UK_EaglesFan89 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Eagles overreactions: Carson Wentz's fourth-quarter drive doesn't mean he's back Quote Oh my goodness, the Eagles just tied the Bengals at home. It's fair to say no one saw a Week 3 tie to rookie quarterback Joe Burrow coming, but here we are. The Eagles are 0-2-1, and this season is completely off the rails. Let's talk about it with some instant overreactions... except they might not be overreactions. 1. Carson Wentz was still extremely bad on Sunday Overreaction: Maybe I know Carson Wentz led the Eagles to a game-tying touchdown in the dying seconds of regulation. It was a penalty-aided drive and he ran the tying score in. It doesn't change what happened on Sunday: Carson Wentz was bad, again, and we can't keep burying our heads in the sand about his play. It might be time to start discussing where the Eagles stand at the most important position in football. Through three weeks, the Eagles are getting subpar play from their franchise quarterback, and I'd say Carson Wentz's performance on Sunday was the most concerning one yet, game-tying drive be darned. His final stat line - 29 of 47 for one touchdown and two interceptions, with 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground - told just part of the story against a Bengals defense that would struggle to handle any adequate quarterback play. Wentz threw two more interceptions on objectively bad throws, bringing his yearly total to six, a startling number. He threw 21 INTs over his last three seasons. Right now he's on pace to throw 32 INTs in a single season, a truly Jameis Winston-like figure without Winston's game-breaking deep passes and touchdowns. He's missing open throws. He's making bad throws in important spots. He averaged 4.8 yards per attempt on Sunday. This is flat-out bad quarterback play from Wentz. Even the successes Wentz had on Sunday were suspect. Wentz's lone touchdown pass was a legitimate gift, a wide open throw to Greg Ward thanks to a broken coverage. If he hadn't made that throw, he wouldn't even belong in the NFL as a backup. And Wentz's first throw in overtime... was nearly a third interception, on another miserable throw. Jalen Hurts took his first snap from under center at the Linc on Sunday. It was a designed run, and Hurts has yet to throw the ball this year, but it was his first touch of his young NFL career, and after three truly awful games from Wentz, the idea of giving Hurts a shot isn't as crazy as it was after Week 1. (Yes, Hurts nearly fumbled away his third touch. The Eagles' starting QB already does that.) Injuries to players like Alshon Jeffery, Dallas Goedert, and Jalen Reagor have once again hamstrung Wentz and the Eagles' offense, but Wentz has looked demonstrably worse through three weeks compared to how he looked down the stretch last season, with an equally rough supporting cast. Wentz is the face of the franchise. But he needs to be way, way, way better - and Sunday didn't change the fact that Wentz shouldn't feel safe as QB1. 2. Doug Pederson has lost his play-calling touch Overreaction: Maybe In the first quarter on Sunday, the Eagles were running the ball with little resistance against a run defense that allowed 370 yards on the ground through two weeks. Miles Sanders, after dusting off the rust in Week 2, was gashing the Bengals every time he touched the ball. He had nine carries for 61 yards. And then... Pederson stopped running the ball on consecutive drives, apparently forgetting Sanders existed, resulting in two straight three-and-outs. Look at this inexplicable disparity: Later, midway through the third quarter, Pederson's offense strung together four straight gain plays, including an intriguing Jalen Hurts direct snap, to reach Cincinatti's 30-yard line... and then Pederson called an inscrutable end-around hand-off to Greg Ward that lost six yards on second down and stalled an Eagles drive that had momentum, eventually settling for a 54-yard field goal. Pederson and his coaching collective were hailed time and time again during the Super Bowl run for their creativity, their "feel for the game", and rightly so. That Eagles offense was unique, played to Carson Wentz's strengths, and never felt stagnant. Right now, it feels like Pederson is out of ideas. It's not helpful when you're being bogged down by bad quarterback play, but it's up to a coach like Pederson to elevate Wentz, not bury him deeper. The entire offense is trending in the wrong direction. 3. Bringing back Jason Peters was a mistake Overreaction: No Eagles fans spent most of the first half making jokes about Jason Peters returning his much-talked-about pay raise to Howie Roseman and moving back to guard, because the Hall of Fame left tackle was abysmal against Cincinnati's defensive line. Through two weeks, Peters had a lowly 55.5 grade from Pro Football Focus, and he did nothing to change that trend against the Bengals, repeatedly getting beat off the ball and failing to protect Carson Wentz's blindside. Here's Peters getting blown away early in the second quarter, resulting in a sack of Carson Wentz: Then at the end of the second quarter Peters was torched again, and his man forced the ball out of Wentz's hands - the Birds recovered the fumble and eventually scored a clutch touchdown before halftime, but that fumble could've been a real momentum-killer. And then he went down with what appeared to be a leg injury with a minute left in overtime. At 38 years old, Peters shouldn't be a starting left tackle in the NFL, but his struggles are more of an indictment of Howie Roseman and the organization's stagnation along the offensive line. Andre Dillard's injury is unhelpful, but the rookie wasn't inspiring confidence before he went down. They've invested time in Jordan Mailata, a player without any clear path to contribution in the NFL. Relying on Peters, which also cost them extra money, is the result of poor planning and poor drafting, and the Eagles are paying for it in real time. https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-overreactions-carson-wentz-hurt-eagles-bengals-tie-week-3-bad-play I don't think anybody is getting carried away by the drive that took the game to OT because he then came back out in OT and looked just as bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipples Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I want my QB to be able to THROW the ball well and make good decisions. Yeah great he lead a tying drive, but the two "big plays” in the passing game were interference calls that would not have been catches even without the PI, and then he ran it in. That drive did nothing to change my perception. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 19 minutes ago, nipples said: I want my QB to be able to THROW the ball well and make good decisions. Yeah great he lead a tying drive, but the two "big plays” in the passing game were interference calls that would not have been catches even without the PI, and then he ran it in. That drive did nothing to change my perception. And nor should it! It was another really really bad game by Wentz against a really bad D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Quote Pederson and his coaching collective were hailed time and time again during the Super Bowl run for their creativity, their "feel for the game", and rightly so. That Eagles offense was unique, played to Carson Wentz's strengths, and never felt stagnant. Right now, it feels like Pederson is out of ideas. It's not helpful when you're being bogged down by bad quarterback play, but it's up to a coach like Pederson to elevate Wentz, not bury him deeper. The entire offense is trending in the wrong direction. This can't be emphasized enough!! Since 2017 (when coincidentally Reich and Flip, the other 2/3 of the offensive brain trust left), this offense has looked like complete garbage. It's becoming quite apparent Doug wasn't the offensive genius of the group that many were making him out to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOTW Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 The drive that tied the game was due to 2 DPI penalties and run plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha_TATEr Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Just now, NOTW said: The drive that tied the game was due to 2 DPI penalties and run plays. huh, run plays you say ? what are those ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOTW Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 2 hours ago, NOTW said: In Doug's PC he was pissed and depressed. Carson here is kind of smiling and downplaying the problems, blaming injuries, is proud of the guys and "not so clean game from us offensively." On ending in a tie he just said it was an "awkward way to end the game" and that the fight was there. On interceptions blames the tipped pass (understandable) and just being aggressive. I don't put toooo much stock in interviews, the coaches and players have to see how people are in the locker room and in practice. But it appears over the weeks that Carson doesn't get how bad it is and that he needs to really change. He reminds me of Reid's old days thinking they were "just a hair off." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20dawk4life Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I'm starting to think him having a kid has messed with his head. That last drive was almost old Carson but overall he looks scared and timid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdman#12 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Pedersen is not using Wentz to take advantage of his full abilities.....but this is not excusing Wentz of his poor play. The combination of poor play calling, not using Wentz to his abilitites, and Wentz's confidence being a mess, has led to a stagnant and predictable offense. Pedersen's constant imbalance in the run/pass ratio has taken the eagles out of games by putting too much on a struggling QB. This is where a head coach's talent for in-game adjustments is revealed, and Pedersen has not been good at it. They need to take a good look at how McVey and the rams create mismatches and speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOTW Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 2 hours ago, 20dawk4life said: I'm starting to think him having a kid has messed with his head. That last drive was almost old Carson but overall he looks scared and timid. Honestly, he's been up and down since the Super Bowl. 2018 he struggled and we chalked it up to recovering from injury. Some suggested he had a chip on his shoulder because he saw Foles win the SB. Then he got injured again and Foles won a playoff game. 2019 last year he was very erratic and people were blaming injuries and the poor WR production. The numbers speak for themselves, she's been average the last 3 seasons. I don't believe having a child effected him. I think injuries, seeing Foles perform, changes to coaches and lack of accountability. He is failing right now even at fundamentals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20dawk4life Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 1 hour ago, NOTW said: Honestly, he's been up and down since the Super Bowl. 2018 he struggled and we chalked it up to recovering from injury. Some suggested he had a chip on his shoulder because he saw Foles win the SB. Then he got injured again and Foles won a playoff game. 2019 last year he was very erratic and people were blaming injuries and the poor WR production. The numbers speak for themselves, she's been average the last 3 seasons. I don't believe having a child effected him. I think injuries, seeing Foles perform, changes to coaches and lack of accountability. He is failing right now even at fundamentals. His way of playing has been different this year. I think he played the same the previous seasons just with different results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 11 minutes ago, 20dawk4life said: His way of playing has been different this year. I think he played the same the previous seasons just with different results. He reportedly bulked up this offseason ... could that be impacting his mechanics (making them worse than they already were)? They also hired like 14,974 new coaches on offense to try to get more creative / be less predictable (although the results thus far indicate a total failure to do so). But could this be a case of "it’s going to take time” until results are noticeable? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20dawk4life Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 1 hour ago, time2rock said: He reportedly bulked up this offseason ... could that be impacting his mechanics (making them worse than they already were)? They also hired like 14,974 new coaches on offense to try to get more creative / be less predictable (although the results thus far indicate a total failure to do so). But could this be a case of "it’s going to take time” until results are noticeable? The bulking up could be from sitting around munching on sheet with the kid. A lot of parents gain wait with the first kid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted September 29, 2020 Author Share Posted September 29, 2020 9 hours ago, 20dawk4life said: The bulking up could be from sitting around munching on sheet with the kid. A lot of parents gain wait with the first kid. I doubt the little one is doing much munching yet... 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20dawk4life Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 1 hour ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: I doubt the little one is doing much munching yet... 😁 Munching on a mod5 approved boob. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipples Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 On 9/29/2020 at 5:21 AM, UK_EaglesFan89 said: I doubt the little one is doing much munching yet... 😁 If he’s having what the kid is having thats pretty weird 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted September 30, 2020 Author Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 hour ago, nipples said: If he’s having what the kid is having thats pretty weird 😆 Might explain his performances though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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