Well, I am actually looking semi-forward to one of these articles. All I will say is this: I waited to write this article to see how the QB controversy would play out between Jalen Hurts and Carson Wentz. Finally, we have some clarity. Hurts will make his first career start against the Saints, as Carson Wentz heads to the bench.
Carson Wentz/Jalen Hurts
Simply put, I understand that this has been an abysmal season by Carson Wentz. However, the blame should be pointed throughout the organization, simply because the Eagles have failed to hit on draft picks, and failed to build this team around Carson Wentz. Not only that, but the play calling has failed Wentz tremendously this season. Wentz needs a true mental break from football, and the Eagles right now.
There’s mental ON the field and OFF the field. For Wentz it is primarily both when you consider that he feels like the organization simply doesn’t believe in him OR his health (we can assume). For ALL QBs, when you get sacked and hit as much as Wentz you start having a mental clock until that pressure comes, whether it’s really there or not. That leads to bad habits and holding on to the ball and second-guessing partly because his decision making has been suspect at times.
Yet, in his defense the WRs are rarely open, Alshon Jeffery eats cap space, the offensive line is the 4TH BEST RUN BLOCKING UNIT IN THE LEAGUE and Doug Pederson flat out refuses to run the ball at all. That alone is a tough situation for a QB to have to throw nearly 40 times EVERY SINGLE GAME. Mistakes are due to happen playing like that. Not only that, GM Howie Roseman elected to keep a 2nd rounder to draft Hurts INSTEAD of TRADING FOR DEANDRE HOPKINS.
Wentz simply needs a mental break if you ask me, and potentially a fresh start to clear his mind. Not everyone is “mentally tough as nails” or whatever. I’ve seen Carson Wentz play at the highest level and I’m still extremely high on him. This starts with Doug Pederson, and somewhat Howie Roseman for the lack of moves and extremely horrendous play calling that has been evident this year. Not only that, Wentz had to deal with Nick Foles success in BACK-TO-BACK seasons (as well as a statue of Foles in front of the stadium), followed by the Eagles appearing to commit to Wentz JUST TO DRAFT A BACKUP QB IN THE 2ND ROUND 5 MONTHS LATER.
Bottom line: THIS ORGANIZATION FAILED CARSON WENTZ AND THE EAGLES FANBASE
As for Hurts, he played rather well in relief, with a limited playbook. What this means moving forward, we shall see. But, the Saints will prepare for Hurts, so he will likely face some adversity in the game that Carson Wentz also would have faced.
Defense
The defense struggled all game with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, especially after Darius Slay suffered an injury. However, they improved as the game went on, and they actually had some big time stops down the stretch. All that just for Aaron Jones to break a 77-yard touchdown run to ice the game. The defense definitely performed below expectations in this game, but with the offense playing so poorly what more can they really do?
Summary
Turmoil in Philadelphia. Doug Pederson’s job is possibly on the line, and so could Carson Wentz’s. This offseason will be one of the finest for the Eagles in their franchise’s history, so it will be a rollercoaster seeing where it goes. In the meantime, it appears to be the Jalen Hurts show now.
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Phelps / USA Today Sports
