November 10, 2017
Carson Wentz and the Eagles have every right to be feeling good about themselves through their first nine games of the season, but according to the second-year quarterback, he's not looking past his team's next game.
Sure, he's spending his week off hunting and enjoying himself, but Wentz is still "not big on celebrating all of the success up to this point." At least that's what he told Angelo Cataldi and the SportsRadio 94 WIP Morning Team on Friday.
Wentz might not be buying into all the hype surrounding himself and this team, but the city of Philadelphia certainly is. The expectations for the Birds have skyrocketed with many experts not only picking Wentz as the MVP of the league, but also picking the Eagles to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
A self-described "blue-collar, hard-working kid," Wentz feels that's part of the reason he fits in so well with Philly fans.
"[Philly]’s just kind of wired that way, and that’s exactly how I’m wired," he said. "That’s exactly how I’ve grown up."
That's not the only thing Wentz and city he now represents have in common. They also share a mutual disdain for a certain football team from Texas.
“I’m not a fan [of the Cowboys], I’m not a fan,” Wentz told Cataldi. “I think it’s cool – anytime [we play] any of these NFC East games – they’re all rivals. Obviously, with it being a Sunday Night Football game, that’ll be fun. That’ll always be a fun one and I know our fans really love that one extra. And so do we.”
We'll have to wait another week for that one, but in the meantime, here's the full interview with Wentz, followed by a look at what they're saying about the Eagles:
Wentz may be trying to block all this stuff out, but the praise for the Eagles QB keeps pouring in from all angles.
The seven-person voting panel from Yahoo! Sports – Jay Busbee, Kevin Kaduk, Shalise Manza Young, Zach Pereles, Blake Schuster, Frank Schwab, Anthony Sulla-Heffinger – handed out some midseason awards this week. They picked Wentz as both the MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year. Here's what they had to say about the MVP race:
At the halfway point, it seems like a two-man race for MVP. Wentz has more touchdowns (23-18), Brady has more yards (2,541-2,262) and has been a little more efficient. Wentz can also make plays with his legs, and his Eagles have the best record in the NFL. That gave Wentz the slight edge for the first-half award. It should be a fun race between the 24-year-old Wentz and the 40-year-old Brady the rest of the way.
Votes: Wentz (4), Brady (3) [sports.yahoo.com]
They also offered some updated Super Bowl predictions, and five of the seven have the Eagles winning the NFC, with three of those five picking the Birds to win it all.
Manza Young: Eagles over Patriots
Pereles: Steelers over Eagles
Schuster: Chiefs over Rams
Sulla-Heffinger: Eagles over Steelers
Busbee: Steelers over Eagles
Kaduk: Eagles over Patriots
Schwab: Patriots over Seahawks [sports.yahoo.com]
The MMQB took a look at football in Philly – and not just as it relates to the Eagles. If you grew up in the area, it's definitely worth checking out.
From storied Penn, through the burgeoning women’s game and the fiercely contested Catholic League and onto the fields at the Linc, the game in Philadelphia reflects the city’s toughness, confidence and togetherness
The Eagles’ 8-1 start to the season has emboldened the city of Philadelphia to think about its first NFL championship since 1960. The early 2000s run of three straight conference championship losses, followed by the Super Bowl loss, instilled a sense among some fans of always waiting for the other shoe to drop. But the Eagles haven’t lost since Sept. 17, and the city seems to be buying in. And as teammate Zach Ertz put it, “[Wentz] is the face of the franchise; he’s the face of the city right now.” [si.com]
I’m not really sure why Wentz won a Clutch Performer of the Week for a game that was over by halftime. Sure, he played well, I just don’t know what was so “clutch” about it. Oh, well. Add it to the list of awards he’s already racked up this season.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has officially been named the Castrol EDGE Clutch Performer of the Week for his performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 9.
Wentz put up 199 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 118.7 passer rating against a tough Denver defense that ranked No. 1 overall in opponent yards per play and No. 2 in defensive DVOA. Not too shabby! [bleedinggreennation.com]
Wentz isn’t only clutch. He’s also unselfish.
"At the end of the day, touchdowns [are] whatever," Wentz said on Sunday afternoon, quickly dismissing a question about his stats. "That’s all great, but being 8-1 is what it’s all about. I didn’t really know what to expect with stats and all that stuff, that doesn’t really matter."
On a team full of unselfish players, Wentz is the tone-setter. [nbcsports.com]
Speaking of unselfish players, there was some concern over how running back LeGarrette Blount would handle the addition of Jay Ajayi to the Eagles backfield. Based on these clips from Sunday’s win over the Broncos – not to mention that everyone around the team from Wentz to Pederson to RB coach Duce Staley has said not to worry – I think Blount’s handling it just fine.
First, there’s his reaction to Ajayi’s first-half touchdown:
LeGarrette Blount ran from the sideline to the end zone to celebrate Jay Ajayi’s first TD. He was super hype. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/jPqLDW5nqQ
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 6, 2017
Then, late in the game, Blount begged Pederson to give Clement a chance at his third touchdown of the game because he wanted to see the rookie get a “hat trick” for his birthday:
This team makes my heart happy. pic.twitter.com/gtdUVpccOJ
— Life of a Philly Fan (@PhillyFanLife) November 9, 2017
This team, man.
[Chris Long was also mic’d up against the Broncos and you can check that out here.]
What does Timmy's new deal mean for others on the defensive line? Here's Zach Berman...
The big-picture question I’d have is that the Eagles have now allocated significant money to two interior linemen, although it’s a very talented duo. It helps that Derek Barnett is on a cost-controlled rookie contract at defensive end, and he projects as a starter during this contract. Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham are both on second contracts, although both players will be 30 next season. One upside of this contract is that the Eagles now have their two starting defensive tackles entrenched going into the offseason, so the position does not need to be a priority. [philly.com]
The Eagles are the best in the NFL at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and it's not even close.
The Eagles defense has a combined 226 pressures, which is 53 more than any other defense. There are three teams where the Eagles have more than double the amount of pressures they have. [profootballfocus.com]
It helps that, in addition to Jernigan and Cox getting pressure up the middle, Brandon Graham has been a beast this year.
The elite pass rushers through 9 weeks pic.twitter.com/xVY5H7l3c1
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 10, 2017
If – IF – the Eagles make the Super Bowl, there won't be a big watch party at the Linc, according to Ronnie Planeczky of The Inquirer. Ronnie has also started a petition at change.org, citing similar watch parties in other cities for various sports championships.
How much crazy fun would it be to watch the Super Bowl on the Linc’s fantastic 27-by-96-foot, Panasonic LED video screens with fans – jacked on hope and Schmitters – roaring loud enough to rattle molars in Delco?
But we’re gonna have to persuade the National Football League to let us host a Super Bowl Watch Party at the Linc if the Birds get to the big game.
Here’s why:
The league owns the broadcast rights to all NFL games and has a long-standing policy of forbidding “the mass, out-of-home viewing of preseason, regular-season, and postseason games,” explained NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. [philly.com]
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