The Philadelphia Eagles call an audible at the line of scrimmage in the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Field, 17-9 winning over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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These moves give the Eagles a projected offensive line with Jason Peters at left tackle, Seumalo at left guard, Jason Kelce at center, Brandon Brooks at right guard and Barbre at right tackle.
Pederson’s first preseason game as an National Football League coach, Thursday night, August 18, at Lincoln Financial Field against Tampa Bay, ought to produce more memories, for Pederson and for his rookie quarterback, Carson Wentz – the Bismarck (N.D.) Century High School and North Dakota State standout.
Pederson and the Eagles staked their futures on Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick from North Dakota State who came to the Eagles in a blockbuster trade in April. Wentz threw an interception in the red zone, which was returned for a hefty chunk of yardage, thanks largely in part to his tendency to throw balls a little higher than necessary. But he also showed, as Pederson noted, tenacity, poise, a strong arm and plenty of athletic skill. Wentz is currently third on the depth chart behind Bradford and Chase Daniel but will now miss time due to the rib injury. I think Wentz will be starting by mid -season. Meanwhile, Johnson ran with the second team and, during individual drills, was holding a dummy bag while line coach Jeff Stoutland coached up rookie fifth-round pick Halapoulivaati Vaitai. And it was nearly as if the Birds squeezed Daniel into an unnecessary three-quarterback rotation, and at an annual fee of about $7 million, just to add sparkle to whatever Wentz would do. He needed to beat one man, safety Kimario McFadden, who planted his feet and then upended Wentz.
“I was just hoping I didn’t land on my neck”, Wentz said. “But I landed fine”.
The great thing you hear about Wentz from coaches and scouts is that he’s the kind of guy who will get back up after big hits.
Michael Vick is no stranger to the Philadelphia Eagles as he played for the team in 2009 following his prison stint.
Pederson will script some plays for Wentz and for all the QBs, he said. He took some shots.
I was impressed by the way he recognized the Nickel blitz off of the slot receiver and threw the ball to the hot receiver. “I thought he was quick in his decision making and he got the ball out quick”. The 6-5, 237-pound rookie completed 12 of 24 passes for 89 yards, avoided being sacked and led one drive to a field goal. He mentioned needing to be more accurate, to not waste scoring opportunities and to be more decisive in the pocket. Thursday, Wentz routinely seemed on time on slant routes, on outside breaking routes and in transition off play-action. In the receiving end, Jordan Matthews had 997 yards and eight touchdowns in 85 receptions while Zach Ertz added 853 yards and two touchdowns in 75 catches.
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It’s clear that the Eagles will have to get pressure on the quarterback to have a chance. “We’ve just got to continue to to work with him on a daily basis and get him where he needs to be”.
