It feels like only yesterday that the dawn of the NFL season was upon us. A new day, a new beginning for the Eagles. Their franchise quarterback had finally been founding. After a rookie campaign that was never meant to be, Wentz showed everybody that he was already becoming the quarterback that the Eagles had drafted him to become. There was a sense of excitement surrounding the Eagles coming into this season…and a lot of it was down to the man donning number 11, Carson Wentz.
Then the first game rolled around. A tricky road fixture against the Washington Redskins. A game that would paint an accurate picture of where both the team and quarterback were at. Accurate it was. Carson Wentz threw for a pair of touchdowns and 307 yards in the team’s opening day win, setting the tone for a season of magic.
Wentz looked fundamentally better. After an offseason of working on his footwork having searched out a quarterback coach who previously worked with Tom Brady, Wentz came back ready and raring. Setting blistering records along the way, the second-year quarterback continued to grow as one of the most exciting players in the league. Like all fine wines, Wentz is just aging with time.
“Last year, just kind of thrown into the fire eight days before the season.” Wentz explained at the start of the year. And he wasn’t wrong. When the Eagles pulled the trigger on that crucial trade that sent Sam Bradford to the Vikings, his career changed forever. “I thought I was prepared but when you have a whole offseason together, as the starter, going all the way back to OTA’s with the receivers with everybody, kind of get on that same page. And then to have some more input in the offense each week. And just, Coach Pederson and I are on the same page so well so just to have that whole offseason together it has paid dividends for us.”
Magic doesn’t just happen. Behind every trick, behind every heart flutter and eccentric reaction lies a body of hard work. Carson Wentz is no exception. The early signs were there of course, when the then draftee arrived early to OTA’s in 2016 along with Jordan Matthews, getting work in before any other player arrived. That ‘first in, last out’ mentality has trickled down onto the rest of the roster. The one thing a quarterback needs to be is a leader…and Wentz has rallied an army to the very top of a very tall Mountain.
“You see Carson day in and day out.” Jalen Mills told reporters earlier this season. “His car is always in the first parking spot. That is how you know he is the first guy in the building. Way past guys getting in the ice tub, getting recovery and getting in the parking lot; the lot is empty and you still see his car there. He is the first guy in and always the last guy out. When players see that coming from the quarterback, it shows us that he is that dedicated and means a lot to us.”
The truth is, Wentz is far more than just a quarterback. Going above and beyond is the norm for the pride of North Dakota State. You never appreciate what you have until it’s gone and because we just came to expect these law-defying moves, Madden-like throws, and incredible moments on a regular basis, they almost lost value. But beyond that, lies a quarterback who wants to help everyone on the team.
“He is our captain, he knows what he is doing and everybody follows in after him.” Undrafted rookie Corey Clement said earlier this year. “When you think about it, he is one of those exceptional guys who will help you out on the back end as well. When asked about what that means, Clement replied with something so simple, yet so powerful. “I mean he is making sure we know our assignment.” The former Wisconsin Badger said. “As if we don’t know already, but it is just very helpful that he knows what to point out as well sometimes because we may not hear it sometimes because of the crowd noise. But just being locked in with him and staying in tandem with him makes us feel that much better in the back end.”
On the field, or in the film room, the mentality is the same. Wentz just wants to win and above all be the best person he can be. “He is amazing.” A short, yet simple statement from a candidate for ‘Comeback player of the year’ Nelson Agholor. ” We were looking to do something and the craziest thing is-it is just how he does it, man. I talk about how great and how athletic he is and how he has a great arm, but the attention to detail, the film study, the professionalism he has as a quarterback is second to none in my opinion.”
Supported by a coaching tree of two former NFL quarterbacks and a QB coach who helped Derek Carr to grow in Oakland, Wentz stunned the world in his second season. Just 18 months into life as an NFL athlete and Carson Wentz fundamentally changed the hopes and dreams of an entire city. Beyond the Linc, beyond the franchise record 33 touchdown passes, beyond the blowout wins and incredible plays, there’s a man who we could all learn something from. A quarterback so inherently focused on being the best person he can, that he took time out to make a wish of super-fan Lukas Kuster, a fairytale. To give a young fan fighting the toughest of battles reason to believe. The story of ‘the Dutch Destroyer’ touched fans all across the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxvc4JFQrNA
“I feel Lukas all the time. It’s always nice just to have him on my wrist.” Wentz said after the feature aired on ESPN. “It’s a constant reminder that it’s so much bigger than football. And I have just been praying for that family, praying for them for a long time. It’s a very moving story obviously. It’s pretty cool to be able to be in this position and make that impact.”
Wentz was significantly impacted by Lukas and his family and the bond that they now share. An amazing quarterback and an even better person, Carson Wentz and ‘The Dutch Destroyer’ will now be forever intwined.
“I actually saw them before the game.” Carson told reporters. “I talked to them for a while. I saw them again after the game. Finally got the touchdown pass to Ertz and finally got the ball to them after the half. They are just a special family. It has definitely impacted me in a big way, all the way back in the spring. And then that story, obviously, yesterday, yeah it was definitely moving. I was thrilled that they could be here. And the youngest one, that was his first Eagles game so I told him he better keep coming back.”
Fans are no longer just fans. There’s a connection. His charitable work that saw himself and former Eagles wideout Jordan Matthews travel to Haiti, his AO1 foundation that is already enriching and changing lives through the power of a relationship with God and his humbleness through all things good and bad, have wiped away the grey skies in the City. They say it’s always sunny in Philadelphia, it’s shining brightly right now.
Wentz may be injured, but the season is not lost. The Eagles have clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs along with their first NFC East crown since 2013. In just his second season, Carson Wentz has turned the foundations of the league upside down.
“Magic.” Malcolm Jenkins used as his one word to describe Carson Wentz in the heart of the season. “To be as young as he is and do some of the things he does, you forget that this is only his second year.”
Wentz isn’t just another player. He isn’t just a first round pick. He isn’t just an MVP candidate. He’s a player whose passion, sweat equity, humility and kindness has completely reshaped a Philadelphia culture. Forget the stats, the highlights, the sensational moments. If you strip it all away, you’re left with a young man who gets it. Who lives life the right way, plays for the right reasons, and leaves his handprint on the hearts of thousands each and every week.
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Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz Jersey
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