Carson Wentz talks Eagles’ slow starts offensively

The Eagles’ franchise quarterback answered question on Wednesday, and admitted that there isn’t a glaringly obvious reason for them being 4-5, other than being the result of a lot of little mistakes that is keeping them from executing. Carson Wentz talked about the challenges that wait for him and the team in New Orleans on Sunday, and what they are working on to turn things around.

Here’s what the QB had to say:

On offensive struggles

Wentz opened by talking about what he’s pointed to as the culprit for the offensive struggles, and he noted that it’s nothing really Earth-shattering, but moreso just a bunch of little things that they need to fix in order to execute better. Execution was a big sticking point for the QB, and said those little mistakes have affected them all season thus far, but they are aware of them and think they’re all fixable things.

He was asked if the slow start was due to having to run more scripted plays, versus Wentz being able to go with the flow. The QB said that there’s usually a mix of scripted and not to start a game, but that he has confidence in Coach Pederson to make the calls about when they go no huddle or uptempo. He says what they do changes each week, but they’ve had success with what Pederson has called in the past, so he’s not going to second-guess what he’s calling now.

Wentz went on to say that he respects the entire coaching staff and that they listen to input from him and the rest of the offense, whether its the skill players or lineman, and that there are no egos when they try and work through some of those things.

He was later asked about what he thinks contributes to the slow starts, and he repeated that it was a combination of a lot of little things getting in their way. Wentz noted that individually he feels pretty good, but collectively as an offense they need to clean things up and make the plays.

The quarterback also went on to say that the lack of the run game has been a product of how some of the games have shaken out. He noted that last year, the Eagles tended to be up by quite a bit on the scoreboard, and that tends to drive more run plays.

On prepping for the Saints

Wentz was asked what he saw from the New Orleans defense now that he’s had a chance to look at some film, and the quarterback noted that they like to mix it up. He also said they’ve got some good players on their roster, and that it’ll be interesting to see how they decide to play against the Eagles on Sunday.

“We know we’ve got a good test on the road, but we’re excited about it.”

He later was asked whether he studied Drew Brees, and Wentz said he doesn’t and that there isn’t a whole lot of crossover with what the two are doing, but that he has the utmost respect for him. Wentz went on to say that Brees processes and makes decisions quickly, and that he’s incredibly accurate.

On the state of the team

Wentz said that everyone was disappointed coming off the Dallas loss, and that those kind of losses sting, but that they’ve bounced back from things like this in the past. He talked about being excited for practice on Wednesday, because he knows the guys are going to be fired up and looking to get back to work.

He went on to say that at the end of the day, they never really question their attitude or effort, they just have to get it done.

Wentz was also asked about Pederson’s comment on Wednesday stating that he had met with the leadership committee and felt good with where the guys were at. The QB echoed those sentiments and explained that the veterans aren’t going to sink down because of the current situation, and that there’s nothing Earth-shattering that they are concerned about.

He continued to talk about his role as a leader, and he noted that all the leaders needed to pull the rest of the team up to where they need to be, but that they don’t have any big things they are in charge of getting fixed. And again emphasized they just need to focus on fixing some of the little things that get in their way, and that he expects some of the younger guys or role guys (who aren’t leaders) will be motivated by their energy.

Later on, Wentz was asked if the team was desperate, and he said that was a bit of a strong word to describe them, but that the sense of urgency is there — but that it’s been there the past few weeks, too.

On his connected with Ertz

Wentz said that the chemistry between he and tight end Zach Ertz just continues to build, especially since Ertz has been a target for him since he came to Philly. He also called Ertz one of the smartest guys he’s ever played with.

The quarterback went on to talk about how they both try and visualize things from the other’s perspective, which gives them a unique approach to working together, and even send clips or screenshots to each other throughout the week of how they’d like things to look.

He went on to say that’s how he is with a lot of the guys, always in each others ears, and goes a long way in developing chemistry with his teammates.