“The whole time, all along, it was just getting ready for whenever this time would come”, Wentz said during his Monday afternoon press conference.
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“I think if you hit the ball clean, wherever you are at, it can be good and you can also get to where you can outkick your coverage a little bit in the altitude”.
Now he’s the starter in Philadelphia for Week 1 and fate has decided the opponent is the team that didn’t want him. “I felt like I’ve developed at a fast pace”. “Now it’s here and I’m really confident in myself and confident in this team”.
Wentz attempted only 24 passes, completing 12, in the preseason and missed three games and two weeks of practice because of injury.
The original plan obviously changed when the Minnesota Vikings made the Eagles a trade offer they couldn’t refuse.
“We drafted him to take on the reins”, Pederson said.
“It’s still one snap away”, Daniel said. 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. Would an ideal situation be later than sooner? “We’ve got a great defense and special teams and offensive line and good runners, so all the pieces are here for him to be successful and for us to win some games”. Bringing Wentz in and having him start would have continued this cycle, which is one no quarterback should want to be a part of.
He also needs to get familiar with the starting offense. Paxton Lynch, the third quarterback taken in the first round, attempted 1,205.
Wentz is a proven victor. So Pederson is giving Wentz the keys not to be accompanied by a short leash. 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. “There’s nothing different I need to do now. It’s still football, still be the same guy”.
Jackson was asked what the thinking was in not drafting Wentz and trading the pick to Philadelphia.
Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz was crouched in a South Jersey cornfield last weekend, waiting to blast some geese out of the sky, when he found out Sam Bradford had been traded.
“I thanked him for everything he’s done in helping me and really being a mentor to me”, said Wentz. Backups that might not make other teams make the Browns and then get thrust into starting roles if the starters are injured. While I wouldn’t expect the coaching staff to say that their prize rookie looks awful, they could have said that he needed more development time (especially if they didn’t want Bradford to feel threatened). “I believe everything is going to work out to where I can play”. It’s about what gives us the best shot to win going forward. Carson’s ready for this and it’s about him now. And that’s fine and we’re going to get behind that and roll with it.
Meanwhile, Wentz would sit on the bench. Looking forward to seeing how this one plays out.
Much like the Eagles believed they could possibly sneak into the playoffs with Bradford in a weak division, the Vikings think they can make their way deep into the postseason with Bradford.
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“I just knew ever since OTAs this summer”, Wentz said.
