Eagles News: Carson Wentz has been working on being a better teammate

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A $10,000 dinner, a pool party and the act of letting go: How the Eagles’ Carson Wentz changed his approach - Inquirer
“You come in, you are a young guy, so you maybe have a smaller circle, so to speak, and less of an influence in the locker room,” Wentz said. “And just getting to know guys on a personal level, whether they play linebacker, [defensive back], or kicker. It doesn’t really matter. It is just a bunch of guys who want to hang out and spend time together. Some of those things were natural, so I didn’t really overanalyze that. I’ve just always tried to look at myself through a really strict lens and just say, ‘Where can I improve?’” Wentz has had barbecues at his South Jersey home before, but he invited more defensive players over this spring. He’s chilled out more at the NovaCare Complex and interacted with players outside his circle, several veterans said. And, perhaps more important, he has ventured out of his comfort zone, as he did during his celebratory dinner in June. “That’s so much out of his character,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “But just the ability to be there with the receivers and kind of just build that bond outside the throwing camps and all the other stuff, that kind of fellowship is important.”

The first 2019 Eagles regular season depth chart is here - BGN
Miles Sanders could very well get more playing time than Jordan Howard this season but Howard being first on the depth chart shows you the veteran isn’t just chopped liver. Howard’s going to have a role in this offense as one of two primary ball carriers. While we’re talking about Sanders, it should be noted he’s listed as the top kickoff returner. Kick returns aren’t very important in today’s touchback-friendly NFL but Sanders will get some chances to impress on that unit.

The QB Scho Show #31: The Battle of the Somme & Case Keenum - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Mark Schofield document the Eagles recent quarterback moves regarding Clayton Thorson, Cody Kessler, and Kyle Lauletta, PLUS a Week 1 preview of Washington quarterback Case Keenum! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 1 edition - PhillyVoice
On the one hand, Carson Wentz has been injured a lot over the last four years. On the other hand, if he can stay healthy, he’s a top five quarterback, playing behind an elite offensive line, and throwing to a very talented set of receivers, including the best 1-2 TE combination in the NFL. If Wentz starts and finishes all 16 games, the Eagles have as good a shot as any team in the NFL of landing a 1 seed.

Philadelphia Eagles 2019 season preview: Can Carson Wentz stay healthy? - ESPN
Over or under 9.8 wins? Over. Wentz is healthy, the offensive line is legit and the only issue at the skill positions is there are so many options, it will be hard to feed them all. The defense enters the season with injury concerns and might have to be carried a little bit early, but this roster is stacked with talent and has the potential to do big things. [...] The NFC playoffs will run through Philadelphia. The Super Bowl hangover was real in 2018, and the fact Wentz was dealing with a bad back for much of the season didn’t help. There is a renewed energy around this team entering this season. General manager Howie Roseman has helped assemble a group of talent that can rival any in the NFL. If the veteran-laden roster, including DeSean Jackson, can hold up health-wise, the Eagles will be in the driver’s seat.

A different Carson Wentz: The Eagles have a healthier, wealthier, leaner, less-stressed, better teammate at QB in 2019 - The Athletic
He arrived at training camp noticeably leaner. According to Wentz, he’s not lighter, just leaner; he’s less concerned about weight and more about how he feels. He’s also adjusting his training regimen and vowed to be more proactive than reactive in his pre- and post-practice work. During warm-ups, Wentz will go through an individualized stretching routine before the full-team stretch. It does not mean Wentz won’t be injured if his body bends the wrong way after a hit. But for Wentz, it’s his way of trying to enact change after the last two seasons ended early — and to prolong his career. “If I’d been doing these things, I don’t think the injuries would not have happened,” Wentz said. “But it made me look deeper at how I prepare, how I train, how I eat, how I sleep. … I think that’s standard cycle, especially for quarterbacks coming into this league, and just finding what works for them. For me, that’s been this offseason. I’ve taken a big dive into it, and looked into it. I don’t think it’s going to necessarily prevent any injuries from ever happening. This is football. You can’t. But I’ll do everything I can to set myself up for that.”

The Eagles on a Tuesday: Focused on a fast start - PE.com
It’s a lot of fun when the Eagles are winning, and when they win they usually start fast and that means putting points on the scoreboard early in games, a point of emphasis for Pederson throughout the summer. Two seasons ago, the Eagles were among the best teams in the NFL with 106 points in the first quarter. Last year, that number dipped to 41 points, among the worst first-quarter performances in the league. That has to change, Pederson said. “It does and it’s something we’ve worked on all summer,” he said. “It really helps our team when we start fast and get out there into a rhythm quickly. That goes for every team.”

Previewing the toughest and easiest schedule ahead of the 2019 NFL season - PFF
Easiest Schedules — Philadelphia Eagles: Perhaps the most-talented team in football, player for player, gets one of its easiest slates, due in large part to a division that includes an overrated Dallas team, and two teams that are likely to be breaking in a rookie quarterback at some point during the season. They also get to play the AFC East, which will in all likelihood contain at least two teams that will imply significant win probabilities for the birds. Also, finishing last season in second place in the NFC East means they get to play the Seahawks and Vikings, as opposed to the Rams and the Bears, the former difference in opponent likely to be striking as the season progresses.

Projecting 2019’s NFL win share leaders on offense, defense - NFL.com
3) Fletcher Cox, DT, Philadelphia Eagles: 1.2 wins. Next Gen Stats attributes 60 pressures to Cox when he was lined up as an interior defender (second-most among all interior defenders, behind only Aaron Donald’s 65). My computer vision shows Cox also ranked second in disruptions as an interior defender last season.

Looks Like Someone has a Sixpack of the Mondays - Hogs Haven
What is all this nonsense about the Redskins being 9.5-point underdogs in the first week of action? That is insane! Are we playing Clemson? Who the hell do the Philadelphia Eagles think they are? They couldn’t even beat out the Cowboys for the division last season. I am not saying we should be favored against the Eagles, but damn near double-digits out of the gates is a bit...disrespectful. Look, the absence of Trent Williams hurts a lot here because the Eagles have a very good defensive line. Fletcher Cox is going be favored in his matchups on the left side of our line. I get it. That said, very few offenses are running on all cylinders from the starting line in the league. Timing in the preseason is one thing, but it takes a regular season Sunday or two for some teams, and here’s hoping the Eagles are one of those teams. Not that anyone should use this for actual gambling purposes, but the Redskins are 7th in the league against the spread since 2015...though I don’t care about covering. I care about winning. One man, in particular, will have a lot to say about that.

Why the Eagles must find a role for Rasul Douglas - NBCSP
Sidney Jones got the nod over Rasul Douglas as the Eagles’ opening day cornerback opposite Ronald Darby, and Jones has definitely come a long way since missing virtually all of his rookie year and then missing a good chunk of last year. He had a terrific training camp and finally looked like the guy the Eagles had in mind when they made him the 43rd pick in the 2017 draft. This isn’t about Jones. He can play. He’s earned this. It’s about another product of that 2017 Eagles draft, Douglas. In limited playing time so far, Douglas has proven to be quite a ball hawk. When Doug Pederson announced Monday that Jones and Darby will start at corner and Avonte Maddox will be the nickel, he did say there will be a role for Douglas. The numbers say there should be.

Philadelphia Eagles fans: Check out all the new food at Lincoln Financial Field - PennLive
First off, there’s a new twist on the classic Philadelphia cheesesteak. South Street Chilly Philly will feature Porcini crusted shaved ribeye steak, caramelized onion jam, Cooper Sharp cheese, long hot pepper relish all on a Philly roll. Don’t think about the calories for this next one. The stadium’s Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak Panzarotti will basically be a chicken cheesesteak hot pocket filled with Cooper Sharp cheese, buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing.

‘Active Shooter!’ How Life Put Keanon Lowe Where He Was Supposed to Be - MMQB
Kelly taught his players that “pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what you’re doing.” He told them to never flinch, and when he left in 2013 to coach the NFL’s Eagles he promised he would always try to take care of his old charges. “That program molded my life and shaped my mentality,” Lowe says. “I’m glad Chip yelled at me. I deserved it. He taught me to act and not think.”

Why Alex Tanney? Pat Shurmur says he “adds to the room” - Big Blue View
There has been much gnashing of teeth in the fan base and the media over the New York Giants decision to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Especially since the third quarterback is journeyman Alex Tanney and not second-year man Kyle Lauletta, who is now part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. [...] Tanney went 24-of-46 (52.2 percent) for 322 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in the preseason. Lauletta went 37-of-62 (59.7 percent) for 453 yards with four TDs and no interceptions.

Report: Cowboys closing in on six-year, $90M extension with Ezekiel Elliott - Blogging The Boys
Where there’s smoke there is often fire, and we’re starting to get some smoke with regards to the Ezekiel Elliott contract extensions. A lot of smoke. Just before lunch on Tuesday it was reported by Pro Football Talk that the Cowboys are closing in on an extension with their star running back... a six-year deal worth $90M.

The 6 most fireable NFL coaches heading into the 2019 season - SB Nation
Jason Garrett, Cowboys: The clock is ticking on the final year of Garrett’s contract in Dallas, so he may be more “unextendable” than “fireable” right now. Even so, a slow start in a winnable NFC East could doom a veteran coach with only two playoff victories in nine seasons at the helm. The good news for the oft-debated Cowboys coach is that most of the core of a team that finished the 2018 regular season on a 7-1 heater will return for 2019. Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, and DeMarcus Lawrence will all suit up to start the season. The same can’t be said for Ezekiel Elliott, who is holding out for a lucrative extension despite having one more year and a team option remaining on his rookie contract. Garrett has struggled without Elliott in the past; he’s 28-12 with his star tailback in the lineup the past three years and 4-4 without him. An underwhelming start could shatter whatever remaining confidence team owner Jerry Jones has in his longtime coach. Of course, Jones could also grade Garrett on a curve if he’s forced to fend without Zeke for an extended period — he’s been pretty lenient with his sideline general in the past.

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