Eagles News: Still plenty of reason to believe in Carson Wentz

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

If you’ve given up on Carson Wentz, you’re out of your freaking mind - NBCSP
All Wentz needs is some time. It’s the one thing we never want to give anybody, but he needs it. The guy we saw play 13 games at an MVP level last year hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s just still finding his way back. And Doug Pederson’s shaky play calling sure hasn’t helped. And despite all this Wentz has a higher completion percentage than Pat Mahomes, a higher passer rating than Jared Goff, more passing yards than Russell Wilson. Wentz is going to win a lot of football games for this team over the next decade. Giving up on him because he’s been inconsistent less than a year after ACL surgery is lunacy. Looking at it honestly, I feel like Wentz hasn’t really fallen short. Maybe the only thing that was off was our expectations.

Carson Wentz Injury: Eagles quarterback might not play again in 2018 - BGN
During his Wednesday press conference, Doug Pederson told reporters Wentz is going to miss Wednesday’s practice due to back soreness. When asked if he’d be OK to play this week, Pederson did not guarantee Wentz’s availability for Sunday’s game. Wentz first appeared on the Eagles injury report with a back injury in Week 7. He was limited during the Wednesday practice that week before returning as a full participant on Thursday. The same exact scenario happened in Week 8. Wentz did not appear on the injury report after the Eagles’ Week 9 bye. One can only wonder if the effects from Wentz’s ACL/LCL injury are responsible for impacting his back.

The Kist & Solak Show #53: The Wentz Takes Are Flying - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak discuss the newest report about Carson Wentz’s back through the lens of what they know and also take down the Wentz-Ertz Bromance narrative while breaking down the coaches film of the Eagles loss to the Cowboys. Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Confirmed: Officiating in the Eagles-Cowboys game was beyond horrendous - PhillyVoice
The Eagles obviously challenged the call. Easy overturn. Except, what? The officials ruled that a clear recovery was not made by either team. “After reviewing the play, there was a fumble on the play,” referee Clete Blakeman stated. “However, we do not have a clear recovery by the kicking team. Therefore the ruling on the field stands as called. First down.” Prior to the announcement, FOX officiating expert Mike Pereira noted the parameters for a “clear recovery.” ”There are two ways that you can have a clear recovery,” he said. “One being if you actually see Philadelphia with the ball, and then if the other is if all the guys in the pile are on the same team.” That statement was backed up by Rich Hofmann, formerly of the Daily News, who found the language in the NFL’s Instant Replay Casebook.

Back in Focus - Iggles Blitz
Will Wentz sit one week? Could the Eagles shut him down for the season? I tend to think Wentz will push to get back on the field as soon as possible. There is an argument to just resting him to get ready for 2019, but that would be a hard sell to Wentz. He’s extremely competitive and I can’t imagine he’d be comfortable watching his teammates play while he sat to avoid injury. This situation will once again bring up questions about the medical staff. Did they do anything wrong? Did they not do enough when the back began acting up in October?

Wait-And-See Approach On Carson Wentz And His ‘Official’ Status - PE.com
Speculation at this point helps nobody. What the Eagles are doing behind the scenes is collecting facts, making sure that they put Wentz on a program that gets his back right, and then they’ll make the determination on his status for Sunday and beyond. They retained Foles for moments like this, knowing that Foles can be counted on to run the offense effectively if he plays on Sunday night. Other than that, all we can do is wait and see what the Eagles find out about Wentz and his back and how he responds to treatment on Wednesday and what his immediate future holds. It doesn’t make sense to take chances here, not with a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player at the ready if needed on national television. Wentz is The Franchise and the Eagles expect him to be the starting quarterback for the next decade.

Q&A with Joe Banner: How Carson Wentz’s injury could affect contract negotiations, Nick Foles’ trade value - The Athletic
We talked about the doctors a minute ago. This is where the doctors are so crucial. I will tell you this. Back injuries scare the hell out of any NFL franchise with any player at any position. They can be very hard to get a handle on. They can be very hard to fix. They can be very fickle. They can come and go. They’re saying tightness and spasms. That isn’t super concerning. But if there is something more going on — the back, that’s very scary. The ACL, you know what to do, you know how long it’s gonna take to fix. You know the likelihood the player’s gonna be fine. Backs are just very scary. So that’s where my medical input is so crucial because if the medical doctors say, “Don’t worry about this. This is a spasm issue. This will be gone in no time. There’s no underlying cause. I don’t think this has any effect on his future at all.” If that’s what the doctors are saying to me privately, then I might be sitting there thinking, “You know, I’m sure Wentz is feeling a little more worried than he was about his longevity. Maybe we can get a little better deal this offseason based on his being a little unsettled about these repeated injuries and wanting to just secure his future.”

2019 NFL draft nuggets for all 32 teams: What you need to know - ESPN
Philly holds a healthy 10 draft picks at the moment, even after giving up a third-rounder for wide receiver Golden Tate at the trade deadline. The stockpile includes a pair of second-round picks. Expect the Eagles to target pass-rushers. With Chris Long and Michael Bennett on the back end of their careers and Brandon Graham scheduled to be a free agent, they’ll need to replenish their defensive front.

The Eagles have underutilized Dallas Goedert. Will they next year? - Inquirer
Goedert and Ertz — who has 98 catches and is on pace to set a NFL record by a tight end — present matchup problems for most opponents, especially if they’re on the field at the same time. And yet, coach Doug Pederson said that the way defenses have played Eagles’ “12” package — named “Tiger” — has had more to do with its relative lack of use than anything. “It’s just predicated on the structure of the defense that we’re seeing that week,” Pederson said. Why not force the defense to adjust rather than the other way around? If teams are going to stay in base vs. two tight ends, throw the ball. If they’re going to nickel, run it. That is one of the advantages of having versatile tight ends like Goedert, who the Eagles drafted in the first round in April, and Ertz.

The NFL Week 15 Worksheet - Rotoworld
Golden Tate/Alshon Jeffery: Nailing the wideout behind Ertz is proving to be a tough endeavor as both of these players have been fantasy landmines. Each player only has one game with WR3 or better status since Tate was traded to the Eagles. Opposing quarterback has played its part, but since the Rams got Aqib Talib back into the lineup, they have allowed opposing wideouts to catch 19-of-36 targets for 174 yards and zero touchdowns. With Carson Wentz now expected to be sidelined, both are only WR4 options.

PFF’s early picks for the 2019 Pro Bowl - PFF
Jason Kelce is once again the highest-graded center in the NFL and makes absurdly athletic blocks on a weekly basis.

The Ringer’s 45 Favorite Sports Moments of 2018 - The Ringer
[BLG Note: Lol at this list starting off with the Minneapolis Miracle.]

Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams Wednesday injury report for Week 15 - Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams (11-2) play host to the Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) on Sunday night in Week 15. The Rams have already locked up the division and are hoping to stay atop the NFC and earn a first round postseason bye. The Eagles currently sit in second place in the NFC East and are looking to stay afloat in the race for a wildcard spot. The Rams held a walk-thru on Wednesday, and their injury report on humpday was...well, it was blank.

Review: Will Frank Gore — who’s for sure a robot — be the NFL’s last ever 15,000-yard rusher? - SB Nation
On the Miami Dolphins’ fourth offensive play Sunday against the New England Patriots, Frank Gore burst through the left side of the offensive line and trucked down the field for 36 yards. It was the third run this season of at least 30 yards for Gore, a 35-year-old running back who must be a robot. There’s no other explanation. In the last decade, Gore is the only player older than 33 to reach 500 rushing yards in a season. He did it with 961 yards last year and — with 708 yards this season — he’s now done it twice. At 7-6, the Dolphins are in the postseason hunt and Gore has helped them get there with 4.7 yards per carry — his highest average since 2012. But even if he’s a robot (which he must be), it’s possible we’re down to the last three games of Gore’s incredibly durable career.

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