Eagles Fans Must Have Patience As Carson Wentz Era Begins
By Joseph Santoliquito
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — Carson Wentz certainly looks like he can play the part. The 6-foot-5, 237-pound 23-year-old with the reddish blond hair and Midwestern square jaw and oozing confidence, despite 23 college starts at the FCS level, was welcomed officially as a Philadelphia Eagle Thursday night when he was selected second overall in the NFL Draft.
There was no surprise there.
That's yet to come.
Through no doing of his own, the wide-eyed Wentz has walked into a hornet's nest of anticipation, controversy and backbiting, and expected to be the face of a franchise starving for a Super Bowl.
Can he handle an overzealous fanbase with exaggerated expectations?
The cool, public veneer says yes. His 71-5 record and back-to-back FCS national championships at North Dakota State says he can. He's intelligent (straight-A student), poised (as a junior, Wentz led the Bison to three fourth-quarter comebacks the playoffs, including the title game when he scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run with :37 left in a 29-27 win over Illinois State) and bubbling with character (he does community service with children). Check those boxes off, too.
He has those wholesome John Wayne-on-a-horse leading-man qualities.
So the villains here could very well be the Eagles' fanbase.
Eagles' fans don't want another brief dark era as Wentz is seasoned and marinated softly into the speed of the NFL game. But that's exactly what they're going to have to deal with.
Expect the Eagles to get rid of Sam Bradford and start Chase Daniel (it has to be done to get Wentz his fair amount of reps in Doug Pederson's offense). Expect Wentz to get more opportunities as the Eagles falter halfway through the season and begin to build their prized rookie. And expect to learn patience as this franchise wanes to 5-11 or 6-10 the next gauzy first few years as the team reassembles and creates a new identity. It will take five years before we really know about Carson Wentz.
We know he's a winner. We know he succeeded in college.
In his first year as a starter in 2014, Wentz threw for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns, leading the North Dakota State to its fourth-consecutive FCS Championship. He can handle adversity. He came back from a broken right wrist that cost him two months to lead NDSU to a fifth-straight national title, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,651 yards and 17 touchdowns (and four interceptions) over seven starts his senior years.
So be patient. Maybe good things will come from Wentz.
He looks the part. But can he play the part?
Here's a hint saying he may:
"Carson will succeed in Philly because nothing bothers him," said Zach Wentz, his older brother. "He's always had an ability to slow things down in his head and visualize. It may take a little time to adjust to the speed of the NFL, but he'll be able to do it because it's something he's always been able to do. He's always been great at blocking things out."
In this case a loud, boisterous fanbase that wanted to win yesterday will need to show restraint before it jostles the confidence of this kid.
At least now the Eagles have a forward destination. It's just going to take some time to get there.
