Carson

Posted: September 11th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Carson

In my previous piece, I wrote about how excited everyone is to watch the new guys and the (hopefully) improved players for the Eagles. From Darius Slay to Jalen Reagor to Josh Sweat to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Will those guys live up to the hype?

The key to the Eagles is still Carson Wentz.

It is a bit hard to believe, but he’s entering his fifth season. Wentz has had his ups and downs over the last two years, but when he is healthy, Wentz is one of the best QBs in the league.

Chris Wesseling wrote a terrific piece for NFL.com on the QB position and ranked all 32 starters. Here is what he had to say about Wentz:

Ranked 6th

I don’t understand the skepticism. Given an outstanding supporting cast in 2017, he emerged as the must-watch MVP front-runner for three months before tearing his ACL. Dragged down by injuries to key starters last year, Wentz played his best ball with the season on the line, elevating a cast of misfits and afterthoughts in the passing game. The Eagles would like to see him stay off the injury report and show consistent mechanics for a full, 16-game campaign.

That’s a pretty good summation. Wentz isn’t perfect, but he played at an elite level in 2017. He was healthy and had a terrific supporting cast. Heading into 2020, Wentz is healthy and looks to have a strong set of playmakers around him. There is every reason to be excited about Wentz and his weapons.

This could be a big year for the Eagles offense. They have a stud RB in Miles Sanders. They have a pair of speedy playmakers in DeSean Jackson and Jalen Reagor. Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert are the best 1-2 combo at TE in the league. There are some young, talented players behind these guys. That depth was needed in the past couple of years. It would have been nice to have John Hightower last year or Boston Scott in 2018.

The Eagles have legit speed and not just in one or two players.

Can the Eagles protect Wentz and help the runners/receivers to make plays? That is the team’s biggest question right now. Having Jason Peters back at LT should help things. Matt Pryor is unproven at RG and Lane Johnson has been banged up. The Eagles need Pryor to play well and Johnson to get healthy.

One x-factor with the offense will be schematic tweaks from the new coaches. Rich Scangarello comes from the Kyle Shanahan system and that involves a lot of plays where the QB is on the move. And that’s good news.

Wentz wasn’t on the move by design very much in recent years. I think that will change this season and it could help him to play at an even higher level. This sure looks like a case of Doug Pederson seeing a strength in his star and finding a coach who can help get the most out of that.

Wentz and this offense could be a lot of fun to watch this season.

*****

This is fantastic.

Should help you to get excited for Sunday.

*****

I saw the PFT predictions for the 2020 season and was surprised by how few had the Eagles going to the playoffs. Before you start ranting about Mike Florio, realize this is multiple writers from a variety of cities.

I expect the Eagles to be a playoff team. There are too many unknowns to expect this team to be great. There is potential for them to be a title contender, but a lot would have to go right.

I’m just excited to have football back. This has been a tough year and we deserve some fun.

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