Nick Foles and Carson Wentz had inherently different personalities. Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson admitted as much in comments to the media last September when he talked about his approach to play-calling.
Pederson is long gone, replaced by Nick Sirianni, but that hasn’t stopped the Wentz versus Foles debate from gaining traction. According to fan-favorite (Super Bowl champion) Chris Long, via the Green Light podcast, Foles simply had better command of the Eagles’ locker room.
He made a conscious effort to reach out to both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. It’s something that has been touched on in previous reports but interesting to hear it from a guy who lived and breathed that amazing underdog Super Bowl run in 2017.
Long was joined by another former Eagles player, Malcolm Jenkins, on his podcast and this is what they shared (via CBS3’s Pat Gallen):
When he first got to Philly, he didn’t have to be a leader, right. We allowed him to just stay in your corner and worry about being a rookie quarterback. That really allowed Carson to just grow of in a pot, per se,” Jenkins said.
“If anything, he’s a little shy. You’d like to see him reach out more to the other corner of the locker room and that sort of thing,” Long said.
Long and Jenkins believe the contrast in personality between Wentz and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles stunted his growth.
“It’s not his fault that Nick Foles is just this guy with crazy magnetism. He’s not the greatest quarterback of all time, but he did do those things where he was like a really social dude,” Long said.
Follow the Heavy on Eagles Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Eagles Looking to Quarterbacks in NFL Draft
There is a growing feeling around the league that the Eagles might take a quarterback with the sixth overall pick. Don’t roll your eyes, this is a legit possibility.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Eagles GM Howie Roseman has three guys high on his draft radar: Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields. This would oppose the sage advice from ESPN’s draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.
Either way, the quarterback position remains in play for Roseman and the Eagles. Here is what Breer told the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday:
They’re very much going to look at those quarterbacks, and it makes sense to do so, Dan. Howie Roseman’s been there 21 years. This is only the third time that they’ve had a pick in the top 10 that they were slotted to have. The Wentz deal, they traded up for. In Howie Roseman’s first year, they had the sixth overall pick. In 2013, they had the fourth overall pick. Those are the only two times previous to this one that they had top 10 pick while Howie Roseman’s been there.
The semantics of when Roseman began his reign as general manager remain mired, leftovers from the awkward Chip Kelly divorce. But it stands to reason the last time he had a pick this high was in 2013 when he advised Kelly to take Lane Johnson.
It’s been all downhill after that in the first round, including one wasted pick on Marcus Smith, and possibly more depending on what happens with Andre Dillard, Jalen Reagor, Derek Barnett. Yes, we understand Nelson Agholor is the great equalizer there. Let the three-year rebuild begin.
READ ALSO:
Comments
‘He’s a Little Shy’: Ex-Eagles Compare Carson Wentz to Nick Foles