April 29, 2016
Rich Schultz/AP
Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz answers questions during his introductory press conference at the NovaCare Complex.
Carson Wentz may not have made a great impression on the handful of autograph seekers he snubbed at the Philly airport on Friday afternoon, but the new Eagles quarterback absolutely nailed his introductory press conference.
Standing at the podium in front of an auditorium packed with media, the 23-year-old from North Dakota State didn't seem at all bothered by the bright lights and bevy of anxious reporters. Instead, Wentz -- chewing gum and donning an even fresher suit than he wore when he was drafted second overall by the Eagles the night before -- looked cool, calm, collected, and genuinely happy to be answering questions.
"Today has been really cool," Wentz told reporters at the NovaCare Complex. "You know, just coming in and getting to kind of reunite again, after the visit and everything with all the offensive staff – really everybody in the organization – and to get a chance to talk with them again, and they're fired up and they're excited.
"I'm fired up and excited. It's been a good day."
Unfortunately for Wentz, however, it's not going to get any easier from here. And how he handles the more difficult press conferences -- the ones that come after losses -- will go a long way towards determining whether or not he's ultimately embraced by Eagles fans.
As far as critics go, they have quite a reputation. But for now, Wentz is taking the glass-half-full approach to their (sometimes over-the-top) passion, mainly because he sees a little of himself in his newest fans -- and yes, he's already tried a cheesesteak.
"Everyone has just been telling me about how passionate [the fan base] is," Wentz said. "Talking last night to the media again, I just said, you know, ‘They're passionate here. They hate losing.’
"I’m like, ‘Heck, I fit right in.’ I hate losing. I'm real passionate about the game as well. I think that's the general consensus that I keep getting from this Philadelphia area."
Coincidentally, that's also the general consensus I keep getting from North Dakota State fans when they talk about Wentz. For example, a reader from Wentz's home state emailed me earlier today and the first thing she said about the quarterback was that "he will run through brick walls" for Eagle fans.
That's certainly one way to become beloved in Philly -- just ask Aaron Rowand -- but not even that will be enough for Wentz. Being the No. 2 overall pick has some perks; raised expectations are not one of them.
And no matter how high he thinks the stakes were in college, there's no comparison to what awaits him in the NFL.
"I think a lot of people say North Dakota State, small market, all of these things, which is fairly accurate, but we have some crazy passionate fans back in Fargo," Wentz said. "A lot of them were actually down in Chicago going crazy last night at the draft, and I think that passion is something that's just going to be kind of tenfold here in Philadelphia."
Ultimately, Wentz will not be judged by how well he handle himself with the media, but rather how he handles himself on the field. And whether or not that translates to wins.
"This guy bleeds winning," head coach Doug Pederson said of Wentz on Thursday night. "And that was something that attracted all of us to him."
Sure, it sounds like something pulled from the trailer to a really bad action movie, but Wentz has done quite a bit of winning during his career, including back-to-back FCS national titles in 2014 and 2015.
According to Wentz, that's no accident.
"I think first and foremost, it's how I'm wired," he said when asked about Pederson saying he bleeds winning. "If I'm not the best at something, it kind of ticks me off and I want to work my tail off to be the best. It's also kind of my upbringing. My parents and my older brother always pushed me. I always was competitive with him, and I just hate losing. It's just kind of how I'm wired.
"And hopefully, I can bring that to Philadelphia."
That, however, will have to be put on hold for a little while, assuming Howie Roseman and Pederson don't acquiesce to Sam Bradford's trade demand. The plan was -- and apparently still is -- to let Wentz spend a year learning the system and studying NFL defenses before being thrown into the fire.
From Wentz's perspective, that's like getting the best Christmas present you've ever received and then being told you have to wait until next year before playing with it. But it's familiar territory for the quarterback, who sat his first two (healthy) seasons in college before finally getting the chance to start.
"As a competitor, you want to be out there, but I understand that there's a lot to that, and I'm going to just come in and learn," Wentz said. "For one, that's not for me to decide. I'm just going to come in and learn and compete my tail off, and when [Pederson] feels fit for me to go out there, I'll go out there, and hopefully I'll do well."
Wentz still has a ways to go before any real judgments can be made about him as a quarterback -- he said he hasn't yet gotten his playbook -- but as far as first impressions go, Friday's press conference wasn't a bad start.
How he handles his first misstep with the Eagles, however, will be much more telling.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin
