NFL | Why are we so certain that Wentz will supplant Bradford?

by Jack Kerwin  |  [email protected]

Just imagine if …

Sam Bradford finally became the quarterback all the NFL player personnel professionals, self-proclaimed experts and jump-on-prevailing-wisdom fans previously clamored he would become after being drafted No. 1 seven years ago.

Think about it.

After years of injuries, excuses and pretty much all-around meh, the still young man’s gridiron existence suddenly evolved into this magical life of pinpoint accuracy, commanding performance and mastery of winning that somehow defied the fates of a tormented talent, doomed to fail at reaching his potential.

He stands strong in the pocket, in the locker room and in front of the media. He makes great decisions. He makes great plays.

He even drops the “just saw an extra-terrestrial being” expression that seems to bug so many.

What then?

Seriously, what then …

For all the blather and bluster about Carson Wentz possibly being the savior of Philadelphia’s pro football franchise and rescuing Eagles Nation from the non-championship abyss it has been swimming in for more than half a century, the fact of the matter is none of us have any idea whether he has any more “stuff of legend” material inside him than Bradford.

Frankly, anyone wondering if either have any would have some merit to their concerns.

With training camp under way, there is no bigger story than Wentz now sporting the midnight green, if only for a few minutes before slipping on the matter-of-protection, “don’t touch” red jersey while mixing it up with the fellas. What he does, how he does it and when he takes over for Bradford as the team’s starting quarterback are all that matter.

Sorry, everyone else in pads and team-associated gear, no offense. That’s just reality in this region the summer of 2016.

Thing is, not exactly grasping all the assumptions and expectations out there that Wentz will nudge Bradford out of the top spot. Not legitimately at least.

Not for nothing, but have a lot more faith in the former Heisman winner and six-year pro, even after two knee reconstructions and myriad mediocre efforts, than a kid just months removed from being elevated from game manager, albeit an athletic one, of a machine-like FCS power that won three national championships in a row before he took the reins to highly sought-after draft-eligible player ... mainly due to his size and intangibles.

Yo, cannot stand Bradford. No thumbs up here on his re-signing. But he has played at the highest level, in college as well as pro, and, at times, has performed at an extremely high level as an individual.

Wentz has not.

Yeah, get it. He is the younger, bigger and supposedly superior example of a “franchise quarterback” in the eyes of the team’s coaches, front office and fans. You can’t argue the first two points right there, but the third one?
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It certainly remains to be seen if Wentz will be better.

Funny thing is, just looking at individual play, the rookie’s college career at North Dakota State pales in comparison to what Bradford did at Oklahoma. If anything, the comparison is embarrassing as Wentz threw for 5,100 yards and 45 TDs while Bradford threw for 8,400 and 88 … in the same amount of games, at the FBS to boot.

As a pro, Bradford has proven to be tantalizing at best and infuriating at worst.

Wentz? Gotta be honest, am still waiting for him to prove, well, anything.

The true irony, though, would be Bradford never allowing him to do so.

Just imagine.

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Not for nothing, but have a lot more faith in the former Heisman winner and six-year pro, even after two knee reconstructions and myriad mediocre efforts, than a kid just months removed from being elevated from game manager, albeit an athletic one, of a machine-like FCS power that won three national championships in a row before he took the reins to highly sought after draft-eligible player. Yo, cannot stand Bradford. No thumbs up here on his re-signing. But he has played at the highest level, in college as well as pro, and, at times, has performed at an extremely high level as an individual. Wentz has not.