Wentz’s Success Softens Philadelphia’s Blow Of Losing Ben Simmons
Editor’s note: The following is a guest post by Sixer Sense and Inside The Iggles writer Tom Ignudo. Tom tells us how the play of Carson Wentz has eased the blow of the city losing Ben Simmons.
It never seems to end for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Another first round pick, another injury.
Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, had surgery to repair an acute Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot last week. No timetable is set for his return, however, it could be as early as December or January.
Simmons’ injury is without a doubt a punch in the gut to a fanbase that had high hopes of watching the Louisiana State product make his regular season debut at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But, attention towards the injury has fallen since the news broke.
Could this have something to do with rookie quarterback Carson Wentz’s 3-0 start with the Philadelphia Eagles?
Wentz isn’t only in control of protection calls and audibles behind the line of scrimmage. He’s got the city in the palm of his hand.
It’s Wentz’s performance—the touchdown pass thrown to Jordan Matthews on the first possession of the season, and his ability to evade the blitz, roll-out and loft the ball to Darren Sproles for 73-yard score versus the Pittsburgh Steelers—that has allowed Philadelphia’s fan base to escape the seriousness of Simmons’ injury. Wentz went from being essentially redshirted for the season to breaking NFL records.
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Wentz became the first quarterback in NFL history with 100-plus attempts, 60-plus completions, five touchdowns and zero interceptions in his first three games.
He also set a rookie quarterback record by not throwing an interception in his first 99 attempts, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott is also in contention for this record with 131 attempts.,
But, lets reverse the Wentz Wagon and backtrack.
What if Teddy Bridgewater never gets hurt and Sam Bradford is still the Eagles starting quarterback?
The Eagles would probably not be 3-0.
It’s hard to imagine them dismantling the Steelers’ defense like they did in week three with Bradford under center. It’s also hard to imagine the same excitement that’s surrounding the team with Wentz as the starter would be with Bradford as the starter.
It’s easy to imagine the increase of scrutiny toward Simmons’ injury if Bradford had not gotten traded to the Minnesota Vikings eight days before the season opener, though.
This isn’t saying Simmons’ injury isn’t serious.
In fact, a Jones fracture isn’t the type of injury to take lightly.
During the 2014-15 season, a Jones fracture forced Kevin Durant to miss 55 games, including the first month of the season. Durant returned about seven weeks after his surgery only to play in nine games before spraining his ankle.
Throughout the season, Durant played 27 games in four different skits lasting from Dec. 12, 2014 to Feb. 19, 2015. He never played more than 11 consecutive games all season. Durant ended the year having three different surgeries on his foot, including a bone graft procedure that ended his season on March. 31, 2015.
While Durant returned seven weeks after surgery, the cautionus Sixers will most likely have Simmons return at the start of 2017.
The Sixers will play 33 games before the New Year in January, and Wentz could be Philadelphia’s savior to get them through a tough winter without Simmons.
Wentz has yet to face the most difficult part of the schedule—a four week stretch of playing the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals —which could make-or-break the Eagles’ playoff hopes.
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Until then, the Wentz Wagon will be more overcrowded than a SEPTA Regional Rail Car, except, Philly hopes there’s no delays in Wentz’s play.