Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Lack of touch, on and off field, hurt Wentz
Lack of touch, on and off field, hurt Wentz
In five years with the Eagles, Carson Wentz meant a lot of things to a lot of people. His better side centered around being a big brother to youth, particularly those battling illnesses.
Wentz showed his vulnerability during one of his weekly news conferences in 2019 by wearing a “Landon’s Light” T-shirt. Wentz said it was to honor the memory of Landon Solberg, a 12-yearold from West Fargo, N.D. who he had prayed with, and who later died of cancer.
“Just to see his fight and his faith through his fight, his faith in Jesus, really inspired me,” Wentz said. “Just seeing how he fought over and over throughout that battle, it’s tough for me to see that.”
Everyone in that auditorium choked up when Wentz, his voice cracking with emotion, thanked Solberg and his bravery for humbling him.
Wentz can be proud of the charitable AO1 Foundation he created, which uses his platform to advocate for underserved communities. He can take solace in his 2017 Pro Bowl season, one in which he threw his team-record 33rd touchdown pass on a knee of shredded ligaments.
But there is another, much different side of Wentz, who was traded Thursday to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick in 2021 and a conditional 2022 second-round pick. It’s part of the reason he didn’t last in Philadelphia, part of the reason behind the worst season of his career and around the coddling he demanded from management.
During Wentz’s stint in Philly, he rarely was able to connect the dots dealing with adults. He loathed criticism, judging by some of the dismissive answers to questions
he suspected of being negative. When a story appeared to criticize his aloofness, he handpicked an audience to provide a response.
Wentz was Chip Kelly, who also avoided eye contact, only without the slick talk.
One beautiful pre-COVID day outside the NovaCare Complex, just minutes after a Doug Pederson news conference in the auditorium, Wentz burst out of the front doors of the building headed toward the parking lot. He was on a collision course with reporters exiting the presser yet focused his eyes straight ahead while completely ignoring them.
Wentz then pulled out his cell phone and scanned it. Cold. Stone cold.
Considering how Wentz had seen every one of those reporters at the news conferences and answered their questions, it was rude.
That’s not the only time the face of the franchise marginalized a public that deserved better. Trust me, his unapproachability didn’t play well during a trip through the airport, either.
I can’t think of any Eagles quarterback over the past 28 years who would have ignored that Spartacus moment with the media.
Media or guests, Michael Vick would have asked the group what was up and probably held court right there out front of the entrance. Vick had been around the block, having done time in a state penitentiary for his part in a notorious dogfighting ring. He was a changed man. There was no way he was going to hide from who he was or what he had become. Vick did availabilities at his locker, not on the podium, and was a champion of less heralded reporters, accommodating them as if they were part of the TV network doing the game.
Donovan McNabb would have seized the moment to have fun. On his worst day he would shout “no interviews.” On a better day he would have said “stop throwing me under the bus” or something disarming like “who dressed y’all?”
Nick Foles, for crying out loud, would have said hello, maybe asked what Pederson just said and moved on.
Sam Bradford would have said hi. Ditto Nate Sudfeld, Josh McCown, Clayton Thorson, Kevin Kolb, Jeff Garcia, A.J. Feeley and, as McNabb used to say, the list goes on.
Inevitably critics will say that Wentz’s lack of respect for the media wasn’t a reason to run him out of town or a factor in his play on the field. That’s not the point.
Wentz ran himself out of Philly. He lost his youthful, energetic swagger somewhere between Foles calling the Philly Special in Super Bowl 52 and Pederson benching him for a rookie after a 3-8-1 start last season.
Wentz quarterbacked the Eagles to a 35-33-1 record, including the playoffs. Since guiding the team to an 11-2 start in 2017, Wentz was just 17-22-1 – far too little for a guy who takes up so much salary cap space.
Wentz is the third high-paid quarterback to switch teams this offseason, joining Matthew Stafford, who Detroit dealt to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and two firstround draft choices. Wentz, picked behind Goff at No. 2 in the 2016 draft, is now on the move, too.
Deshaun Watson of Houston has asked to be traded. Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers aren’t completely happy after playoff seasons.
It’s been crazy.
Wentz has a chance to salvage his career under Frank Reich with the Colts. There isn’t a better quarterback-fixer than Reich, who helped Wentz register that stunning 2017 campaign. Wentz’s footwork is a disaster. His deep ball is impossible to catch. His mobility hasn’t been the same since the knee injury. Reich can help him work through that.
But it’s up to Wentz to pay the price to resurrect his career. And if he’s smart, a little bit of people skills will go a long way.