The Philadelphia Eagles are flying high with QB Carson Wentz. The North Dakota State product was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. His composed command of this team has them sitting atop the NFC East division.
Wentz is the first rookie QB since 1970 to open a season 3-0 with zero interceptions. His 102 passes without a pick are an NFL record for a first-year player. He has thrown five touchdowns and is averaging 7.5 yards per pass attempt.
Head Coach Doug Peterson will get a lot of the credit for having his quarterback prepared by tailoring the offense to his strengths. But it’s more than just coaching; it’s a player’s willingness to be engrossed in learning his craft.
“He loves watching tape,” Peterson said to reporters. “He and the quarterbacks, Chase [Daniel]… they’re in here at 5:30 in the morning watching film. They’re exhausting the tape. I hear him just even in the building talking to guys about plays and routes and protections. It’s Peyton Manning-ish.”
Continuous study is important for any person to become better at the skills they possess. It’s even more important for a rookie quarterback who is not only learning to master the offense he has to run but also learning how to read and dissect defenses.
There is no doubt that what Wentz has done over the first three games has been something special. It will be very important for him to keep his head out of the clouds and continue to put in the same level of work that has gotten him to this point.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” Pederson said. “It’s the No. 1 challenge for all of us — and I speak for myself too — when I say that we’ve got to stay humble through this whole thing. And the season is very young… only three games in… a lot of football [is] left as you know. And we just take them one at a time.”