Carson Wentz has watched the tape from his latest two-interception performance. It was bad. He’s moved on to Cincinnati.
The Eagles quarterback gave a terse-yet-honest press conference on Wednesday afternoon where he revealed he was “frustrated” and a “little ticked off” about the way he played against the Rams. Philadelphia is 0-2 and, based on percentages, staring at missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. There’s no time to sit around and feel sorry themselves. The Eagles are moving forward and Wentz hasn’t lost any confidence in himself or in his teammates.
“So for me, it’s another week, it’s on to the next one,” Wentz told reporters, “and I’m as confident in myself and in this team as I’ve ever been. I don’t waver and I don’t see this team and this locker room waver when we go through rough patches like this. So we’re excited for another opportunity. We know 0-2 is not where we want to be or not where we envisioned being but it’s a long season and we’re excited to get back to it.”
They’ll draw a Bengals team that is surprisingly better than their 0-2 record would indicate in Week 3. Top pick Joe Burrow has been a revelation at quarterback for a borderline lethal offense, although Cincinnati’s defense is nothing to shake a stick at. Even so, Wentz and the Eagles will have to keep pace. It all starts with a bounce-back game from No. 11 who promised not to change his game too “drastically.”
“Honestly, I think back to the entirety of my career and just how I bounced back from good games, bad games, it doesn’t matter,” Wentz said. “I try to look at myself every week and just still be myself. Don’t play tight or too loose either, just be myself. And be aggressive, and when I see something, just trust my instincts — and so I’m not going to change anything drastically by any means.”
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Wentz Takes Blame for Bad Decisions in Week 2
Wentz threw two bad interceptions last week against Los Angeles, none worse than that momentum-changing pick intended for J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The Eagles had a chance to turn the tide and take the lead trailing 21-16, then he forced one into a tight window. Wentz wished he could have that one back.
“I got to be smarter,” Wentz said. “There is a time to make those throws and pull up and force one, and the window just wasn’t there and I got a little aggressive there.”
The franchise quarterback admitted there are a handful of those types of throws in every game. Obviously you tend to think about the misses in losses more than the errant throws in victories. The learning curve never stops in the NFL.
“I’m not panicking, I’m not pressing on it,” Wentz said. “Definitely some throws I want back and that’s every game. I got to watch the tape and critique myself but those are throws I can make and we’ll be better.”
Blocking Out the Outside Noise, Criticism
When asked to describe how he’s dealt with constantly hearing about his regression, Wentz gave a refreshingly honest answer: he hasn’t been hearing it. He makes a point not to listen to sports talk radio or read the press clippings. Doing that stuff can be detrimental to a quarterback’s psyche and confidence.
“I don’t keep hearing that,” Wentz said. “I don’t know what’s being said, you know, what people say or how people feel. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. That’s how I’ve been my whole career. I don’t get too worked up in what people say, write, feel. I’m confident in myself and in this team.”
Doug Pederson has created a bubble at the NovaCare Complex, both a literal one due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a mental one in fighting the outside noise. The Eagles aren’t immune to criticism, they just choose to ignore it.
“In this business, this game, confidence can turn on people real quickly,” Wentz said. “I think we have a very good group of guys in this locker room that lean in on each other and trust each other and encourage each other. And no matter what the outside world is saying or feeling, we just trust each other and the confidence is still there and still sky high for this team.”
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‘Ticked Off’ Carson Wentz Reveals Eagles Shocking Confidence Level