Getty Tra Thomas was a three-time Pro Bowl player at left tackle for the Eagles in 11 dominant seasons.
The blame game is getting out of control in Philadelphia. From the coaching staff to the wide receivers to the quarterback, something’s got to give.
Former Eagles great Tra Thomas put an interesting spin on the debate in his morning radio show with co-host Marc Farzetta. Thomas, arguably the second-greatest left tackle in franchise history (behind Jason Peters), was trying to explain what he saw from Carson Wentz after reviewing Sunday’s game film.
He saw a quarterback only looking to one side of the field when making reads. It’s a problem that goes directly back to Doug Pederson and the coaching staff.
“When I watch him on tape, I see him only looking to one side of the field, it tells me he’s taught that way,” Thomas said on 97.5 The Fanatic.
Thomas got into a small back and forth with one Eagles fan who brought up Wentz’s pre-draft scouting report that claimed he often got “caught locking in on target” going back to his college days. Thomas answered by saying that it was up to the coaches to break any of Wentz’s bad habits.
Wentz struggled mightily in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots despite throwing for 214 yards and a touchdown. He has gone 210-for-343 (61% completion percentage) while passing for 2,274 yards and 16 touchdowns versus four interceptions. His receivers have been less than stellar, to put it mildly.
Is Carson Wentz Pressing Too Much?
One of the common excuses for the Carson Wentz apologists has been that the quarterback is pressing too much.
He doesn’t trust his wide receivers to make plays, so he holds onto the football too long and tries to make spectacular plays. Instead, Wentz is often sacked or forced into bad decisions and incompletions.
It’s a fair assessment, although Wentz should shoulder some of the blame. Head coach Doug Pederson elaborated on Wentz possibly pressing at his day-after press conference.
“When he looks at this game, and I’m sure he already has, there were opportunities in the passing game to make some plays,” Pederson told reporters Monday. “I think that he would agree with that, and just really, he doesn’t have to feel like he has to make all the plays.”
“Even though he touches the ball and he is the quarterback and we ask him to do a lot, just let the offense kind of work and let the guys around you make the plays,” Pederson said. “I think that’s a takeaway.”
Patriots Receive ‘Victory Monday’ Day Off
New England was trying to downplay the revenge factor going into last Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch with Philadelphia. But there definitely was extra motivation there.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick gave his team a well-earned day off after beating the Eagles 17-10 in a fiery postgame speech in the locker room. The Patriots won’t report back to work until Wednesday morning since Tuesday is already a mandated off-day for NFL players.
“You know what I think we’re ready for?” Belichick asked, via the Patriots official website. “I think we’re ready for Victory Monday.”
Belichick also seemed to troll Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson after the game by saying: “It looked like everyone had fun out there today.” Johnson left Sunday’s game with a concussion after being on the wrong end of a vicious head butt.