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Carson Wentz hasn’t really needed anyone defending him against criticism given how well he’s played lately. Despite this, Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks has really been sticking up for his quarterback.
These quotes appeared in a recent story from the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane:
“To go through so much, so young, to be the face of the franchise, to get the franchise QB money, but then on the other side, people saying, ‘Well, [Nick] Foles really won the Super Bowl, maybe this guy gets hurt a lot. I’m happy to see him prove everybody [bleeping] wrong. Have a healthy season. Go out there and ball out. “People want to say X, Y, Z. What about this? What about that? Man, look at what he’s doing with what he has out there [at receiver], and he’s doing that [bleep] every [bleeping] Sunday.”
Those comments came prior to the Week 16 Dallas Cowboys game. Brooks spoke more about Wentz after the Eagles beat the Cowboys:
He's been playing well. Goddam, when is he going to get his just-deserved? As a player, you kind of get frustrated with that. I don't know if there's a more scrutinized quarterback in the league than Carson Wentz. It's unbelievable."
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 23, 2019
"Showing everybody that they made the right pick by bringing you in,' and I'm happy to see the success."
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 23, 2019
Brooks isn’t off-base; Wentz HAS faced a lot of criticism since entering the league. Make no mistake: most quarterbacks are meticulously viewed under the microscope But one could argue Wentz has had it especially tough.
It began when there were questions if he was really worth the Eagles trading a bunch of assets to move up to No. 2 in the 2016 NFL Draft to select him. Then he got criticized for struggling as a rookie. After proving his critics wrong and playing at an NFL MVP level in 2017, Wentz got hurt and then had to hear about Nick Foles was a better option for the Eagles. Wentz was anonymously criticized by teammates both during and after the 2018 season ... and then again earlier this season!
On the note of the anonymous critic(s) , Brooks had the following to say:
"But at the same time, you don't know who said it. It could be speculation. But you know you're probably in the room with somebody who said something. And then it's like, you're going to come to work every day and smile and laugh at the same time trash us?...
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 23, 2019
"So yeah, I felt like I needed to say something about it because for the longest time, it's just like, 'Yeah, somebody said something' but we're just going to wipe it under the rug, man, and that's not OK with me. It never sat well with me."
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 23, 2019
Brooks is a real one. Cool to see him have Wentz’s back like this.
All the talk that Wentz is a bad teammate and ‘players don’t play for him like they play for Nick Foles’ certainly isn’t holding up right now. The Eagles are clearly rallying around the team’s franchise quarterback — both on and off the field — as they stand one win away from clinching the NFC East.