QB

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#8: USE A QB AS THE H

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/06/06
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, NFL, Players, Rants, Special Teams, The 12, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EVERY year I repeat this one. We never do it, and we always should. (Every team should, actually.) Fuck it. I will bang this pot until someone hears me! There is no tactical advantage to using a Punter to hold on Field Goal attempts. Unless you’re Pat McAfee or Sav Rocca, you probably don’t offer much as an athlete on a football field. A back-up QB however, offers plenty.

Pat McAfee celebrates at WrestleMania 38. I don’t usually watch wrestling anymore, but I’m BEYOND happy, that I caught his matches.

A QB playing holder makes every FG attempt a potential opportunity for a fake. While that can be said of anyone holding, a QB’s ability to deliver ball (even under pressure), makes that potential fake all the more dangerous, and all the more real.

The most important thing it does, is it forces teams to focus on covering both Ends and both Wings, instead of trying to block a kick. Wait. Let me back up.

Because Special Teams is so rarely talked about, most people don’t know the positions. The five members of the line are T, G, C, G, T. That part you already knew. Outside of the T’s are the TE’s. Still pretty standard stuff. The players outside of the TE’s are Wing Backs (WB). Usually those are WR’s or RB’s who are good blockers, because the emphasis is on protection.

While there are always six players eligible to catch a pass on any FG attempt, not having a player that can deliver a pass, makes that threat practically toothless. Unless someone isn’t covered. A QB on the field however, gives the offense (and that’s still what it is), a player who can routinely deliver an accurate pass, even to a covered man, even with pressure in his face. No P can match that.

I’ve spent years saying that we should use WR Greg Ward as the Holder, given his QB background, and his WR legs. However, if we were to trot QB Gardner Minshew out there, opponents would think “Well what the happy fuck, is this horseshit?” At which point their focus is more on making sure that our TE’s and WB’s don’t get loose for six, than on giving up three.

And after all that, after everything you just read, you just read the REAL payoff. It’s a more relaxed Kicker who doesn’t feel like he needs to rush, because the defense is trying harder to cover, than they are to block. What would relaxing K Jake Elliott be worth to you? Yet all it would cost, is swapping out a P for a QB. That’s it.

And of course, every so often we can actually run a fake. Just to let opponents know that they need to be afraid, and stay that way.

GARDNER MINSHEW?!?

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/11/03
Posted in: Conversations, Offense, Players, Rants, Roster, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TOLD you so! In my QB of the Future article, I said, regardless of whether QB Jalen Hurts is healthy, the Eagles will find a reason to get QB Gardner Minshew on the field, around Week 8. Well the Lions game was Week 8, wasn’t it? Did Minshew play? Yes indeedy he did! I saw this one coming from a mile out.

Didn’t you?

I figured the Eagles would jinn up some reason, but the blowout was good enough. In fact, it was the best-case scenario. Notice how the words “QB controversy” aren’t on anybody’s lips, right now? Minshew threw 2 passes, completing both for just 11 yards. Otherwise, he played hand-off machine, and didn’t even attempt anything interesting.

Yet.

This isn’t me trying to create a story. Let me say this outright. Right now there isn’t a story. No one is trying to spook, or unsettle you. No one is trying trick you into click-bait, ladies.

What I’m doing, is what I told you I’d do. Over the last couple of years, I think people (me included), have forgotten just how kick-ass I am at this. So I’ve decided to make a point of reminding you of who I am, and why you should come here. So, I’m not leaving a prediction open to interpretation. When I nail it, I’m going to point it out directly.

I had plenty more to say in the ‘QB of the Future’ article, and the one that came before it Killing Off All Starting QB’s. Some of it will take seasons to unfold. Which is fine by me. Time after time, I’ve mentioned on here that I’m a patient man. I cannot be tired by waiting, because I don’t just attach myself to an idea. I invest in it. I evolve with it, if need be.

Rest assured, I don’t just seem different. I am different.

As for Gardner Minshew? Keep your eyes open. We’ll talk.

Well… I’ll talk. And if you have an opinion, you can talk back.

THE QB OF THE FUTURE

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/09/06
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

THIS is Monday, September 6th 2021, and this article will probably seem crazy to you.

While everyone else was yelling and weighing-in on the trade for QB Gardner Minshew, I shut up. What I did was sit back, observe, and consider.

This article marks my first official statement on the trade, or on what Minshew being an Eagle truly heralds. This article is not about this season, but about the future. The long game.

Never lose sight of the long game.

*******

Early in June, I wrote that the NFL is Killing Off All Starting QB’s. I told you that the NFL is changing the concept of the every game starter. I got into the reasons why this is happening, and why it is happening, specifically now.

While it may have seemed far-fetched when I wrote about it in June, if you caught last week’s final preseason game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers, you were treated to more of the Wentz/Hurts, Brees/Hill style of platooning QB’s, that I mentioned in the ‘Killing’ article.

While working on this article, I saw Saturday, that NFL reporter Bucky Brooks put out an article recommending that the 49ers utilize the two QB approach. Figuring that he’d covered it, I almost put this article in my ‘Unpublished Articles’ folder. However, after reading Brooks, I saw that he left it at just the 9ers, and hadn’t really broached the broader subject.

Brook’s article (and even the original draft of this one), mentions the 49ers head coach saying “I don’t need to announce the quarterback, I don’t think I need to announce the starting punt returner, either, but I bet you guys could figure it out,“.

Clearly, the coach was having fun at the media’s expense, but since when was a head coach ever coy about such a thing, two weeks before the season opener? Especially after subbing his QB’s in and out, like a wresting tag team. This is different, folks! Don’t get caught missing the action, while staring directly at it. Don’t let NFL GM’s brag about how they snake charmed us.

Getting back to the Eagles, many people (fans and pundits alike), are speculating that the Minshew trade is about having an insurance policy for QB Jalen Hurts, or having someone to push him. Neither is true. Minshew will play this year. Not just that, but even if Hurts is still healthy by Week 8 or so, you’ll still see Minshew take a few snaps. At least.

Expect to hear (or read) some kooky nonsense about how the coaching staff has “different packages” they want to run for Minshew. As if he has a physical trait or ability that Hurts doesn’t, which the staff desperately needs to get out on the field. It will be utter nonsense. Just enough babble to excite the kind of fan who reads Dave Spadaro, unironically.

In the “Killing” article, I went into why NFL franchises need the two QB system to control their costs. In this article, I’ll add that franchises also need the two QB system, as a means of increasing revenue. The central idea here, is that more games, equals more money. But first, “relics” like Aaaron Rodgers have to be phased out.

The NFL can’t ask television networks for substantially more money, without offering a substantial increase in their product, or finding some other value added aspect. That’s just Sales 101. This is easily solvable by adding more games, which the NFL is eager to do.

We all know that NFL has long had it’s eye on international expansion. (More games.) They’ve also been in talks with the Player’s Association over the years, to find ways to lengthen the regular season. (More games.) Right now were seeing the league attempt to lengthen the regular season, by undercutting the preseason. (And so far the results are ugly.)

Teams can’t play a 20 – 21 game regular season with just one starting QB. The Human body can only take so much punishment. The two QB move, is a move that the NFL has to make, if they want to grow the league. So the NFL has to transition you to being okay with a two QB system. Whether your team runs it or not, is immaterial. The NFL just has to normalize the idea.

Again, this is Monday, September 6th 2021, and this article probably sounded crazy to you. That’s okay. I just wanted to get it on record, that this was another time when I was out, waaay ahead of the curve. While a couple of my “I told you so” articles have been open to interpretation, the one that I will write about this one, won’t be.

KILLING OFF ALL STARTING QB’S

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/06/12
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Crazy Talk, Defense, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

HOWIE is likely going to be fired, if QB Jalen Hurts doesn’t play like a potential star in 2021. Despite what some fans thought about QB Carson Wentz, Owner Jeff Lurie knew he had a bonafide Franchise QB, and that those are difficult to find. Still, General Manager Howie Roseman, convinced Lurie to trade the bird in his hand, for a QB factory in the bush.

There’s a high-stakes game going on, folks! Don’t miss the real action.

This isn’t about Hurts or Wentz. It never was. It’s about the “QB factory” that Howie later regretted mentioning: “Of some of the things that I’ve done this season, I certainly regret that comment about quarterback factory,” Roseman said. “Really it was just in terms of how — the importance of the position around the league, the importance of the position to this organization and really a reflection of our experiences with backup quarterbacks when we did that.”

Notice that he didn’t say that he regrets the idea, or the concept. He said that he regrets the comment. He regrets that he slipped and revealed to us, what was really on his mind. He regrets that we know. This was never about one player over another. It’s about a philosophy.

The Hurts pick is about transforming the QB position into just another position.

By default of how long it takes to develop a QB, they are a huge investment. So the ones with the best raw traits, come at a premium at the top of drafts. Few of those pan out, so it naturally skyrockets the price when a proven, young, veteran QB hits the open market. It’s why teams do everything they can, to keep those proven, young, veteran QB’s from hitting the open market. Often overpaying them.

The NFL was able to control other positions by killing off the idea of star players, who are true specialists:

Star RB’s became RB by committee.

The FB, H-Back, and blocking TE positions are practically extinct.

True #1 WR’s became more expendable with the adoption of Spread concepts.

On defense, players without a hard designation are becoming the norm. Whether it’s all of these CB/S, or those 215 – 220 pound LB/S tweeners, or the Edge players… None of that used to be how football worked, even 10 years ago. None of it.

The QB position is harder to redefine and control, but it must be done. And it must happen SOON.

The NFL needs to find a way to quickly develop QB’s who can be productive, not just to control investment costs (like draft capital), and operating costs (like contract terms), but so that the QB position can be platooned. Yes, platooned. Think about Hurts and Wentz. Or Drew Brees and QB Taysom Hill. Think about Tim Tebow now back in the NFL, at 33.

This is an experiment to figure out how best to phase out the “every game” starter. Instead, coming up with something more akin to a baseball starting pitcher. A guy who’s relied on only to start a percentage of the games, instead of all of them. Sure you’ll have an Ace, but he won’t be your Franchise.

If the NFL doesn’t do this, there is no way that they can expand beyond 18 regular season games in a season. Also, do you see the contract that QB Pat Mahomes signed? Or the one that QB Dak Prescott signed, despite owner Jerry Jones admitted to overpaying? Platooned QB’s would have far less leverage at the bargaining table.

That’s where Hurts comes in. Hurts was drafted “sort of” high. Right on the heels of Wentz winning a division, after having put practice squanders on his back. With a franchise QB like Wentz, drafting Hurts made no sense.

Then packages were added to get Hurts on the field early in his career, despite that fact that it ruins a starting QB’s rhythm. Disrupting our Franchise QB’s rhythm made no sense.

Suddenly Wentz became a turnover machine, when taking care of the ball had been the absolute cornerstone of his career. Yet no serious adjustments were  ever made to help him. (I even wrote about it back in November of 2020.) That also made no sense.

Except in hindsight, all of it makes perfect sense. It’s an experiment. The Eagles made sure they started with a good, but not franchise quality QB (lower draft capital). The speed of the game is what young players say takes the most time to adapt to. So Hurts was spoon-fed a little time here and a little time there, until the game slowed down for him.

Understand, this is the Eagles version of the experiment, but the entire league has a stake in it. Trust and believe that many eyes follow this. Roseman’s experiment requires Hurts to not just play, but start. So, Wentz was removed from the equation. He had to be. Now Hurts is front and center, and barring a preseason injury, he will start.

That all being said, if Hurts turns out to be the formula, and the QB factory opens in Philadelphia, Jeff Lurie will be the guy who hired the inventor of “The (NFL) Process”. However, if Hurts fails, Lurie will have been talked into spending years of investment money, on a single spin of Roulette. That likely means Roseman would be fired.

High-stakes game going on, folks! Don’t get caught missing the real action.

COMPETITION: HURTS, FLACCO

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/05/25
Posted in: Coaching, Conspiracy Corner, Offense, Players, Preview, Rants, Roster, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

THE Eagles coaching staff (with straight faces), keeps telling us fans that there will be a REAL competition between QB Jalen Hurts and QB Joe Flaaco, for the starting job. We’re being told that nobody is being handed anything. I have yet to meet the Eagles fan dumb enough to buy what this coaching staff is selling.

Can we be honest here? Flacco was brought in, so that when Hurts “wins” the job, dipshits can say things like “Hurts beat a former Super Bowl MVP to win the job. So of course Hurts has to be legit, right?” Prepare to hear that repeatedly, from the sort of fan who unironically, still wears a Kevin Kolb jersey.

Understand, while head coach Nick Sirianni has designed plays before, it was never his responsibility to define the philosophy of a system. As a HC, he now gets to decide that. He’s no longer designing plays within the framework of what his boss wants. Now he gets to decide what that framework looks like.

This is a QB Screen I designed years ago. Flacco could never make this play scary.

So who’s skillset do you think the Eagles offensive system will be built around? Flacco’s overall fading skills, and limited athleticism? Or will it be Hurts’ upside and dynamic mobility? When passing plays are drawn up, will they include a heavy percentage of RPO’s, Options, and Bootlegs? Or will they almost entirely consist of 3 and 5 step drops?

In four starts last year, Hurts ran for 272 yards. (BTW: That projects to 1,156 rushing yards, over 17 games.) Flacco? He ran for 292 yards. He didn’t do that in 2020. He did that over the last 7 seasons. Combined. Keeping in mind that Flacco can’t be dangerous running RPO’s, Options or boots, do you really think the new coach will handcuff himself to an anchor? Neither do I.

When Training Camp opens, both the system and the playbook, will be built to suit Hurts, not Flacco. So in what universe is this a real competition? Being that Flacco can’t excel in this system, Hurts will win the starting job in a walk.

Flacco: So you’re saying there’s a CHANCE?

Besides, if Hurts finds himself involved in real a competition with what’s left of Flacco, then basically the Eagles 2021 season would already be a yellow mustard and jizz sandwich. Seriously. It’s embarrassing that the Eagles are even trying to sell this “competition”.

START JALEN HURTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/02/20
Posted in: Coaching, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Offense, Players, Roster, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

THE 12 focuses on how to use what we already have, to win the division. Rumor has it that QB Jalen Hurts will have competition for the starting role. That’s just plain stupid. Just make the kid the starter, and get to the business of fine tuning the rest of this banged up team. Team meaning players AND coaches.

Announce him as the starter and stick to it. (Unless we can somehow draft QB Trey Lance.)

Head Coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t come in with an established system. He’s developing it with his freshly assembled coaching staff. In the past he’s been a play designer, never a play caller. He says that he develops plays to the strengths of his players. Well right now, Hurts is the only QB on the roster. So who else could they develop the Offense to suit? Quit dicking around and build the guy a system.

Some of the players on this roster have already expressed enthusiasm about working with Hurts. He’s supposed to be spending time with some of the receivers, sometime in the near future. Use that! If players like him and trust him, make that a building block!

The Eagles have shown Hurts that they will cut a starter’s throat, and then sell him for peanuts. As an organization, that may make it hard for them to earn Hurts trust. They need to send the message that he will be supported, not thrown under a bus.

Starting Hurts will go a long way to getting the youth on this team to trust the Front Office, and the coaching staff. While the Wentz era didn’t end the way it should have, that doesn’t mean that the Hurts era should start under a cloud, or with him already bewaring the ides of March.

CARSON WENTZ IS YOUR STARTER.

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/01/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

WHAT did I tell you back in November? I told you that (then) Head Coach Doug Pederson, couldn’t bench QB Carson Wentz. Well he did. And he was fired. I also told you that Wentz was the 2021 starter. Owner Jeff Lurie seems to be backing my assessment, and fueling rumors that the next HC hired, is largely based on the candidate’s desire to work with Wentz.

Not to say “I told you so” but…

For the last couple weeks I’m out here on a day-to-day, reading interactions between fans who want to argue about the QB. I don’t engage much. I mostly hang back, because I don’t want to get any stupid on me. Some are arguing that Wentz can’t play anymore. Some are perpetuating rumors that he’s “uncoachable”. Like he’s friggin Johnny Manziel, Ryan Leaf, or Jay Cutler. Can you believe this?

The truth? No matter what has come up, Wentz holds his head up, doesn’t embarrass his team, feeds his community, honors his marriage, and never makes you feel like he’s dogging it out there. In fact, he’s been routinely criticized for (Superman ball) trying to do too much. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. Exhibit C. Exhibit D. etc.

Meanwhile, all the shit talk about him is spouted by “ grown men” who won’t even apply their name to their words.

Making matters worse, are fans out there who gobble up those rumors, and spread them. This lends the illusion of merit to the rumors, due to the absence of truly substantive discourse. Honestly, the only thing that keeps this all from being sad, is that fact that:

I WAS RIGHT!

Instead of focusing on the soap opera that the local media has been trying to push, I pulled out my calculator, and applied some common sense. Philadelphia fans have long been reputed as some of the country’s most knowledgeable fans. While many have grown soft, lazy, and no longer deserving of that mantle, I work to ensure that it’s still true.

This allows me a sort of joyful, and well-earned smugness, because no matter what argument some fans make about Wentz’s 2020 season, barring injury, in 2021 he’s The Man. It won’t be QB Jalen Hurts. Wentz won’t be traded. There won’t be an “open competition”. None of that bullshit.

Carson Wentz is your 2021 starting quarterback. Period. End of story. Like I TOLD you. In November. Anyone who wants to root for him to get hurt or play poorly, that’s their business. That however, would say a ton more about their character, than it would about Wentz’s skill or coachability.

I guess they’re waiting until we’re above .500. Then all those Eagles casuals will stop rooting for the Cowboys, and hop back on the bandwagon, shouting stuff like “AH bleed green no matter wut!” and “Never lost faith in Wentzlvania!”

No matter. I will still have been right.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 13: Packers

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/12/07
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

LET’S get to the elephant in room.

Eagles 16 – Packers 30 

EAGLES LEADERS:

(B) QB Jalen Hurts: (5/12 – 41.6%– 109 – 1 – 1)

(S) RB Miles Sanders: (10 – 31 – 3.1 – 0 – 0)

(S) TE Dallas Goedert: (7 – 5 – 66 – 13.2 – 0)

(S) DT Javon Hargrave: (1 – 1.0 – 0 – 0)

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for the Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: Packers did the Eagles get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Run to pass: Running on first down had us moving the ball on the first drive, but then we abandoned it. Silly enough, we didn’t really pick it up when we put out our rookie, back-up QB. On the whole, there were 17 handoffs in this game (1 to a WR.) Compared to 27 pass attempts and 8 QB runs, it’s just not how to run an offense. (NOT DONE)

So can we talk about the coverage scheme being a problem? Or are we still blaming the CB’s?

2) Force their QB left and hit him: We did this. Unfortunately on those same downs, NO ONE was covering, and it led to big plays. Easy, big plays. I don’t know whether we’re failing at succeeding or succeeding at failing, but both paths led to a big fat “L”. (DONE)

3) Start fast: We came out and established a 3 – 0 lead. Our first lead since they tore down the Vet. Or at least that’s how it felt. Then we abandoned the run and started playing like chumps again. (DONE)

4) Avoid starting drives inside of our 20: We did a much better job of this than we have in many prior weeks. We also didn’t bury ourselves in penalties. (And that holding call on LG Isaac Seumalo was bullshit. So was the ticky-tack push off on WR Alshon Jeffrey.) (DONE)

We actually did 3 of 4 things this week. But we had problems elsewhere that were laid bare, when we switched QB’s in the 3rd quarter. Next on the docket: the New Orleans Saints.

On The Whole:

Let’s get to the elephant in room. Should Jalen Hurts be the starter next week? The answer is “No”. Inserting him didn’t fix any of the problems we’ve been suffering all year long.

Today Wentz was sacked 4 times, to Hurts 3 times. Hurts ran for 29 yards on 6 carries (5.8 yards per run), to Wentz’s 18 yards on 3 carries (6.0 yards per run). One repeated knock on Wentz, has been that this year, he’s as likely to throw an interception (15), as he is a TD (16). Today Hurts threw one of each. Everyone has been upset that Wentz has had trouble completing 60% of his passes in games. Hurts had a completion percentage of 41.6 today.

If results matter to you more than the color of the QB (Oops! Did I put that out there?), you can’t claim to be happy with what you saw. Everything Hurts did, was slightly worse than what we’ve come to expect from Wentz. If you want to grade Hurts on a rookie curve, go right ahead. I won’t even argue. What I will do, is point out that wins and loses stem from his results, not curved grades.

Folks, the problem is with the system. I told you this WEEKS ago, and I even mentioned how to fix it, and I EVEN said that it likely can’t be done in-season.

DOUG BACKED ME UP.

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/08/23
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, playoffs, poll, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

BACK in June, I said that Nate Sudfeld would be our back-up QB for 2020, and rookie Jalen Hurts wouldn’t challenge for that spot. Actually, to quote myself verbatim, what I said was:

“if Wentz goes down, Sudfeld is our only QB who is well versed in the Offense. If Wentz goes down for the year (knock wood), and we’re already out of the playoff picture, sure, start Hurts. If we’re still in the playoff hunt however, Sudfeld has to be the guy. He has to be.”

Again, I said that back in June. So of course, when Head Coach Doug Pederson said on Wednesday that “Nate is our No. 2, and obviously Jalen is still learning”, it felt like Doug put an official stamp on my statement. Yet people still want to have the debate about whether or not Hurts should be our back-up. Fine. Let’s do it.

Let me be clear about this first. I’m counting on QB Carson Wentz starting 14 regular season games, and winning in the playoffs this year. So for me, this is a moot discussion. It’s just an exercise in debate for debate’s sake. BUT, since we are talking about the #2 spot, we have to start the discussion from a point of Wentz being out again. So folks…

The Eagles will be a projected 84 – 87M$ over the salary cap in 2021. That means names like DT Fletcher Cox, DE Brandon Graham, TE Zach Ertz, WR Alshon Jeffery, WR DeSean Jackson, and G Brandon Brooks, could all be potential trade candidates to help clear cap space. Not all, but any three or four of them, could be traded for chicken feed, just to get a team to take their contract.

Would you waste what may be their last season, as well as the possible swan songs of G Jason Peters, C Jason Kelce, and DE Vinny Curry, just to develop a kid that will still be Wentz’s back-up in 2021? Or would you rather we try to ride this roster to one more deep playoff run?

While it’s not impossible to win a SB with a rookie QB, it’s also never been done. So if you picked the deep playoff run, then you’re picking Sudfeld. And you’re bullshitting yourself, to tell yourself anything else.

This time next year, we’ll be having a stupid debate over whether Hurts should be the starter. (The local media will see to that.) So obviously I’m sure that Hurts is the #2 next season. Sudfeld’s deal is one year, his body of work is unimpressive, and Hurts has gifts that cannot be ignored. So the handwriting is clearly on the wall, regarding next year’s pecking order.

That being said, do not be surprised to see Sudfeld back in 2021. Most teams have a starter, we could use the depth, and he knows it here. And it’s not like he’ll get a better shake elsewhere. He lacks the resume for that. Especially if Wentz stays healthy and Sudfeld doesn’t play in 2020.

 

 

 

 

IS CARSON WENTZ ELITE?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/26
Posted in: Conversations, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

wentz fireworks

EAGLES QB Carson Wentz frequently plays and produces at an elite level. He has his flaws: He has a history of taking too many sacks, instead of getting rid of the ball quickly. He doesn’t run for enough cheap yardage. He leans too much on the TE position. In fairness, he seemed get past much of this by the end of 2019. It’ll be interesting to see how he opens 2020.

Even with his flaws, Carson’s young resume still boasts a constellation of stellar marks:

* He rarely throws interceptions, having never thrown more than 7 in a season, since his rookie season when he threw 14.

* His red zone stats look like something out of a Madden video game. In 55 games he’s thrown 72 touchdown vs just 2 interceptions in the red zone.

* He’s won the division twice out the four years that he’s been a pro. His first division win was iced even before he played the game in which he was lost for the season. By that point, he was an MVP candidate, and he had his team playing for home-field advantage in a year when his efforts would help win Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl.

* He won his second division crown throwing to a group of players (WR Greg Ward, WR Deontay Burnett, WR Robert Davis, RB Boston Scott, and TE Joshua Perkins) all of whom started the season as Practice Squaders. Burnett and Davis weren’t even on Philadelphia’s PS.

Carson Wentz prepares to fire

The fact is, Carson is a monster. Anytime someone wants to take a shot at him, they never attack his play. They attack the three regular season and three playoff games he missed in 2017. They attack the two first games of 2018 where Carson wanted to play, but the coaching staff held him out until the team doctor (since fired) cleared him. They attack the last 5 games of 2018 where again, Carson wanted to play (through stress fractures in his back), but was shut down by the coaching staff, on the advice of the (since fired) medical staff.

The question however was, is Carson Wentz elite? Is he to be mentioned in the Brady, Rodgers, Wilson, Brees, Mahomes crowd? Is he in that upper echelon of current NFL QB’s? The short answer is: No. He isn’t.

wentz v TB 2016 rookie preseason

Currently, Carson is 0 – 1 in the playoffs. We Eagles fans can spin that 2019 playoff loss to Seattle any way we like, but the facts are, Carson started the game and the Eagles lost it. Period. Until Carson gets that first playoff win under his belt, he’s going to be the Buddy Ryan of QB’s: Great in the regular season, but the world’s greatest tease in the playoffs.

Carson’s arm strength, accuracy, ability to read defense, and ability to make plays that make other players gasp, are all top-notch. There is no doubt that he is an elite talent, but there is a difference between being a “talent”, and being a guy who delivers. To become an elite QB, to become a guy who delivers, Carson has to get this team to an NFC Championship game.

Otherwise he’s just Dak Prescott.

Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott