Wentz looks forward to facing Newton, Panthers
Stubborn, demanding, argumentative. In some ways Carson Wentz is no different than a diehard Eagles fan.
Wentz also is passionate. You don’t have to tell him what a big deal it is to take on the Carolina Panthers and Cam Netwon on Thursday night football at Bank of America Stadium. The kid has had the date circled on his calendar.
“Ever since he’s come out of college I’ve watched him, I’ve followed him,” Wentz said Tuesday. “He’s impressive. He’s quite an athlete. He can sling the rock, too. It will be fun. It will be fun for us to kind of go head-to-head and have some fun doing it on Thursday night.”
Now, about the stubborn streak. That revelation came Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich tripped over himself describing a scouting trip to kick the tires on Wentz, the product of North Dakota State.
The way Reich remembers it, he, head coach Doug Pederson and special teams coach Dave Flip saw the same qualities in Wentz as they did in the “great quarterbacks” they’d been around through the years.
“He had those traits,” Reich said. “He talked like it, he walked like it. I remember one of the
things from going there, his coaches used to say that he had a lot of arguments with his offensive coordinator. I took that as a good thing because he knew what he wanted. He knew what was good. And we welcomed that. That’s a good dynamic.”
And yes, Reich kind of, sort of has the same interactions with Wentz.
“I wouldn’t call them arguments,” Reich said. “But he’s — we’re all stubborn. Coaches, players, you’re very confident in what you know and what you believe and what you want. And so we have good discussions. We take a lot of input from Carson.
“What we appreciate about him is he’s mature enough to understand there’s a process.”
Wentz didn’t deny the arguments. He didn’t like that word though. It’s no secret he’s demanding. Last year, Wentz had no problem letting his offensive linemen know when they’re messing up the protections.
“I guess I wouldn’t really call them arguments with the offensive coordinator in college,” Wentz said. “He was a real fired-up guy. We had some healthy discussions – a lot. The relationship with Coach Peterson and Coach Reich has been really, really solid. We’ve had a lot of open dialogue. I respect the heck out of their opinions and I’m thankful that they respect mine, as well.”
Wentz drops his opinions about play installs on Pederson’s doorstep at least once a day, and sometimes three times a day.
That process is sped up with the short work week as Wentz and the Eagles have a quick turnaround before taking on Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium (8:25 p.m., NFL Network) in Charlotte, N.C.
Considering the respect Wentz has for Newton, it will be worth cramming in a few more hours of preparation.
Wentz is 6-5, 240 pounds. He’s thrown for seven touchdowns, three interceptions and has a 97.3 passer rating. His decisions have helped enable the Eagles to lead the league in third down conversion and time of possession.
The Eagles have won three straight games, the last two ending with kneel-downs. Those were the first back-to-back games ending with kneeldowns in the Wentz era.
Newton (6-6, 250) has eight TD passes, five interceptions, a 98.5 rating and two rushing scores. He’s rounding into form after offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder, a procedure that limited him at training camp.
“Those first few weeks of the season were really a developmental process for him,” head coach Ron Rivera said. “I think he’s where he needs to be as a football player. I thought he was where he needed to be in 2016. That was one of those tough years where a lot of bad things happened to us. We lost six games by three points or less. Four of those six games were on the last drive. You win four of those six games and you’re in the playoffs.”
The Panthers are 3 ½ point favorites.
Look for color analyst Tony Romo to play up the size/speed ratios of the quarterbacks. The overunder on points is 46 ½. The over-under on quarterback size references is 58 ½.
“You’ve got two big, strong guys who are athletically at the tops of their positions,” Reich said. “They can extend plays in ways that are rare at the position. Only a handful of guys do. That certainly creates some dynamics that are tough for defenses to defend.”