PHILADELPHIA — Toward the end of Jalen Hurts’ postgame press conference Sunday night, an Eagles staffer pronounced, “OK, two more questions!” A reporter started to follow up a line of inquiry with another question about the trouble with the team’s passing offense. Hurts cut him off and held up his hand with two fingers and said, “Peace,” and then abruptly walked off the podium and out the door, stage left. Hurts had missed multiple throws to receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith against Carolina. He didn’t throw off target, he never threw at all. The problem wasn’t schematic — the open throws were there. The routes were there. Hurts just didn’t see them or didn’t pull the trigger. Minutes prior to taking the interview stage, and just before reporters were escorted into the Birds’ locker room, Hurts, Brown and Smith had words. It’s why defensive end Brandon Graham publicly revealed a rift the next day, on his radio program, and it’s why Hurts was so miffed when he got behind the mic after the game. The Eagles had just won their ninth straight game, yet Hurts and the offense were still getting criticized, not only from the outside – which is annoying but goes with the territory – but from inside the locker room, from teammates and friends. Brown, one of the best receivers in all of football, was targeted only four times against the Panthers. Imagine targeting Terrell Owens only four times in a game. If you look at the tape, Brown was open at least six additional times, not including 50-50 coverage. Smith was targeted six times. That’s not enough, either. This team runs through Saquon Barkley, whose open running spaces are often created by having Brown and Smith on the outside, but that doesn’t mean the Eagles should become one-dimensional. Hurts repeatedly opted for underneath throws instead of open throws to his explosive receivers. Perhaps he was afraid of turning the ball over. He looked almost as bad against Carolina as he did in the first month of the season, but the difference was, he didn’t commit a turnover. Maybe that fact was in his head, not throwing an interception. This is why Jalen Hurts was a second-round pick. This is why he was benched at halftime of a national championship game when he was with Alabama. This is why he eventually transferred to Oklahoma after losing his starting job. He’s in his fifth year in the league and he still seems to have problems reading defenses. Or he’s gun-shy. That’s not to say that a second-round pick — or a sixth-round pick, like Tom Brady — can’t be a great and natural quarterback. But Hurts isn’t a natural quarterback. Growing up, he was the best athlete on the field and a coach’s son, but that doesn’t mean he was a natural quarterback. Like in baseball, the best athlete usually plays shortstop, pitches and bats third or cleanup. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a natural hitter or natural pitcher at the next levels. Sometimes it does. Often it doesn’t. “We’re good, we’re good,” Hurts said on Wednesday, smiling, about his relationship with Brown. “B.G. knows he spoke out of place, and he knows that. “Sometimes things as dynamics change, but, for him, he (A.J. Brown) knows I have a lot of love for him, just like I’ve got a lot of love for all these guys,” Hurts said. “Ultimately, he’s a guy that’s a competitor. He wants to win. He damn sure wants the ball, and he wants to make an impact in the game. And I respect that. That’s just like all of us.” OK, so they’re laying it off on Brandon Graham. And why not? He’s a veteran leader on injured reserve who spoke out of turn. B.G. has no problem taking the hit, and he and head coach Nick Sirianni clearly took that tact. “Me and Jalen are good,” Brown said, also smiling. “You know, they perceive what I said about passing, it felt like it was an attack on Jalen. … Me and Jalen’s relationship is personal. Me and his relationship are good. We’re trying to go out here and do our job each and every Sunday. It’s not personal or business. B.G.’s just speaking, and he just kept speaking, and it’s whatever.” The rift among Hurts, Brown and the receiving corps actually did seem mended on Wednesday. Time will tell. • • • Enough with the criticism that Nick Sirianni “doesn’t call the plays.” Most NFL head coaches don’t call offensive plays. Andy Reid does. Mike McDaniel does in Miami. Sean McVay, whose Rams the Eagles destroyed on Sunday Night Football a few weeks ago, calls his own plays. A handful of others do, but most don’t. Dan Campbell doesn’t in Detroit, and his team is in first place in his division. Mike Tomlin doesn’t in Pittsburgh (first place). The Bills’ Sean McDermott doesn’t (first place). Houston’s DeMeco Ryans doesn’t (first place). Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles doesn’t (first place). Vince Lombardi didn’t. Bill Parcells didn’t. They were pretty good. The head coach usually isn’t the coordinator, unless he chooses to take on that role, and lots of them who aren’t Reid or Bill Walsh find themselves in over their heads. The head coach sets the culture and the agenda, coaches the coaches, teaches throughout the week, and has final say on everything, including on game day. Sirianni, as much as he deserved criticism for last season’s collapse, deserves credit for this season’s success so far.