Hurts, in particular, thrives amid the noise.
“It’s one of the reasons we build the roster the way we do with some of the people we do, like Jalen,” Lurie said. “You have to have that resilience and understanding, especially in the world today. If you can’t block out most of the noise, you’re not going to maximally perform. And Jalen is one of those where, the more noise there is, the better he performs.”
The issues are not, of course, magically fixed heading into Sunday’s rematch with the Giants. Brown, for one, was ruled out on Friday due to a hamstring injury. The issues among the principals also still exist, whether it’s questions about how proficient the offense is being run, if there are enough targets to go around, and anything in between.
Still, knowing that the Philly media and fan base is going to be loud creates a certain preparation that has served the team well.
“If you know there’s going to be lots of noise every single season, you prepare for how to deal with the noise in advance,” Lurie explained this past week. “Players hear the noise. But they are very well-prepared players for noise. It’s like OK, we’re going to be as successful as we can be and we’re hopeful to play our best ball at the best times. But there’s going to be things along the way.”
Among coach Nick Sirianni’s superpowers is how to push the right buttons in the locker room. He values culture and fosters a strong one. So, when things aren’t perfect, the foundation can hold it up.
That’s going to be key for Philly this season as they look to repeat as Super Bowl champs.
“Culture takes care of things that provide both resilience and support systems and minimizes noise,” Lurie said. “And that’s a big deal in today’s world of sports. It’s a long season. There’s going to be lulls and there’s going to be noise. And if you know there’s going to be lots of noise every single season, you prepare for how to deal with the noise in advance.”
And if there is one thing Lurie and there rest of the brass knows, it’s that the fans have the highest of expectations.
“We’ve had that for 25 years,” Lurie said. “No one has higher expectations than us. We’re very self-critical and disciplined and we hope that brings success.”