HurtsWentzMania

I hope you didn’t come here expecting to read about Rick Lovato’s bid to be the Eagles team MVP in 2020. He hasn’t had a bad snap yet, nor has he thrown an interception, dropped a pass or missed a tackle. But that story is for another day.

Today, we talk quarterbacks.

In one corner we have Carson Wentz, potential league MVP in 2017 and the Eagles franchise QB. Owner of team records and a huge contract. Unfortunately that is Past Wentz. Current Wentz is arguably the worst starting QB in the NFL.

31st in completion percentage
30th in yards per attempt
33rd in net yards per attempt
27th in QBR
30th in passer rating
Leads league in INTs and sacks
2nd in fumbles

In the other corner we have Jalen Hurts, rookie QB who just played most of a half.

Notice a difference there?

There is no question that Wentz is more experienced. He’s more talented. He has the stronger arm. Wentz can make every throw in the book. At his best, he’s able to also make breathtaking plays. The problem is that he’s not been at his best this year. Just look at the list above.

I think people struggle to understand just how bad Wentz has been. This isn’t a case of a guy having a slightly down year. This isn’t someone playing through an injury. Wentz isn’t a player who suddenly got old and his age is just showing. This is…nuts.

Some alarming stats on #Eagles QB Carson Wentz, via @NFLResearch… including having one of the biggest dropoffs in NFL history compared to his passer ratings from the previous 3 years pic.twitter.com/grIH7nZJ8G

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 1, 2020

Wentz hasn’t had good receivers to work with this year (or the previous two). The OL hasn’t protected him well at all. Coaching has been less than ideal. All of that would make sense if this was simply a down year. This is a disaster.

Wentz is fine from his toes to his chin, but he isn’t right between the ears. He plays with no confidence. He’s skittish in the pocket. Wentz doesn’t see open receivers or makes off-target throws when he does notice them. Something just isn’t right with him.

Hurts replaced him and there was a noticeable difference. Some people acted like Hurts was no different. Others tried to say he was playing against a prevent defense so he really didn’t do that much. All I can say is that if you didn’t see a distinct difference, we weren’t watching the same game.

No one is trying to put Hurts in the Hall of Fame. Wentz has set the bar so low recently that seeing a guy go 5-12-109 got everyone excited. That’s where we’re at right now. Hurts was far from perfect, but he did give the team a spark. He came in with the Eagles down 23-3. The game got as close as 23-16. The Eagles still lost. There were still problems.

But there was also hope.

The Eagles offense has been abysmal since the bye. They haven’t scored more than 17 points in a game. Wentz only broke 200 yards passing in one game. Big plays have been sorely lacking. Heck, just go by the eye test. The offense looks sluggish and awkward. Nothing is easy.

It was time for a change, one that Pederson should stick with.

Back in September, Daniel Jeremiah had Wentz ranked as the #6 QB in the league. Look what Jeremiah has to say now.

https://twitter.com/MoveTheSticks/status/1336056843257470979

He is right. Doug Pederson should go with Hurts.

This isn’t a condemnation of Wentz. He has played great in the past. Just last December, Wentz carried the Eagles to the NFC East title while throwing to Greg Ward and Deontay Burnett. Trying to figure out what went wrong is complicated because there are so many factors. There is a lot of blame to go around to a lot of people.

For now, we focus on the final month of 2020. Play Hurts. He brought life to the team and that’s worth more time. If he stinks up the joint in a full start, you can always go back to Wentz.

The Eagles are really struggling in pass protection right now. Hurts mobility gives him a chance to turn bad plays into good ones. While Wentz has the stronger arm, Hurts might be the better deep passer. I thought he put great touch on downfield throws in college and you saw that on his deep ball to Jalen Reagor on Sunday. Hurts gives the Eagles a chance for big plays, something that has been lacking recently.

Maybe Wentz seeing someone else run the offense will do him good. Maybe not. It sure can’t hurt to try. Leaving Wentz in at QB just wasn’t working, for him or the team.

And certainly not for those of us who tune in on Sundays looking to be entertained.

Stick with Hurts. Let’s see what the kid can do.

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