Pederson wants Foles free of Wentz’s shadow

PHILADELPHIA » Carson Wentz spends his mornings in the Eagles’ quarterback room. He spends the rest of the day out of the public view. To Doug Pederson, it’s the only way a difficult situation can work.

For enough reasons, 33 of them touchdown passes, Wentz dominated all-things-Eagles during the regular season. But just in time for the postseason, evidently, that focus has shifted. It’s Nick Foles’ team now, Pederson all but announced Thursday, before a practice at the Linc for the Birds’ Saturday NFC semifinal playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons.

“I just think it takes a little while when you lose your starting quarterback, obviously,” the Birds’ coach said. “I’ve said that before. I hate to even say it, but the game keeps going. We still have to go to work the next day. Nick has to get himself ready to play. I’ve got to coach the next day. I’ve got to coach the next quarterback. I’ve got to coach the coach. Football is not going to stop. The games are not going to stop. We have to get ready for the next week.”

Foles played two full games and parts of two others as the Eagles down-shifted through the final quarter of their season. He seemed comfortable at times, overwhelmed at others, and rarely to be as gifted as Wentz.

But if Pederson’s feel is accurate, the Birds’ two-week run-up to their first playoff game allowed for more distance from the loss of Wentz. By Saturday, he insists, that will be clear in many ways, some obvious, some subtle.

“Well, I think the biggest thing is that he’s definitely feeling a lot more comfortable in the role, of embracing the position,” Pederson said of Foles. “When you have a sudden change like that, and how it happens, it’s never an easy thing to go through. But each week that’s gone by, there’s more and more confidence. For the guys, just learning his voice inflection in the huddle

can be a big difference.

“Those things have been all sorted out here in the last couple of weeks that he’s played and we’ve been on the field.”

The pristine timing of that all-sorted-out process seems oddly convenient. But if there is one thing Pederson knows, it’s how long it takes a backup quarterback to gain comfort, given that it was his own career, on-field calling.

“That doesn’t happen overnight,” Pederson said. “Do you know what I’m saying? It takes a little time.”

By Saturday evening, the

Birds will be out of time to recover from their Wentz hangover.

“I feel great,” Foles said. “I feel really, really good. Confident. So far, it has been a great week of work. I can just say I feel really good. I don’t know if I can explain it any more. It’s been great at practice. I think we have got a lot of good work in. But it’s just staying in the moment.

“You are always going to have criticism. I know that. But the big thing is I feel good and I am in the moment. And that’s a great thing if you are an athlete or anyone.”

As for Wentz, his moment is over … and more formally than ever.

“He’s still here in the morning,” Pederson said. “He’s still talking to Nick throughout the day. Outside of the morning stuff, he’s not in installation meetings. He’s been out to practice, but that’s about it. He’s just trying to get himself in a position where he can continue his rehab and feel comfortable doing that.”

And let Foles do the shadow-free quarterbacking.