In just a matter of hours, Wentz went from a third-string quarterback with little chance of playing this season to becoming the first Eagles quarterback to start the opening game of his rookie season since Davey O’Brien in 1939. That includes Daniel, whom Wentz passed on the depth chart when Bradford was traded.
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On Monday, Pederson broke the news to reporters that Wentz is his quarterback this season.
The Cleveland Browns will begin the 2016 National Football League season with 13 drafted rookies on the roster, although the focus heading into Sunday’s opener is on a player the Browns did not take. It’s a risk to divert from public opinion, but if DePodesta and the Browns didn’t view Wentz as a starter, there’s no need to pay an exorbitant cost.
“At that time, he wasn’t the right fit for us”, Jackson said. He only attempted 612 passes. It has happened only once before and it’s likely not many of you remember because it happened in 1939, when Davey O’Brien started the opener after being taken first overall in the draft. “Now, of course, Browns fans are sitting there going, ‘We should have taken Carson Wentz!’ We always want somebody else’s quarterback”.
All of that said, it’s increasingly obvious Reich weighed in on the Birds’ decision to move up to the second overall pick for Wentz.
“That’s just the type of person, the type of quarterback we have”, Pederson said. “The team they traded with was Philadelphia”. It is going to be about us. DGB is a big target that will be beneficial to throw to down in the red zone, which they need since the Eagles weren’t so great in the red-zone last season. Wentz will start for the Eagles against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
With that said, Pederson also mentioned Wentz’s running ability, something Sam Bradford didn’t bring, and also said he doesn’t want to “harness” or hold back Wentz’s deep passing ability. The Eagles had added LB Quentin Gause, too, but released him to make room for either Turner or Smith.
“Things changed around here pretty quickly. Just at that time, we chose to go in a different direction”. “In fact, I don’t even think that even factors into his thinking”.
Pederson may have signed off on the trade, but it had de facto general manager Howie Roseman’s fingerprints all over it.
“We have to make judgments on the individual players and we’re not always going to be right”, DePodesta told Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland. Trendy sophomore David Johnson managed just 438 rushing yards, and the defense, seen as a strength in real life, was shredded on a regular basis. Pederson was asked how the coaching staff can tell whether he’s absorbing the game plan being installed for Week 1 against Cleveland.
“It’s just kind of an inherent characteristic and part of my personality”, Wentz said.
Just after picking Wentz on the Draft day, the Eagles already thought of making him the future of the team even into the dislike of Bradford.
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“The championship games over his career, just seeing how well he led his football team, the toughness, not only mentally but physically, some of the pounding that he took just showed you that he was very capable of handling the National Football League”, Pederson said. “So Carson’s been exposed to everything in our game plan that we put into today, what we’ll put in tomorrow and on Friday”, he said. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big deal, big moment for me and I’m excited for it, but I’m not trying to make it bigger than it needs to be.
