Carson is the Key

Posted: October 1st, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Carson is the Key

Carson Wentz is a good QB. He’s not playing like it right now, but he is still a good QB. Wentz isn’t the first player to really hit the wall. The challenge for him now is to keep grinding and play his way through it.

Randall Cunningham looked like the future of the NFL after a magical 1990 season, one of the greatest QB performances of all time. He got hurt in 1991. He got benched in 1992. He got hurt in 1993. He got benched in 1994 and then for good in 1995. Cunningham became a backup QB. An injury put him on the field in 1998 and he helped the Vikings set an NFL record for points scored.

Cunningham’s talent never left. Injuries were a major issue. Confidence became a major issue. Cunningham battled with his coaches and made matters worse.

Kurt Warner looked like he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory after an amazing run from 1999-2001. The 2002 season was quite the nightmare. Warner was 0-6 as a starter, with 3 TDs and 11 INTs. He started one game in 2003 and the Rams let him go. Warner went to the Giants in 2004 and played until rookie Eli Manning was ready to take over. Warner went 5-4, but only threw 6 TDs. He was hardly compelling.

The Cardinals took a chance on Warner in 2006. He wasn’t good for the first couple of years, but things finally clicked in 2007. He led the team to the Super Bowl in 2008 and posted big numbers from 2007-2009. Warner needed the right situation for his skills to truly shine.

Those are two QBs who looked transcendent before falling on hard times. They eventually bounced back and did amazing things. Wentz has not fallen nearly as far as they did. You still see his talent on a weekly basis.

There were some really good moments in the Bengals game.

That last throw to Ertz is damn good. That required touch and accuracy. That pass should have led to a game-winning FG, but the Eagles are the Eagles and it went for naught.

The talent is absolutely still there.

But…

https://twitter.com/Eaglesfans9/status/1310302218483101698

Oh boy. That was torturous. The Eagles had a smart play called. It was well-executed. Except for the throw. Wentz just missed. That should have been a TD and it should have given the Eagles the lead. Who knows what happens if Wentz makes that throw.

Unfortunately Wentz is missing too many plays like that right now. Everyone is analyzing Wentz and trying to figure out what is wrong. Is there a specific reason for his struggles?

Is he injured?

Is coaching the problem?

Has he just lost his confidence?

Have OL issues led to bad habits?

Is it the lack of good WRs?

Did he find a Tiki figure while on vacation in Hawaii and think it would be good luck, only to be horribly wrong?

We can only guess, of course. But I think it is important to understand that Wentz isn’t suddenly a bust. He’s not a bad player. The guy who did amazing things in 2017 and then carried the Eagles on his back last December is still here. He’s just struggling in a big way.

The coaches need to find a way to fix him.

If Doug Pederson wants to convince Jeff Lurie and the rest of the world that he should keep his job, fixing Wentz would be one heck of a selling point. Wentz is the key to the Eagles, short term and long term. They are committed to him financially. They need this to work.

Wentz led the team to the tying TD late in the game. He put the offense in scoring position in overtime. Winning that game would have done wonders for his head and his confidence. Wentz should still feel good about the fact he did come up big in some key moments. Build on that.

It doesn’t matter if you think the season is lost or even if you want the team to struggle (so there will be change and a higher draft pick). You need to hope Wentz figures things out and gets his mojo back.

*****

It will be as challenging as ever for Wentz. The Eagles are hurting right now.

Is it me or does it feel like 2020 is out to get the Eagles and their fans?

What an absolutely bizarre year.

_

Comments are closed.