Pederson: 'Very Confident' Wentz Will Be Special
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's no doubt Doug Pederson is confident in his quarterback.
During an appearance on Tuesday's 94WIP Morning Show -- the first day of OTA's -- Angelo Cataldi straight up asked Pederson how convinced is he that Carson Wentz will be a special player in the NFL.
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"I'm very convinced," Pederson replied.
Listen: Doug Pederson on the 94WIP Morning Show
"I had a chance years ago to workout a guy by the name of Russell Wilson a few years back and I knew he was going to be a special player. And we went on the road a year ago and worked out all the quarterbacks, just felt coming away -- gut feeling -- that Carson was going to be a special player, wherever he ended up.
"He's always wanting to get better, he's always wanting to learn, and those types of guys sometimes are hard to find. So I'm very confident and very comfortable that he's going to be one of those special guys in this league for a long time."
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Pederson says the fact that Wentz has 16 games of experience under his belt is huge.
"I'm so happy looking back and sort of excited to know that he played in his rookie season and not sit the entire year -- this being his rookie year, so to speak, in year two," Pederson said of Wentz. "So having played 16 games was such a huge benefit for him and for us and his development and growth. And now into the second year, just seeing the leadership on the football field, the constant dialogue with players. And him knowing the offense and just knowing now the plays, and now what we can do with him is help him get better understanding why plays are being called. Situational football, which we are about to start doing here in our OTA practices, and just developing that mentality of always staying aggressive and utilizing his strengths."
Pederson talked about the new additions to the roster heading into his second season as Eagles head coach.
"I'm excited," Pederson said of the new additions. "Veteran guys that can help us win games and build our roster, and give us depth.
"The biggest message that we sent to our organization, our people, is that we want football players. We want guys that have a passion for the game, love to practice, love to play, and that's what we've done."
When asked about the cornerback situation, Pederson mentioned Patrick Robinson, Rasul Douglas, and Jalen Mills. He also mentioned Ron Brooks at nickel. As for injured second-round pick CB Sidney Jones, Pederson isn't ruling out a return to the field in 2017, but says the timetable is unknown.
Pederson is not ready to predict playoffs just yet.
