Pederson needs Wentz more than we do
PHILADELPHIA » Preempted by his company’s website, which broke the news that quarterback Carson Wentz was cleared for contact and would start this weekend, Doug Pederson reached the podium Monday at 12:05 p.m.
Then he did what’s come naturally for the Eagles these first two weeks of the season, which is to say, he made a mistake.
“Good morning, uh, good afternoon,” Pederson said Monday. “I apologize for being late.”
That’s late as far as the news conference, not for waiting until Week 3 to put his quarterback back out on the field.
Pederson still insists Wentz’s clearance was a medical decision. He never said when Wentz was cleared. We strongly suspect it was last Thursday, which marked the nine-month anniversary of Wentz’s surgery to repair the ACL and the LCL in his left knee. At that point, there wasn’t enough time to get him ready for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For whatever reason the Eagles gave Wentz one more week before making the grand announcement. It must have been a strengthening issue with the knee because it’s hard to believe another week would promote much more healing. At any rate, Pederson was the wrong guy to send out to discuss the details because, as he said, he’s not a doctor.
That’s kind of the way the Eagles want it, with Pederson standing tall and either not knowing or being told to pretend like he doesn’t know the finer points of how such important decisions are reached.
The Eagles blew a golden opportunity to be transparent throughout the injury to Wentz, the face of the franchise. They had a chance to educate and humanize a bad situation. That beats reading about the competitive advantage the coach was trying to cull by being so vague. The coach chronicled in the book “Fearless.” The guy who laughs at fourth down.
Thankfully, that’s over. At least for now. Pederson can do what he does best, which is coach, and Wentz can again feel the burn of being the man in the huddle, both at practice and in games.
Until Wentz learns how to blow off bad plays as skillfully as Tom Brady or Eli Manning, until he realizes he’s a target, not an indestructible 6-foot-5 athlete who hates to give up on any play, no matter how hopeless, the Eagles are going to need a reliable backup such as Nick Foles.
Speaking of Foles, it’s wrong to blame him for the 27-21 loss to the Bucs. It also must be mentioned that his laid-back style is more effective later in the season, not in the earlier portion when teams are trying to eliminate the mistakes they should have already fixed in the preseason.
Wentz won’t tolerate errors. It wasn’t a coincidence that Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who struggled mightily playing tackle, improved so dramatically when thrown into the fire last season. The motivation didn’t come solely from left tackle Jason Peters.
Pederson’s coaching this year hasn’t been nearly as seamless as when the Eagles marched through the playoffs to win the Super Bowl. All of the sudden the injuries the Eagles so easily endured last season are slowing them down. The game plans seem old, unless your idea of innovation is running the Philly Special every couple of games.
On the offensive side the Eagles lost coordinator Frank Reich and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, who were instrumental in reinventing Foles for the playoff run. Coincidentally, Reich is the head coach of the Colts, who the Eagles entertain Sunday. Reich used to say Wentz reminded him of Andrew Luck, his quarterback now.
Wentz is an extra coach on the field. He brought his own package of plays from North Dakota State. We wouldn’t have known it if not for Jon Gruden, then a part of the Monday Night Football crew, who broke the news. And it’s Pederson who will benefit from Wentz’s voice as the Eagles try to re-energize after scoring just 39 points in their first two games.
“He’s a guy that will be totally prepared,” Pederson said. “He comes in early, studies the tape, as do all the quarterbacks, stays late in the day, asks a lot of questions and has a lot of ideas. He’s going to be prepared mentally.”
How Wentz moves against competition playing twice as fast as him, however, is the key for the Eagles going forward. Pederson railed about not coaching scared by using formations that protect Wentz. If he doesn’t do so, he’s going to know the hell of another long rehab.
It’s not just the lack of serviceable wide receivers that’s stalling the Eagles’ offense. It’s the way Pederson and his staff are using what they’ve got. How in the world can running back Corey Clement, who stoked the comeback Sunday, play just 13 offensive snaps in the opener? Did someone forget his amazing performance in the Super Bowl?
At the beginning of the Wentz-heavy Monday presser, Pederson kidded a reporter that “You’ve been waiting for this day forever.”
No, it’s Pederson who’s been waiting forever. And now it’s up to him to show us what we’ve been missing.