Carson to the Colts

At this time, three years ago, the talk around Philadelphia sports was about the combination of Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz. A young, talented, and confident duo on pace for massive success. Now, with both of them gone, I cannot wrap my head around the idea of them not being in Philadelphia Eagles gear next season. On September 11th, 2016, I remember sitting in my living room and getting ready for the debut of Carson. Not sure what to expect, I sat in my usual spot and was filled with hope for the Eagles. As a die-hard fan, it was difficult to watch the Eagles go from the Reid Era to the Chip Kelly regime. I had to say goodbye to many fan favorites such as Desean Jackson and Lesean McCoy. I even had to spend several weeks convincing myself that the Eagles were in good hands with their three quarterbacks: Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, and Tim Tebow. The feelings and emotions of a few years without the playoffs and little hope for the future were all built up into one moment on that Sunday. When Carson threw that dime to Jordan Matthews in the back of the end zone, I smiled and knew Philadelphia was finally in good hands. He then followed his first score up with a bomb to Nelson Agholor in the second half. At the end of the game, Wentz finished his Eagles debut with 278 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. The 2016 season was filled with ups and downs; however, I knew Carson Wentz was special. During the last game of that season, a camera caught Fletcher Cox and Carson Wentz talking on the sidelines. Carson kept repeating to Cox “Next year we go.” In that moment, I knew the Eagles had a true leader. One who would never give up on a play and do whatever it takes to keep his team’s chances alive. If you watch football, then you know just how great those 2017 Eagles were. 13-3. Home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And, a Super Bowl victory against THE New England Patriots. During that season, Carson Wentz threw 33 touchdown passes – tied for the most in franchise history, and he did it in just 13 games. I truly wish the game against the Rams never happened. I believe many things would have played out differently. But even in that game, Carson showed people why he is a true leader. With a torn LCL and ACL, Wentz still delivered a strike, in the end zone, to Alshon Jeffrey on fourth down to take the lead. It did not help Wentz’s career when he had to watch Nick Foles win a Super Bowl with the same team he carried throughout the 2017 season. However, Wentz came back and battled in 2018. He even played a game with broken bones in his back. In 2019, with absolutely no offensive line help and wide receivers who were watching NFL games from their couches the week before, Wentz still led the Eagles to a division title. Wentz also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 passing yards without a single wide receiver with 500 yards. We can all agree the 2020 season did not go as expected for the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz clearly did not play up to his potential, but he is not to blame for the poor season. It all began when Howie Roseman drafted another quarterback with a second-round pick. His claim of the Philadelphia Eagles being “a quarterback factory” ignited a fan base debate that could have easily been prevented. Now, there are rumors swirling that Roseman might draft another quarterback with the 6th overall pick. Three quarterbacks in a year and a half. Think about that. Maybe we should use the pick on a high-end wide receiver talent? Or an offensive lineman? Given we had 26 different OLine combinations last year. I can assure you whatever the experts and fan base predict, Howie Roseman will draft the opposite. Today is not a good day to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. I will truly miss the unbelievable rollouts from pressure, the crazy touchdown throws, and the pure determination to win. Goodbye Carson Wentz. Thank you for bringing hope to a franchise that had none. Best of luck in Indianapolis.