NFL | Philly already throwing caution to the wind with regard to Wentz

Eagles QB Carson Wentz avoids Tampa Bay pass rush while looking for a receiver downfield Thursday night in the NFL preseason opener for both teams.

by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

No doubt there is power in positive thinking.

It’s just, ya know, things get a little, umm, out there with no spotters involved sometimes with all that emotional lifting, or at least a voice of reason to step in there with one of these, “uhh, maybe you want to sit on that for a bit before going all ‘Donald Trump’ in your head.”

Or going all stream-of-conscious vocal like him.

Not for nothing, but all the hub-bub about Carson Wentz’s debut with the Eagles … well, it probably ought to be reeled in a bit. For sanity’s sake.

Got it. As supporters of the team, as lifelong investors in Philly’s NFL franchise, fans want the kid to be good. Hell, they want him to be great. Above all, they want him to bring a championship to town.

The area media who are fans obviously want the same, and those who are not want the same anyway because they feel for the fans.

So, you want the “good stuff,” then you gotta visualize it first … or something like that.

OK, fine. Let’s just hold off on anointing something witnessed that was imminently mediocre as the precursor to such goodness.

With the No. 2 overall taking the field Thursday night for all the preseason-viewing audience to see, the reality is that the good, the bad and the ugly all were on display. Each to varying degrees, with good not ranking the highest … or lowest.

Biggest positive: He did not appear overwhelmed by the pro game, or the speed of it. If anything, the 6-foot-6, 237-pound rookie quarterback showed the type of athleticism that could lead to mass euphoria one minute and mass panic the next. As in great play here, bad hit there.

Biggest negative: While that athleticism, especially the “wheels” and drive to be aggressive, translates to any game, Wentz’s ability to throw the ball like an elite, franchise-type guy, well, it appears to be quite a ways off.

All told, he tossed 24 aerials and completed half of them. Looking at the video of each, he actually was on target for half – some of those caught, some of those not. So, the bottom line, ultimately, reads accurate.

It includes just 87 yards passing, an interception and the lowest passer rating of all four QBs who played for the Birds that night, too. Also accurate.

But he certainly wasn’t a flop, handling pressure, avoiding sacks and actually running for 15 yards on three carries. Oddly enough, he somehow managed to look both most comfy AND uncomfy when he was on the move.
​
A fluid operation. Kinda like how his performance arc likely will be for some time.

So, how about we save all the hub-bub for when it becomes a bit more, oh, say, stable?

Yeah, didn’t think so.

COMPARISON SAKE

Kinda tough to go too crazy off one preseason game. But with the consensus raving about Carson Wentz’s initial foray into the on-field spotlight, seems fair to take a peek at what his competition – fellow Eagles QBs and 2016 first-round QBs – did, too.

We can throw out starter Sam Bradford’s numbers, as well as fourth-stringer McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s, because neither had a sample size to justify, well, anything good or bad.

Anyway, the breakdown:​

Carson Wentz
12-for-24 passing, 87 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 41.8 rating; 3 rushes, 15 yards, 0 sacks

Chase Daniel
4-for-10 passing, 15 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 47.9 rating; 3 rushes, 7 yards, 4 sacks (minus-19 yards)

Paxton Lynch
6-for-7 passing, 74 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 110.7 rating; 3 rushes, 5 yards, 3 sacks (minus-7 yards)

Jared Goff
​Plays tonight