NFL | Hoping to one day see what others do in the Eagles’ Wentz

Gotta love 6-5, 237-pound rookie QB Carson Wentz's running ability, but you have to wonder: Will new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, a protégé of Andy Reid, allow the youngster to keep it as part of his arsenal?

by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

It’s never been about the lower level.

It’s never been about the hype that just snowballed out of control.

It’s never been about lazy, brain-dead comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco that show a complete grasp of nothing.

Don’t care about the autograph refusal, the self-promoting literary drivel or the stupid comments, either.

Nope, not at all.

My concern about Carson Wentz is, has been and always will be, until he proves me otherwise, about one thing: what my eyes are telling me … and they’re telling me, hell, they’re screaming at me, that he is a highly flawed prospect who didn’t dominate in college football. At that lower level.

Frankly, not seeing the same thing others are. Oh, am watching the same stuff. It’s just not registering the same. His game film, even the highlight material, is just pockmarked with sloppy ballhandling and misfiring of throws. He’s often late and off-target, especially high, when attempting to connect with receivers.

Now, others are privy to the same as me. But, apparently, what they’re watching either doesn’t register with them or it doesn’t bother them.

It does with me, and it does bother me.

Don’t see the ball exploding out of his hand, either. Yeah, in practice at the Senior Bowl, when you can set and really wind up and consciously throw as hard as possible, perhaps Wentz’s passes had some zip to them. But those aren’t exactly game-condition examples of what he can do.

Have seen plenty, and not really wowed by any with him.

So, what about the FCS?

Thing is, playing at that level is not worthy of the colossal sneeze that experts and Johnny Come Latelys seem to unleash ad nauseam as their “only concern.” Frankly, Eagles fans should know better. One of the greatest players in the history of their favorite franchise – Brian Westbrook – was a FCS product, out of nearby Villanova.

Flacco, even though he started at Pitt, was, too, having starred at Delaware.

So, it’s not like Wentz is venturing into unchartered waters here, attempting to make the leap from that non-FBS level to become the main man, or top performer, for an NFL franchise.

Only he was never was that at the lower level. It’s not like he was a four-year starter and Payton Award winner the way Westbrook was, or a first-team All-America performer who carried his team to the FCS title game the way Flacco did.

Oh, Wentz won a couple titles with North Dakota State, but the Bison likely were going to grab them anyway since they’d already won three straight before he started and gone 8-0 with him sidelined due to injury last fall.

Ironically enough, his college stats are incredibly reminiscent of those posted by the guy he’ll be replacing at the pro level: Sam Bradford. Aside from a good TD-to-INT ratio, remarkably unremarkable.

Yeah, Wentz threw for 3,100 yards his first season as a starter. He also needed 16 games in order to reach that figure. Check his entire log for that effort in 2014 and it will scream “average.” So, too, will the tape.

Yeah, he’s experienced a 300 yards passing game. Once. That’s exactly half the amount of games he racked up 100 yards rushing – which actually shines a positive light on an intriguing aspect to Wentz’s game. One, unfortunately, that will be “refined” out of his arsenal by head coach Andy Reid 2.0 if this really, truly is a reprisal of 1999 and Donovan McNabb.

But, let’s digress … and let’s stop with the uninformed blowhard commentary about how Wentz is very similar to Big Ben in so many ways, just that he’s faster.

Oh, really? Check out the numbers from where Wentz further jumped up draft board in cartoonish fashion, the Combine. The kid ran a 4.77 in the 40 – good, but .02 slower than Big Ben ran when he was put through the motions at the NFL’s annual meat-market event.

Sorry, those are just the facts … and visual evidence, neither of which have me sold on Wentz.

The concern remains. Until he shows he can alleviate it.
​ 

CARSON IN COLLEGE

20
​Wins as starting QB

3
Losses as starting QB

8
​Games missed due to injury

8
​Playoff games as starting QB

2
​National titles as starting QB

5,115
​Yards passing

45
​TDs passing

14
​INTs passing

64.1
Completion percentage

8.4
​Yards per passing attempt

1,028
Yards rushing

13
​TDs rushing

4
​Fumbles lost

4.8
​Yards per rushing attempt

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