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Peter King compares Carson Wentz to quarterback who has won two Super Bowl rings

Not sure how to feel about this one.

NFL: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The latest edition of Peter King’s weekly The MMQB column features a lengthy section on Carson Wentz. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback didn’t have anything too revealing to say, but he did leave King with a lasting impression of another NFC East quarterback. Bold emphasis mine:

I don’t know if Carson Wentz is going to be a good player or not. It’s more likely than not he’ll have a successful career, but as Bill Parcells has said about 1,600 players in his life, they don’t sell insurance for that stuff.

But I talked to Wentz for awhile the other day, as he drove home from an offseason practice, and I came away thinking he’s got a good chance. He reminds me of Eli Manning in terms of mentality and confidence—I’ll explain that in a few moments—and I don’t think the game’s too big for him, which I’ll explain too.

[...]

“Did anything last year, making that jump from North Dakota to the NFL, bug you?” I wondered.

“Never,” he said. “Definitely never.”

That’s where the Eli comparison is appropriate. I’ll always remember after the February 2012 Super Bowl win over New England, an emotional-less Manning was being shuttled through the Giants’ locker room to a media obligation by a phalanx of yellow-coated security people. Looking at the scene, Justin Tuck of the Giants said, “That’s Eli—he’d look the same whether we just won or lost this game.” Manning felt if he left everything in preparation and performance on the field, no sense crying about a bad loss. And he never got very high after his biggest wins.

Not sure how to feel about this one. On one hand, Manning has won two Super Bowl rings. Not too bad. On the other hand, there was quite a bit of good fortune that went into winning those titles. Manning’s success hasn’t come without some maddeningly inconsistent moments along the way.

Maybe that’s the player Wentz will be. Flawed, but good enough to put together a brilliant hot stretch just like he showed at the beginning of the 2016 season.

It’s funny because BGN’s own Ben Natan also compared Wentz to Manning last year.

Yes, it has been two games, but Wentz feels like Eli Manning to me (without that dumb, gaping-mouth Eli Manning face). Wentz is supremely confident and that type of demeanor is the type that can bring Lombardis to Broad Street. He is going to fight back on every snap and come back from every mistake. The team will always have a chance to win with his mindset and the coaches belief in him.

Ultimately comparisons like these are very subjective, but King has been around the NFL a long time so his opinion is worth noting. There’s no question Wentz possesses the confidence to become a good quarterback.

Elsewhere in King’s column, Wentz talks about the hunting he’s been doing in the offseason. It turns out he’s spent a good deal of time with Millville native and Eagles superfan Mike Trout.

On the topic of hunting, Wentz, who turns 25 this year, did a lot of it with American League MVP and Eagles season-ticket holder Mike Trout, 26. “Ducks, geese, sometimes just shooting boxes of shells and getting nothing. But there’s nothing like laying in a field, waiting for a shot. He’s a ridiculous fan of ours, but we don’t talk sports, really. Just life. We’ve got a lot of common ground.”

Wentz handed a ball to Trout in the stands after scoring a touchdown against the Cowboys in Week 17 last season. There’s some serious bromance going on there. Maybe he can get Trout to come to the Phillies some day?!

Once again, you can check out King’s entire interview with Wentz by clicking here.

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