LeGarrette Blount thinks the Eagles are building something special with Carson Wentz

LeGarrette Blount had his first press conference in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon after officially signing with the Eagles earlier in the day. Blount touched on a number of topics, including his take on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

“He’s a really talented player,” said Blount. “Obviously he’s one of the better quarterbacks of his draft class and generation. I think he has the potential to be a really special player. He has all the tools that’s needed and the grind that’s needed and the mindset to maximize his abilities if he just continues to work hard.”

Complete transcript of Blount’s press conference below. I’m not loving his answer to that Sixers question at the very end.

HOW DOES YOUR BODY FEEL AFTER HANDLING 300 CARRIES LAST YEAR?

It feels great. Played a full season. Played every game. Every carry that they gave me. I feel great. I feel amazing.

HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENT TRAINING OR CONDITION WISE NOW THAT YOU’RE 30 YEARS OLD?

The thing I do most is just make sure I stay on a healthy diet. As long as I eat good, maintain my weight, I’m pretty good at it. It’s easy to stay healthy at that point.

HOW MUCH INTEREST DID YOU GET FROM OTHER TEAMS? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE EAGLES?

I had interest from other teams. Don’t want to get into detail about who. I chose Philly because I thought it was the best fit for me. I like the guys here. I like the way they do things around here. I like the way they play ball. I felt like this was the perfect fit for me.

DID THE PATRIOTS WANT YOU BACK? WHY DIDN’T YOU GO BACK?


Yeah. But at the same time, like I said, I felt like this was the perfect fit for me. I’ve done everything that I’ve wanted to do, and I’ve won two Super Bowls with those guys, and I don’t regret a single second of being there because I loved it there. They have some of the best years of football that you can ever remember. I’m happy that I was a part of a few of those.

DID THE EAGLES TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN THE OFFENSE?

No, I just basically — I’m excited to come here and compete for the job or for whatever position they want me to fill. Whatever they want me to do, I’m here for. I’m a very coachable player. So I’m just excited to be here and compete with those guys and hopefully make some room for myself.

IS THERE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CARRIES YOU LIKE TO HAVE IN A GAME?

As a running back, you want to get in a rhythm of the ball, see how the defense is playing, what the flow of the game is. I wouldn’t necessarily put a number on it. But after a few [carries] you can kind of tell.

HOW CAN YOUR EXPERIENCE OF WINNING SUPER BOWLS HELP THE EAGLES?

It can help a lot. I know what it takes. At least for me and what I have to do. I know guys like Chris Long know what it takes for him and what he has to do to better himself and his position group. You just gotta basically take it running and make sure that you do everything that you know how to do to make sure you improve the team and whatever category you can, especially individually.

DO YOU ENVISION YOURSELF HAVING A MENTORSHIP ROLE HERE?

Yeah. I’m one of the older backs here so I definitely want to make sure that the young guys stay on the right track. They have a great group here, especially [Darren] Sproles, [Donnel] Pumphrey, [Wendell] Smallwood, all those guys. They’ve got a lot of good guys here. [Byron] Marshall. All the running backs here are great guys or they wouldn’t be here. Like I said, I just want to make sure I fit in with the group and make sure that they know that I’m here.

THE EAGLES DON’T USE A FULLBACK. IS THAT A PROBLEM?

No, that’s not a problem for me at all.

THE GIANTS REPORTEDLY HAD INTEREST IN YOU. WHY DID YOU PICK THE EAGLES OVER THEM?

Like I said, I don’t want to get into details about who and what it was, but I chose the Eagles for the specific reason of me fitting in really good here. The chances of making the team. Having a championship run. Having a better season. And they’re a really good team. They were a really good team before I came. They have a lot of really special players on their team that makes a lot of good plays. I just want to fit in there somewhere.

DID YOU TALK TO CHRIS LONG BEFORE YOU CAME HERE? AND WHAT ABOUT?

I’ve always had a pretty good relationship with Chris. Even when he got to New England, I’ve had a pretty good relationship with him. I talk to him on and off throughout the offseason regardless, before I even considered coming here.

IS THERE SOMETHING THE PATRIOTS DID THAT HELPED YOU BE REALLY SUCCESSFUL LAST SEASON?

[They] probably have the best quarterback to ever play football. Tom [Brady] is an amazing player. He’s a smart player. And when he’s out there, he demands a lot of respect from any team that you play against. I think that plays a big factor in it.

DID THE EAGLES MAKE ASSURANCES THAT THEY’RE GOING TO TRY AND WIN THIS SEASON?

I think every team is trying to win a championship. No team goes out there expecting to not win. So I think every team is expecting to win. You build a team around players that you know will help you do that. And Carson is one of those guys that you want to build a team around.

DOES THE FACT THAT THE EAGLES HAVE BROUGHT IN OLDER PLAYERS SUCH AS YOU AND CHRIS LONG, DOES THAT SIGNAL A WIN NOW MODE?

I think that they’re trying to win now, for sure.

WHAT MAKES YOU EFFECTIVE IN GOAL LINE AND SHORT-YARDAGE SITUATIONS?

Just the simple fact that you’ve gotta know your blocking schemes. You’ve gotta know where the situation is. It’s a mindset. And you’ve gotta know that if it’s 3rd-and-inches or 3rd-and-1, that’s what you get before you’re expecting to get the big play. You’ve gotta make sure to secure the first down first. Just situational football is big and knowing the situation is big in how you can produce the first downs and the yardage you can.

ARE YOU WILLING TO BE USED IN A RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE SYSTEM?

Yeah, I’ve played with other running backs before. I split time with Stevan Ridley. I split time with Cadillac Williams. I’ve split the load with guys before so it doesn’t bother me.

DOES THE FACT THAT YOU’RE BIGGER THAN THE OTHER THREE SIGNAL YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A BIGGER ROLE?

Like I said, they haven’t given me a role. They haven’t placed me under any category just yet. Before I do all that, I’ve gotta go out here and learn the offense, learn the playbook, learn what I’m going to be good at, learn what I’m going to be required and recommended to do. I’ve got to figure that out first before they label me with anything.

THE LAST TIME YOU LEFT NEW ENGLAND, IT DIDN’T END WELL. WHAT’S GOING TO MAKE THIS TIME DIFFERENT?

Like I said, I chose this place because it’s a place that I like to be. A lot of guys that are here that are going to be a big part of why this team is successful here in the future. I want to be a part of that. I’ve been a part of something special before. And you just get the feeling they have something special here.

HOW MANY YEARS DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE LEFT?

As many as I need to play. (laughs)

IS THERE SOMETHING TANGIBLE ABOUT THE PATRIOTS’ CULTURE THAT YOU CAN BRING TO PHILLY?

I don’t think you need to bring the culture of New England here. They have a culture of their own. [The Eagles] have had a lot of great players come through here. B-Dawk. The running back coach, Duce [Staley]. Donovan [McNabb]. They’ve had a lot of great players come through here, so I don’t think you need to bring the culture of anybody, of any team over here because they simply have their own.

DID YOU TALK TO CHIP KELLY ABOUT SIGNING WITH THE EAGLES?

Nah, I didn’t. Nobody really knew. I kind of kept it low key. It’s not really for me to throw out there for everybody to know. I just kind of kept it low key. I’m pretty sure he knows now though. (laughs)

HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH?

The weight I need to be at. (laughs)

HAVE YOU HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE IN A SYSTEM WITHOUT A FULLBACK?

Yeah, I’ve had experience without one. New England doesn’t always have a fullback. Tampa didn’t always have a fullback. I’ve been in the backfield by myself before. I don’t have a problem with it. I like having a fullback or not having a fullback. Being in the backfield, you’re really back there by yourself in the first place so it’s not like you’re really paying attention to what he does. You just have to pay attention to what the scheme is and what the blocking scheme is and what you have to read. That doesn’t really play a factor in how I run the football.