Carson Wentz Read online

  “Look at his athleticism, look at his inspiration to his teammates and how aggressive he is,” former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason said when asked about Wentz on Inside the NFL.

  Wentz throws a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, October 1, 2017, in Carson, California. The Eagles defeated the Chargers 26–24. (Kevin Terrell via AP)

  It is clear that Wentz is spreading the ball around to keep everyone involved. For the first time in team history, the Eagles have three different receivers with five or more touchdowns (Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor, Alshon Jeffery) through nine games.

  “Everybody is involved. A lot of that has to do with the play design that week,” Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo said before the bye week. “We have so many guys that we can put in different spots. I think we have a lot of versatile guys in this offense that can do a lot of things.”

  Offensive coordinator Frank Reich likens the Eagles offense to a basketball team. They have a lot of scorers, and Wentz is the point guard. He has to distribute the ball.

  “It makes us hard to defend,” Reich said at a press conference in October. “We don’t have anybody averaging 30 points a game, but we’ve got five guys who can score. And so you don’t know who it’s going to be week to week, who can beat you, and I think right now that’s what we’re doing well. We have to play to that strength.”

  Wentz directs the offense against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, October 8, 2017, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/ Matt Rourke)

  Wentz is a quarterback who is well ahead of the typical second-year player. Take his 59-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, for example. Smith was running a route on the backside of the play in which he doesn’t usually get the ball. Wentz adjusted his read to look Smith’s way because of the coverage Arizona’s defense presented.

  “It was a post. I saw he was off and he was looking inside a little bit, so I just made sure I crossed his face and that no one was in the middle of the field,” Smith explained after the game. “I know that on that play it never really goes there, but with that coverage, I know what [Wentz] is thinking and I was expecting it.”

  Seeing the field clearly allows Wentz to get the football to everyone. His vision is an underrated trait. Perhaps the best sign of his wide range of vision came against the Los Angeles Chargers. The play happened in the first quarter of their Week 4 game. Philadelphia had a play-action pass called and Wentz rolled out to his right side.

  All of Wentz’s reads were to his right, but somehow he managed to see LeGarrette Blount leak out of the backfield on the left. Wentz threw the ball across his body to the opposite side of the field.

  Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) celebrates his touchdown with a baseball themed celebration that includes running back LaGarrette Blount (20) tight end Zach Ertz (86), Wentz, and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, October 8, 2017, in Philadelphia. The Eagles defeated the Cardinals 34–7. (Al Tielemans via AP)

  It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. In fact, Wentz’s offensive coordinator would have used the play as a coaching point—if it wasn’t for the 20-yard completion.

  “That was one that you get in the film room with him and say, ‘Don’t ever do that again!’” Reich said. “That was a freakish play. That’s not in the scramble rules, to scramble right and throw it back across the field.”

  “He’s [Blount] there just in case the play breaks down, and Wentz has to scramble to the left. In no way should that ball have gone to LeGarrette,” Reich said. “That was simply a case of a great player making a freakish play. I don’t know how he even saw him. Just a great player making a great play.”

  Those kinds of plays are hardly a rare occurrence for Wentz. It’s his way of carrying out the delicate task of making sure everyone is taken care of.

  The fact that Philadelphia is winning is surely a factor in the team’s ability to comfortably get everyone involved. However, a lot of the credit also goes to the Eagles’ MVP, Carson Wentz.

  Eagles fans carry a sign supporting Wentz in Week 1 of the regular season against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, September 11, 2016, in Philadelphia. The Eagles won the game 29–10. (Paul Spinelli via AP)

  Wentzylvania

  Carson Wentz knew he was coming to a city that was starving for a winner when the Eagles selected him.

  “They’re passionate here. They hate losing,” Wentz said about the fans during his first press conference as an Eagle. “I fit right in. I hate losing. I’m real passionate about the game, as well. I think that’s the general consensus that I keep getting from this Philadelphia area.”

  Pennsylvania has taken to Wentz so much that people have started to name the Eastern part of the state after him. The name Wentzylvania gained national recognition during Wentz’s rookie year.

  Fans flocked to the open practices to get a look at Wentz, even though he was not a participant due to a rib injury. Big crowds gathered by the lowest part of the stadium to get autographs or just shake his hand as Wentz and the Eagles came off of the field after practice.

  They chanted, “CAR-SON! CAR-SON!” The rookie quarterback was a glimmer of hope for a franchise that had been searching for someone to take them to the promised land.

  A Philadelphia Eagles fan holds up a sign in support of Wentz during the second half of a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, September 25, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

  The popularity of Wentzylvania grew after Wentz’s tremendous start to his rookie season. His first game, a win over the Cleveland Browns, earned Wentz Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors.

  A road win over the Bears followed in Week 2. In Week 3, the roof was blown off as Philadelphia hosted the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers and beat them 34–3. Wentz completed 25-of-31 pass attempts for 301 yards and two touchdowns against the cross-state rivals.

  The rookie quarterback had officially turned Pennsylvania into Wentzylvania with that win over the state’s other team. Wentz garnered Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors once again, making it his second time winning the award in the first three weeks of the season.

  There was even a billboard that overlooked I-76 near Lincoln Financial Field that read, Welcome to Wentzylvania. Everyone had to get their hands on Wentz memorabilia. Wentz’s jersey soared to the top of player jersey sales.

  Wentz celebrates with fans after leading the Eagles to a 29–14 win over the Chicago Bears, Sunday, September 19, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

  There were local companies that printed T-shirts with Wentz’s image and the new name for the state emblazoned on them. One of the most successful ones launched soon after the Eagles’ convincing win over the Steelers. That company was called Wentzylvania™ Clothing Co.

  The creators were wise to strike while the iron was hot. Fans rushed to the company’s website looking for merchandise. The reason for creating the company was simple.

  “Now we see the man who can lead us out of the abyss,” cofounder Jack Daddona Jr., of Allentown, Pennsylvania, told newswire.com. “Do we need to say his name? We all know who he is. He’s No. 11, he’s our guy, our franchise quarterback eading us to our destiny. So that’s why we started our company. So that all of us could embrace him and take a little piece of destiny home.”

  Wentz’s personality is a true match for Philadelphia. Known for his preparation and hard work, he has endeared himself to everyone from the members of the front office to his teammates and even the local media.

  Wentz poses for a photograph with a fan during training camp, Friday, July 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

  Executive VP Howie Roseman knew Wentz would thrive in a city like Philadelphia.

  “When you talk about Carson, you’re talking about a blue-collar quarterback,” Roseman said during Wentz’s rookie season. “He fits into this city
, into the personality of this city, and you see that when he plays.”

  “It’s a blue-collar, hard-working-mentality city. That’s how I am wired,” Wentz told 94WIP during the bye week. “I am a blue-collar, hard-working kid who by the grace of God made it to this level. They are passionate about the game and so am I. It’s great to be able to play in a city like this.”

  Head coach Doug Pederson was in Green Bay when the city fell in love with Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Pederson has compared Wentz to Favre because of their gunslinger mentality.

  Wentz acknowledges a fan as he runs off the field after a game against the Washington Redskins, Monday, October 23, 2017, in Philadelphia. The Eagles won 34–24. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

  “You’re seeing some of the same things that I saw in Brett in Carson: the toughness, the good, accurate throws, and eyes are down the field extending plays with his legs,” Pederson explained. “Another thing that Brett was able to do, and you’re seeing it with Carson, is just elevate the players around him.”

  Pederson didn’t mention another similarity between the two: their “aw shucks” approach to things. No moment is ever too big for players like Favre and Wentz. Favre used to defuse tense situations by doing something silly, like asking for a “left-handed football” or imitating famous college football broadcaster Keith Jackson.

  Wentz is the same way. He is able to laugh at himself, like the time he accidentally locked himself in a New Jersey bathroom before his rookie season.

  Rarely is there a player who is so in sync with the city he plays for.

  Given that the arrow is pointing up for the Eagles in only Wentz’s second season, the love affair between the quarterback and Philadelphia should only continue to grow. Wentzylvania appears to be a place firmly planted on the map.

  Wentz holds up his jersey on stage after he is selected by the Eagles as the second overall pick during the 2016 NFL Draft, Thursday, April 28, 2016, in Chicago. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)

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  Copyright © 2017 by Triumph Books LLC

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