One of my favorite films of all time came in 2008, it starred Christian Bale as a billionaire playboy by day and a masked vigilante by night. The Dark Knight served a bigger purpose than most comic book movies. It set a tone that felt so natural to me, I felt as if I could truly relate to the Dark Knight’s pain.
See, in this film, Bruce Wayne battled with his identity continuously. He didn’t know how to save his city without putting on the cowl. He didn’t even know how to be himself outside of the armor.
There’s a line in this movie that really struck me. Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart, says, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Cue the Rocky theme song…
For as long as I’ve known and loved the city of Philadelphia, I know how much the city loves its underdogs. From the days where a 6-foot guard by the name of Allen Iverson carried the Sixers all the way to the 2001 NBA finals to the moment where a backup QB, by the name of Nick Foles, led the Eagles to a SuperBowl 52 win over the New England Patriots.
Now here’s the irony…
What if I said that the city’s biggest underdog stands at 6’ 5” and holds the franchise record for 33 passing touchdowns in a season? What if I said that the 2nd overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft went from possible MVP of the league to an outcast in his own home?
Yes, Carson did go down with a torn ACL during the team’s Super Bowl run, but was his impact overlooked? Did no one notice the hope and passion he brought to the Linc every week? Did everyone forget that he led the team to a 11-2 start in that 2017 season? What I’m really trying to ask is, would the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl 52 without Carson Wentz?
I get it, I hear what you’re thinking.
“But they did win without Wentz…”
Now here’s my answer; No, the team actually did not .
See, Wentz helped elevate this team to newer heights. Don’t forget, Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith came to Philly because of Wentz. He helped set “the new norm” for this organization by making them a desirable destination for years to come. Would they have even made the playoffs without him?
Now let’s fast forward to the 2019 offseason. It’s May 8th, 2019 and OTAs are around the corner. The league has been delivering a pretty interesting offseason so far. Many teams have gotten significantly better. Russell Wilson finally received his large contract extension and apparently, Dak Prescott is on his way there as well. Don’t get me started on that topic.
This week, Howie Roseman has mentioned that the Eagles “wouldn’t hesitate” to sign Wentz to an extension if both sides agreed. Interestingly enough, this has caused a debate among many fans and media outlets. With some saying he isn’t deserving of it because he’s “injury prone”. Others saying it would be wise because of his raw talent and ability.
It has even caused former Eagles QB Donovan Mcnabb to come out and say that the team should “draft another QB” if Wentz can’t lead the Eagles to the NFC Championship game in two years.
In my opinion, no other QB, in the league right now, has gone through the scrutiny that Wentz has. You would think that he’s played so poorly all of his career, but he hasn’t.
Did no one notice the jump in his completion percentage? Or the fact that even though he only played 11 games this year, he had a better QBR than Prescott?
In 11 games this year, Wentz had a QBR of 102.2 with 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Not to mention, he also passed for 3,072 yards. Imagine if he was one hundred percent healthy.
If that isn’t convincing or hopeful then let’s take it up a notch. In Wentz’ first 40 career games, he’s drawn very fair comparisons to Peyton Manning. The 26-year-old has completed 63% of his passes while passing for 10,152 yards. He’s also tallied 70 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
As for me, this offseason has really given me those 2017 chills again. The team has added superb talent around Carson, from the likes of Desean Jackson, Jordan Howard to even the rookies Miles Sanders and JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Let’s not forget about future left tackle starter, Andre Dillard. The world seems to know what to expect from these additions but there’s something missing.
No one knows what to expect from Wentz and that’s a scary good feeling…
Cue the goosebumps..
As Howie season comes to a possible close, Redemption season is only just beginning for Carson Wentz.
