Santoliquito: Carson Wentz Needs To Smarten Up, Learn To Slide
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles won't repeat as Super Bowl champions without a healthy Carson Wentz. Yes, it falls under the Captain Obvious tag. Yes, Wentz knows it, his Eagles' teammates know it, Eagles' coaches know it and the millions who follow the NFL know it.
Apparently, it still has to get through to Wentz. Knowing and doing are two different things.
Hopefully, this coming season, the third-year NFL borderline superstar will learn to slide when danger nears, instead of taking the kind of risks he took last season. No one is asking Wentz to change his swashbuckling style. What would be helpful, however, is the risks Wentz takes come in a more calculating package.
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Last year, Wentz went from a promising quarterback to one of the best in the NFL.
Think about this: With the Eagles sitting there on fourth-and-goal with 38 seconds left in the first half and the ball at the New England Patriots' 1-yard line, would the world have seen "The Philly Special" in Super Bowl LII?
Probably not if Wentz was there.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Wentz most likely would have plowed his way into the end zone—as he did numerous times on fourth-and-short last season. Behind a great push from the best offensive line in football, Wentz is too large to stop. It's situations like on Dec. 10, 2017, that he needs to be aware of and could lead to his undoing.
With the Eagles looking at a first-and-goal from the Los Angeles Rams' 2, Wentz tucked the ball and ran to the end zone. He didn't take a second to look up as he was running. He dove, scored, and had the touchdown taken away on a holding call. Four plays later, Wentz found Alshon Jeffery in the end zone on fourth down for a 2-yard score—after he tore the ACL in his left knee.
It's No. 11's bravado and instinct that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson will have to curb this season.
"It's the way Carson is wired, and I don't want to take that edge away, but at the same time, he has to be smart," Pederson said. "We have to keep him healthy, but at the same time, I don't want to mess too much with his aggressiveness."
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It's a habit Wentz better begin adapting to if he has any intention of lasting in the NFL.
"I can't change who I am, if I see a chance to make a play, I'm going to try and make something happen," Wentz said. "It's the competitor in me that takes over during the heat of a game. You see an opportunity, you take it."
Or you look up and throw the ball away to play another down.
