Pederson backs Wentz as a leader
Eagles head coach addresses quarterback issues with dose of reality
INDIANAPOLIS — Carson Wentz may not get shrines built to him by his teammates the way fellow quarterback Nick Foles did, but it doesn’t mean Wentz is any less of a leader, according to Eagles coach Doug Pederson.
Speaking publicly for the first time since a scathing report about Wentz featuring criticism by unnamed teammates was posted on PhillyVoice.com more than a month ago, Pederson said on Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that “you’re not always going to be buddy buddy with everybody. You build relationships with everybody, yeah, but you hold everybody to a high standard, including myself. And we’re not in a feel-good business. We’re in a business to win games and ultimately a championship, and that’s our goal.
“So if people get offended, I’m sorry, it’s just the way it is. You can’t make excuses for it, but at the same time, at the end of the day, you walk out on that football field, and we’re united, and we play the game.”
Pederson’s words served as a clear acknowledgement that the story wasn’t fabricated and that at least some of the character flaws Wentz was reported to have are — or at least were — real.
Not that it matters.
“I love everything about Carson Wentz and the way he attacks his job every single day, the way he competes, the way he embraces the locker room,” Pederson said. “And so I don’t put a lot of weight in [the criticism]. … It’s his performance on the football field, obviously. And he understands where he’s at. He understands he’s got to stay on the field. Obviously, he knows that.
“But at the same time, guys really rally around him, support him. Listen, he’s one piece. He’s not the entire football team. We do this thing as a team, and he’s a part of that.”
Pederson also addressed the decisions to jettison three assistant coaches (WR coach Gunter Brewer, DL coach Chris Wilson and asst. OL coach Eugene Chung) and the future of left tackle Jason Peters, among other things.
“With the guys on staff that I let go, I appreciate everything they did for me and the Philadelphia Eagles organization,” Pederson said. “There’s times where as a staff, as a coach, you need to make some changes.
“It’s a great opportunity for [Wilson] to continue his career, obviously. Same thing with Coach Chung and Coach Brewer. It’s to give them an opportunity.”
Pederson and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman aren’t ready to commit to another year for Peters, who is still under contract, and running back Darren Sproles, who is not.
Peters, 37, has talked numerous times over the years about moving inside later in his career. Now that there is an opening with right guard Brandon Brooks in danger of missing the season after tearing an Achilles tendon last month, Pederson was asked about the possibility of Peters filling the hole.
“Those are things we’ll discuss as the offseason goes,” he said. “Jason’s been a big part of our success, and I’ve been around him a lot of years now. Those are things we’ll talk about as we move forward.”
The coach offered praise to a pair of much younger players who likely figure more prominently in their future: tight end Dallas Goedert and wide receiver Nelson Agholor.
“Dallas is a tremendous worker, hard studier,” Pederson said. “[TE coach] Justin Peelle did a great job of getting him prepared each week. We saw the skill set obviously through film study and through offseason program and training camp. When you have a number of sort of targets on offense, it becomes a challenge, it becomes a challenge to get everybody the ball. Then you’ve got to include your running backs. And yet we still found ways to get him involved.
“I think that’s going to be a topic for us as a coaching staff moving forward. He’s a big piece to our success.”
Pederson gushed even more about Agholor.
“Nelson, oh man, love this guy,” he said. “He’s the first one in and the last one out. He’s a hard worker. Spends time before and after practice. Can’t say enough good things about Nelson Agholor and what he’s brought to the table and what he will continue to bring.
“I think last year, you look at the amount of guys we had, and then we added Golden [Tate] midseason. I’m not going to stand up here and say it didn’t affect Nelson. I think it did. The question was asked earlier about getting everybody the ball. In this league, it’s a challenge, and yet Nelson didn’t complain. He came to work every single day. He put in the time, he put in the work. He was a huge part of what we did. I’m excited, I love working with him.”