USA TODAY International Edition
Armour: Wentz dismantles team that dismissed him,
Rookie quarterback plays like veteran, leading Eagles past Cleveland in debut
The Cleveland PHILADELPHIA Browns might want to rethink their assessment of Carson Wentz.
The guy dismissed by the Browns as not good enough to be a top- 20 quarterback just helped dismantle them. Sure, it’ll take more than one game to decide exactly where the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft ranks in a league with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck.
But in this game, at least, Wentz had the Browns’ number.
“It’s not surprising,” Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson said after the 29- 10 victory Sunday. “This is who he is. This is his DNA. … He prepared like he was a five-, six- year veteran, and obviously he played that way.”
Wentz put up silly numbers in college as he led North Dakota State to back- to- back national titles in his two years as the Bisons starter. That he was big and played in a pro- style offense had some NFL GMs drooling over his potential.
But others weren’t quite as sold. He might have made the Football Championship Subdivision competition look like child’s play, but could he do the same against the big boys? More important, could he do it as a franchise quarterback, with NFL fans across the country watching his every move?
The Browns didn’t think so, trading their No. 2 pick in the draft to the Eagles and signing the second overall pick from 2012, Robert Griffin III, instead.
“Even though you have a desperate need for ( a quarterback), you have to resist the temptation of taking that guy … if you don’t believe he’s one of those ( top) 20 guys,” Paul DePodesta, the Browns’ chief strategy officer, said in a radio interview before the season.
“That’s the hardest part, just maintaining your discipline because you have the need. That’s what we did this year.” Ouch. Given the Browns’ mess on offense — and defense and special teams — maybe DePodesta should focus his concerns on his own team. Because Wentz sure looked as if he can hold his own.
Named Philadelphia’s starter only eight days ago, after the Eagles traded Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings, Wentz played with the calm and composure of a veteran. He led Jordan Matthews deep in the end zone to cap the first drive of the game with a 19yard touchdown pass and threw another in the third quarter that essentially sealed the victory.
He didn’t throw any interceptions. No bad throws at all, really, finishing with a 101.0 passer rating.
“I’m no good on evaluating quarterbacks. All I can say is that it didn’t seem like he played like a rookie,” veteran Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas said. “He was standing back there even when he had pressure in his face, getting hit and throwing the ball on target and moving the ball all over the field.
“I can tell you, he was pretty impressive.”
Which is exactly what the Eagles expected.
Wentz has endeared himself to the Eagles coaching staff and his teammates with his work ethic and calmness since the day he was drafted. While other teams might have panicked at the thought of sending a rookie out to open the season on eight days’ notice, the Eagles had no doubt Wentz could handle it.
“We knew what we had in the building all along with Carson. He is a special, special player,” said Zach Ertz, who caught Wentz’s first NFL pass, a onehanded, over- the- shoulder beauty that will be part of his highlight reel for years to come.
Wentz was helped by the solid play of Philadelphia’s offensive line and running game. Ryan Mathews rushed for 77 yards and a score on 22 carries, and Kenjon Barner added another 42 yards.
But it wasn’t as if the Eagles pared down the passing game playbook, giving Wentz the green light to audible and make plays. His decision early in the second quarter to drop back into the shotgun after seeing Cleveland’s defense resulted in a 28- yard completion to Matthews.
“We just have to keep getting better and keep executing,” Wentz said. “We’re going to learn from this game and we are going to build on it.”
One of 16 quarterbacks who will end the first week of the season as a winner. Not a bad start.