The Eagles paid a steep price to move up to the second overall spot in this year's NFL Draft to select quarterback Carson Wentz and in last night's preseason opener against Tampa Bay we got our first glimpse at the new face of the franchise. The stats themselves were unimpressive with 12 completions on 24 attempts for just 89 yards along with an interception, but Wentz did command a presence under center and he looked comfortable in the pocket as well as rolling to his right to throw the ball.
New head coach Doug Pederson has held firm on his plans to start Sam Bradford on opening day against Cleveland with Chase Daniel second on the quarterback depth chart, but what do think the "over/under" would be on how long it takes the fans at the Linc to start chanting "We Want Wentz". Given my experience as a former season ticket holder, I would say less than a quarter of that Week 1 matchup against the Browns unless Bradford plays the best game of his career. Patience is not something Eagles' fans are long on when it comes to the play of their quarterback and when team owner Jeff Lurie pays such a high price for any player, those same fans want to see him play.
I am all for starting Bradford on opening day. If or should I say when he goes down with an injury, I would be interested to see what Daniel can do with this offense. That being said, it is only a matter of time before you have to let Wentz take over the reigns. This is basically a Catch 22 situation for Eagles' fans to get Wentz into the starting lineup.
If the Eagles remain in playoff contention and either Bradford or Daniel remain healthy, then Wentz is likely to remain on the sidelines or even in street cloths. If the Eagles stink up the joint behind the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart, then Pederson will have no choice but to give Wentz a chance to show what he can do. To sum it up, the Eagles have to lose for Wentz to win the starting job. Let the chants begin!!!
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