Carson Wentz

5 reasons Carson Wentz is for real

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz certainly looks like the real deal so far in his rookie season

What an exciting time to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. The Eagles are 3-0 and leading the NFC East, thanks in large part due to the hot start of rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. Eagles coach Doug Pederson has apparently found the golden ticket in young Wentz and hopes to cash it in for a Super Bowl victory soon. The rookie’s stats are flat out amazing thus far and he’s proving to be well worth trading up to the second pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The 6’5” rookie out of North Dakota State is leading the Eagles’ offense to a blistering start while maintaining a passer rating of 103.8. He’s the first rookie QB in NFL history to not have an interception in his first 100 passing attempts. The kid looks great out there and he hasn’t shown any obvious flaws in his game.

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Wentz is very much on pace to be the greatest rookie quarterback the game has ever seen and many are already comparing him to the former greats. Coach Pederson looks like the right guy to help nurture the young player to elite status. Eagles fans believe they finally have their savior, and I think they might be right.

5 – His performance against the Steelers

Carson Wentz showed the Steelers and the league what he was made of this past Sunday, when torched the perennial defensive powerhouse and outplayed Ben Roethlisberger. His first two victories came against lesser opponents (Browns and Bears) and his initial outstanding performances were understandably met with suspicion. The Steelers, however, would be the rookie’s first real test. Pittsburgh’s defense had a tendency for blitzing young quarterbacks and had already roughed up the Redskins and Bengals this season.

Heading into the battle of Pennsylvania, both teams were undefeated and intra-state bragging rights were on the line. Wentz and the Eagles handed Pittsburgh their worst loss in 27 years with a thorough beat down, 34-3. The rookie showed his evolution in this game by dominating a Steelers D to the tune of 25-of-31 passes completed for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Wentz looked like an all-star out there avoiding sacks and making plays when his team needed them.

The first two games of his career may have wet people’s whistle but this performance against the Steelers made fans salivate for more. The frenzy in Philly right now is at a fever pitch and Carson Wentz may as well be the second coming of Jesus. All I know for sure is that, after the game, all of the NFL had no choice but to take notice of the rookie phenom.

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) throws the ball during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Philadelphia won 29-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

4 – His arm strength and accuracy

Carson Wentz’s arm is one of the reasons many believe he is for real. In his first three starts he has shown incredible accuracy and power on his throws. Through three games he’s thrown five touchdowns and zero interceptions, and that’s good for a seasoned vet not just a rookie. He’s averaging a 64.7% completion percentage and 256 yards per game. These numbers jump off the page and don’t resemble any rookie many have ever seen in this league before.

A big part of Wentz’s game is his accurate balls, placed perfectly to increase his receivers’ YAC (Yards After Catch). Coach Doug Pederson employs his own version of the west coast offense and this style of offense requires a quarterback with quick decision-making and an accurate arm. His early success has proven that the game plan implemented by coach Pederson fits the rookie’s style perfectly.

In the NFL, offensive style and scheme really determine a quarterback’s success. For example, the Washington Redskins had a lot of success in 2012 by changing their scheme to fit RG3. Most quarterbacks couldn’t thrive in a read-option based system, just like most quarterbacks aren’t accurate enough to run the west coast offense. Wentz has the necessary skills to accurately distribute the ball in Doug Pederson’s west coast scheme.

If Wentz’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles in the win over the Steelers didn’t display his soft touch on the ball, then I don’t know what will. Wentz avoided a sack by Steeler Stephon Tuitt, escaped to his right, drawing in defenders just enough to hit Sproles in stride for a long scoring scamper. His outstanding performance this Sunday, especially with everything he displayed on that play alone, proved to me that he is for real and opened some eyes around the NFL.

May 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) speaks to the media during rookie minicamp at the NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

3 – Better than any rookie QB … ever?

Wentz is off to a great start by veteran standards, and compared to other rookies, he is quite impressive. Unlike most rookies, Wentz has been able to take care of the ball with zero interceptions in over 100 pass attempts.

The praise Wentz is receiving comes with some trepidation, as many rookie quarterbacks have skyrocketed only to soon fizzle out. RG3 (Robert Griffin III) immediately comes to mind; he started great, statistically second to Wentz, only to fall dramatically. According to Pro Football Focus, Wentz has a PFF QB grade of 90.2 out of 100, the best in the league this year so far. The Eagles starter has the highest PFF grade of any rookie ever, while RG3 had a grade of 89.4. Griffin ultimately wasn’t able to stay healthy and hasn’t yet shown the ability to stay on the field a full season sicne. These two quarterbacks’ styles are very different and most believe Wentz’s body will hold up better to the NFL game in the long run.

Carson Wentz is the first quarterback since 1970 to win his first three games without throwing a single interception. As a rookie, Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets also went 3-0 in 2009 but he tossed two picks in that span. Wentz continues to adapt and become more comfortable in the NFL, a bad sign for opposing defenses and the rest of the NFC East in particular.

Impressive stats are nothing new to the former North Dakota State player. He put up 45 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and had a 64% completion percentage in college while also running for almost 1,000 yards and 12 scores. He won two FCS National Championships at North Dakota State his junior and senior years. Wentz is a proven winner, no matter the level of competition, as winning back-to-back championships is not an easy task whatsoever. His skill set is impressive and I don’t see him slowing anytime soon. If he can stay healthy, I this surely could be a record-setting rookie year.

SAN DIEGO, CA – JANUARY 25: Brett Favre #4 of the Green Bay Packers drops back to pass against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXXII on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The Broncos won the Super Bowl 31-24. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

4 – Instincts like Favre

Coach Doug Pederson is familiar with Brett Favre’s moxie; he backed up the Hall of Famer in Green Bay for eight seasons. During his time in Green Bay, Pederson was able to study what made Favre such a great football player. He believes he sees a lot of the same attributes in Wentz’s game as he did in Favre’s.

Favre was fearless, a true leader and showed incredible fortitude throughout his career. Many would say they see the same characteristics in Wentz. Ever since Favre took the NFL by storm, it’s become cliché to anoint a young quarterback a gunslinger. But Wentz isn’t just a cliche, he actually reminds me of Favre and his play on the field backs up all the accolades.

On Brett Favre’s SiriusXM radio show, coach Pederson compared Carson Wentz to his former teammate saying, “This kid has some of the same instincts that you had, eyes are always downfield, you’re looking for that big play, the home-run play, the broken play. And he’s got that in him and that’s something that’s very special. And you can’t teach that. That’s an instinct that a lot of people don’t have and we’re fortunate that our guy has it.”

Pocket presence is something you hear a lot when talking about quarterbacks and Carson Wentz has shown he has it. Favre always seemed aware of blitzes and pressure, he and knew when to flee the pocket. Wentz has shown this ability already and he seems more comfortable than any other rookie signal-caller since Big Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben went on to a rookie record of 13-0 in the regular season and won the Super Bowl the next year, by the way

Mandatory Credit: Al Pereira/New York Jets/Getty Images

1 – Prepares like Peyton Manning

Much has been said about Carson Wentz’s on the field abilities but what truly makes a great NFL quarterback is preparation — and Wentz excels at game preparation and watching game film. “He loves watching tape,” Eagles coach Pederson said in his weekly press conference. He went on to say that Wentz and the other quarterbacks are watching film as early as 5:30 a.m. and he prepares like former MVP Peyton Manning.

Pederson said, “It’s Peyton Manning-ish. You hate to label it. I don’t want to put labels on guys, but that’s how Peyton prepared, and that’s how these top quarterbacks prepare each week, and he has that now as a young quarterback, and that’ll carry him through his career.”

Wentz missed much of the preseason due to two cracked ribs he sustained in a game against the Buccaneers on Thursday August 11. Missing valuable reps in practice and in the remaining preseason games would’ve left most quarterbacks behind, but not Wentz; he hunkered down and studied relentlessly. This drive and devotion to his profession remind many of Peyton Manning and his enthusiasm for football. Wentz has shown his true colors early and many believe it’s just the beginning for the Philadelphia rookie.

So far, Wentz deserves all the hefty praise he is receiving. Unless he starts playing like a rookie, why compare him to other rookies? His play has warranted comparison to some of the greats and the last rookie quarterback to earn such comparison is Andrew Luck. Luck was the second coming of Peyton Manning and he’s played very well to this point for the most part. Luck didn’t have a rookie season like Wentz is currently enjoying, though, and he is now an All-Pro.

It’s truly going to be interesting and exciting to watch how he progresses and if or when he starts to struggle. Most rookies hit the proverbial wall around Week 12, so let’s see if he can Kool-Aid man through that wall and continue his hot start.