their defense and an unrelenting ground attack. But eventually, detractors were forced to relent due to both the sheer amount of success Brady enjoyed and the fact they transformed into an explosive air attack in their second run of dominance.

Hurts is on a somewhat similar pace. He’s already reached two Super Bowls before turning 27, and despite going 1-1 in those games, he was excellent in both. It’s fair to argue he was even better in his team’s loss than his win, and it’s not his fault he didn’t need to throw for 350 yards in order to win a Lombardi Trophy.

“One of the reasons I love football so much is that it takes everybody to accomplish your goals,” Sirianni said. “Listen, you name great quarterbacks, you can go ahead and start naming great quarterbacks. I’ll tell you their great receivers and their great defense.

“You know? Whether it’s Brady with (Rob) Gronkowski or Brady’s defenses, Mahomes with (Travis) Kelce, Steve Young with Jerry Rice. The list goes on and on and on.”

Debates fuel discussion in every arena, and especially in sports. There’s air time and digital space to fill, and nothing does it better than a good argument. Expect the same to persist regarding Hurts for quite some time.

“It’s good debate, I guess,” Sirianni continued. “I wouldn’t even say it’s a good debate, but it’s a debate that people are able to have. But yeah.

“I guess my first thing, my first initial thing was, this is bulls—.”