Carson Wentz talks Eagles’ plan to cater offense to JJAW and Mack Hollins

The Eagles had a change in plans to their practice Wednesday, but quarterback Carson Wentz said they still got in a lot of good work. He spoke to the media later in the day and discussed their plans for JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Mack Hollins, as well as how Nelson Agholor helped choreograph the offense on Sunday.

Here’s what the quarterback had to say:

On Wednesday’s walk-thru practice

Wentz was asked about Doug Pederson giving them a bit of a lighter practice on Wednesday. The QB noted it was coach’s call and ultimately when injuries happen like they did and they were limited with the number of bodies, adjustments to the practice schedule needed to be made.

He said that they still got really good work done with a fast-paced walk-thru, and were able to see a lot of looks and go over a lot of different things. Wentz didn’t want to say whether this kind of practice schedule would be beneficial moving forward, and said it was more case-by-case and he trusted Pederson to make those decisions.

The quarterback also noted that there’s a lot more individual work and conditioning happening with so many players working through injuries, but did acknowledge there was still time to get some additional practice in with guys like JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and they did do some route work and full-speed reps on Wednesday.

On his health

Wentz said he feels pretty good coming off a game he took a lot of big hits. He noted he was a little sore, but “that’s football”, but there’s nothing concerning.

Later on, he was asked about coming off the field after the hit to his chest and people making a lot of him pointing to his ribs as he came off the field. Wentz said he doesn’t really make a lot about what people say, and he was just trying to catch his breath a little bit, but he feels good and it was just a hit he took in the game.

On the next men up

The quarterback said that he will continue to work on the communication with JJAW and Mack Hollins, but that they’ve been talking through things since OTAs. He has some experience with Hollins over the past couple of seasons, and got good work in with JJAW throughout the offseason.

Wentz went on to talk about how they have to adjust their offensive scheme a bit to better reflect the things that Hollins and JJAW do well.

“We find what they do well, and cater to that, and put them in the best position to succeed.”

Ultimately, they aren’t going to ask those guys to be DeSean Jackson or Alshon Jeffery. They have their own set of skills and they have a lot of confidence in them. Plus, Wentz thinks having a full week with those guys to prepare will really help on Sunday.

Later on, Wentz was asked to elaborate about what these guys do well. He noted that JJAW has a great catch radius and can create some separation using his body, Hollins is kind of similar and has made some big plays down the field if you look back at his film from over the years — Wentz also said that people forget that Hollins is a threat in that regard.

He went on to say that it’s crazy that they have two games in the next 8 days — playing Green Bay on Thursday Night Football in Week 4 — but they aren’t looking too far ahead and are just planning for Detroit at this point.

On the offense’s inconsistencies

“It’s always frustrating. Being inconsistent is always tough, and it’s always something you want to clean it up, but I think we will. I’m confident going forward that we’re gonna get a lot of things corrected, and we’re going to come out executing at a much better pace early in the game.”

On Nelson Agholor

Wentz wasn’t shy to build up Agholor, saying that he’s great and the ultimate team-guy who will do anything they ask him too — whether it’s helping in the run game, blocking, etc...

The quarterback went on to say that obviously people are going to look at Agholor’s drop, but overall he made a lot of big plays during the game. Wentz also noted that the receiver was also a big help in the huddle on Sunday, making sure guys were getting lined up right and helping to choreograph the offense.

Wentz also mentioned that Agholor played almost 100% of snaps, and sure, he’d like to have that one play back, but the quarterback isn’t worried about him bouncing back at all.

On 3rd down efficiency

The QB said that their improvement on third downs this season comes down to the guys making plays. He admitted there’s still a hand full of tries they’d like to have back, but it comes down to guys executing and playing on time, and they’ve been able to do that early on this season.

On Detroit’s defense

“They do quite a bit, they mix it up. A lot of different man looks and do some different things, just to kind of confuse you or get your back in protections and do a lot of different things to kind of play with your eyes as a quarterback.”

On his Landon’s Light t-shirt

Trying to hold back his emotions, Wentz talked about his t-shirt and about Landon, a young man who fought hard, but ultimately lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday.

Landon threw out the first pitch during Wentz’s A01 charity softball game this season, and through the QB’s foundation, they were able to get to know Landon and his family well. Wentz talked about how Landon’s fight and faith through his fight inspired him, but it’s tough to see his journey come to an end.