Philadelphia Eagles Need To Fully Unleash Carson Wentz
The Philadelphia Eagles have eased Carson Wentz into the NFL, but maybe it’s time they let him fly.
Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky once said that “birds born in a cage think flying is an illness.” A statement that resonates with the Philadelphia Eagles in more ways than one. The team moved up to draft rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, who was expected to sit to start his career then lead the Eagles to the promised land.
He was supposed to be babied into the NFL from the start. Not a terrible idea, as Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady initially started their NFL careers as backups (Brady in a shorter backup stint than Rodgers), before flourishing into the top gunslingers in the league.
So Sam Bradford was supposed to be the one Wentz learned from, and if not him than Chase Daniel. Sub-optimal mentors, but it was still a solid plan to ease in the North Dakota State product into an unforgiving league playing in an unforgiving city.
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Wentz was very much a caged bird going into training camp, but one with his eye to the sky. A season of waiting would eventually turn into a season of excitement, as the Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to move Bradford for a premium price.
So the bird was seemingly out of the cage, as Daniel’s preseason was horrid enough to put him behind the rookie. The bird is out of the cage, or so we thought. Wentz’s 3-0 start was a perfect mesh of outstanding decision making by the rookie, and well-catered play calling from coach Doug Pederson.
Pederson knows what it’s like to play quarterback in the NFL. And he understands how different of an animal it is to play quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz was the caged bird learning how to fly within his restrictions, and Pederson was the caretaker carrying the cage.
Wentz would make the right throws, with an occasional deep shot downfield here and there. The first 3 weeks were glorious, but the post-bye week experience hasn’t been as uplifting. Wentz has been the victim of non-creative and poor play-calling, as well as the first-hand casualty of dropped balls from a terrible wide receiver group.
Even the 3-0 start couldn’t keep the caged bird from getting hindered. Wentz isn’t the robot we saw through 3 weeks, but he’s still an amazing rookie to watch. And now Pederson needs to let him out of the cage to fly.
There is somewhat of a mental effect in throwing interceptions so early in a quarterback’s career. But there is another mental effect in holding back a quarterback. Too much restraint, and Wentz might flee from taking shots downfield. Now, it’s still early in his career so that restraint won’t be has hindering yet, but it’s still time to take shots downfield.
Now, the argument to not doing so is of course the terrible corps of wide receivers that Wentz deals with. But with the Philadelphia Eagles on the outside-looking-in in the playoff race, it’s time for a change. It’s time to let Wentz fly, and it’s time to show more confidence in the rookie destined to lead this team for years to come. Wentz’s yards per attempt index is at 92, while league average is 100.
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“Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness.” Doug Pederson must not let Wentz be afraid to throw it down the field. Wentz’s arm strength is something to marvel at, but it can’t be suppressed. Maybe it won’t help the Eagles this season, but it will do wonders for the future.