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The trade deadline passed weeks ago, but one former NFL quarterback wanted to keep stirring the pot. Sage Rosenfels, who spent 12 years slinging it in the NFL, thinks a change of scenery might do Carson Wentz good and the foggy air of San Francisco might turn him into an All-Pro. He thinks 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan can fix Wentz, pinning the blame for the quarterback’s struggles squarely on Doug Pederson.
Rosenfels made the telling comments to Giants reporter Matt Lombardo and name-dropped Andy Reid and Sean McVay as coaches who have an “ability to make the quarterback’s job easier.” He never mentioned Pederson by name but the implication was obvious. The Eagles coach might not have it in him to draw out all of Wentz’s potential. It’s an interesting conversation as the 2017 NFL MVP candidate continues to free fall.
“If you put Carson in San Francisco, he’s an All-Pro right now,” Rosenfels told Lombardo, via FanSided. “The Eagles are going through the same issues I see with Chicago. Andy Reid knockoff coaches rarely work, because they don’t have the Andy Reid magic or the superb offensive line coaching.”
The first part of Rosenfels’ statement may have some merit, but to say Pederson doesn’t have the “Andy Reid magic” is a bit harsh. He actually won a Super Bowl before Reid and it only took him two years to do it versus 21 for Big Red.
The Eagles also have one of the finest offensive line coaches in the business in Jeff Stoutland, a guy admired by Jason Kelce and schooled by Nick Saban. The work that he’s done with Philly’s patchwork unit upfront this year has been Oscar-worthy.
“Coach Stoutland was one of the first coaches that I spent some time with, and I feel like an offensive line coach is kind of the key to the kingdom on offense for us,” Pederson recalled earlier this season about his decision to hire Stoutland. “I had a lot of outside sources really give him a high recommendation and [say this is] someone that I should consider keeping. He’s a really great offensive line coach and these [recommendations] are from other professional coaches around the league.”
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Pederson Not Giving Up Play-Calling Duties
There has been a lot of talk about Pederson needing to relinquish the play-calling duties in Philly. Let a fresh set of eyes look at Wentz, maybe a guy like Duce Staley or Rich Scangarello could figure out the most perplexing riddle in the NFL.
That’s not going to happen. Pederson has been adamant about calling the shots and put a positive spin on Sunday’s stagnant gameplan.
“I feel good about the plays that have been called. I even looked at the game yesterday and felt I was in rhythm,” Pederson told reporters on Monday. “I’ve always looked at the game through the eyes of the quarterback and how he views it and how he sees it. I think it’s important that quarterback and play-caller are on the same page that way and Carson and I had those conversations during the week and day before the game and go through a lot of different scenarios and we’re prepared that way.”
Of course, the Eagles head coach wasn’t naive enough to unsee the mistakes.
“There’s going to be mistakes made and there’s going to be things that we’re going to have to overcome and that’s part of our jobs,” Pederson said. “Nobody’s perfect. By no means am I perfect. I’m going to make a decision error, I’m going to make a play-calling error, but at the same time, hopefully, I can do my job to put the offense in a position to be successful.”
Blame the Talent Around Carson Wentz
It’s no secret the Eagles have endured a ton of injuries this year on both sides of the football. On the offensive side, the team has been without its top rusher (Miles Sanders), two starting receivers (Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson) and two tight ends (Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert) for long stretches. It hasn’t been a great recipe for success. Some are blaming the lack of weapons for Wentz’s regression.
“Their reality is the team around Carson isn’t nearly as good as it used to be,” a current NFL scout told Matt Lombardo, via FanSided. “Their offensive line has been decimated by injuries, their wide receiving corps is banged up, and the running game just isn’t there from week to week. He’s definitely part of the issue and his decision-making is worse than ever, but all that goes hand-in-hand.”
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