Start of Wentz era one to remember

Eighty-five degrees and gleaming sunshine marked a perfect stage for the Eagles to launch their new identity Sunday. All a sold-out Lincoln Financial Field needed was a little country music, or at least some down-home, old-school spirit to set the scene.

Let it become a popular refrain: Run the football, put the rookie quarterback — in this case, one Carson Wentz — in comfortable situations, limit turnovers and let the defense and special teams do the rest.

Oh, and go Bill Belichick and convert a decisive fourth down that puts your opponent away.

At least for openers, all of that culminated in a 29-10 romp over the youth-challenged Cleveland Browns in front of 69,596 believers at the Linc, including country music fan Wentz.

To win so handily against any team with such a basic formula and so many moving pieces is to understand what Doug Pederson, in his first game as an NFL head coach, has forecast all along: The Eagles aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel, they’re just going with the flow created by their rookie quarterback.

“It’s not surprising,” Pederson said of Wentz. “He really handled himself great all week long. He

prepared like he was a fiveor six-year veteran, and obviously he played that way.”

Entering the game there was doubt that the Eagles would get off on the right foot offensively. Receivers Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor hadn’t proven their reliability to veteran quarterback Sam Bradford last season. And it was Bradford who was traded at the end of camp. Yet it’s hard to imagine the less-mobile Bradford doing what Wentz did against the aggressive, quick defensive front of the Browns, which blitzed early and often, sacking Wentz twice.

Wentz completed 22 of 37 attempts for 278 yards and touchdowns of 19 yards to Matthews and 35 to Agholor, the latter score turning what had been a five-point lead into a 22-10 bulge with 6:17 to go in the third quarter.

Wentz’s passer rating

was 101, or 46 points higher than Cleveland’s Robert Griffin III, who was intercepted once and sacked by Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin.

Wentz completed four of his first five attempts for 57 yards with one drop to lead the Eagles to their first touchdown, the pass to Matthews. It was Matthews who had the drop, his first of two on the day.

“I just saw man coverage across the board,” Wentz said. “All week we’d been repping that. I knew he would get a good release and beat his guy, and that’s what he did. I just threw it out there and gave him a chance and he made a heck of a play.”

Matthews had seven catches for 114 yards. Agholor had four receptions for 57 yards. It takes a special quarterback to make both of those receivers look good in the same game.

“Everyone doubted us, but we knew what we had in the building all along with Carson,” Eagles tight

end Zach Ertz said. “He didn’t play like a rookie today by any means. He is very confident. To go out there in your first start with pretty much eight days notice and to not have any turnovers speaks volumes about his play.”

It was Ertz who bailed Wentz out on the first possession for the Eagles, as he made a one-handed, over-the-shoulder catch for a 14-yard gain.

Ertz made another huge catch in the third quarter when Pederson decided to keep the offense on the field in fourth-and-four at the 40-yard line of the Browns.

Not fourth and one, fourth and two or even fourth and three.

“If you don’t get it your defense is still on the field around that 25, 26, 27-yard line,” Pederson said. “And then if you do, man, that’s great. You’re rolling. And we were so fortunate. Carson and Zach made a great play.”

Ertz got the first down on a five-yard throw to Ertz

and on the next play, Agholor ran past Joe Haden, the established cornerback for his touchdown grab. The ball was perfectly thrown. Agholor ran under it for the score, turning a five-point lead into a 2210 advantage with 6:17 left in the quarter. The Browns were toast.

Until Sunday, Agholor had made more news getting entangled with an exotic dancer at a strip club than on the football field. For one game at least, Wentz made his teammates better.

“All he does is work his butt off,” Agholor said. “He believes that he is going to make plays and that’s what happens.”

It was a slow and painful death for the Browns and Griffin, who stayed in despite taking a shot to the shoulder during a scramble from Eagles rookie cornerback Jalen Mills. He said later that the shoulder was sprained but didn’t expect it to keep him down.

At least not any more than he already was at that

point.

All that remained was for Pederson to try to put the day in perspective, starting with the pre-game conversations the retired NFL quarterback had with Wentz.

“I was just trying to lighten him up,” Pederson said. “I don’t know if it was more for me or him. My nerves were a little high, as well. I was a little jittery out there. I just wanted him to relax and take a look around. This is a great feeling before the football game, and everything that goes on and just to soak it all in. And then once the ball is teed up and kicked off, it was business as usual.”

Went is one of just three rookie quarterbacks since 1960 to have thrown for 275 or more yards, two or more TDs and no interceptions in a season opener. Griffin did it in 2012. Hall of Famer Jim Kelly did it in 1986. Business, yes. Business as usual? Not around here.