April 28, 2016
In his time as a player and coach in the NFL, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has worked with a lot of quarterbacks. A quick list: Dan Marino, Bernie Kosar, Brett Favre, Jim McMahon, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, and Alex Smith.
That's a good mix of quarterbacks with varying skill sets. When asked who Carson Wentz reminded him of, without much thought, Pederson said Brett Favre.
"A little bit of Brett Favre, honestly," Pederson said. "He's got that mentality. He's got that aggressiveness that Brett had. Those are some of the skill sets that I see in Carson -- that aggression, that ability to throw the ball down the field. I love quarterbacks that are willing to take a chance, take a calculated risk down the field. Favre was that way. I see a lot of the same characteristics in Carson."
"Growing up, Favre was always my favorite guy to watch," said Wentz when told of Pederson's comparison. "His mentality, the way he played the game, his approach, he had fun with it. His grittiness, hard-working attitude, I just loved everything about watching him play. Being compared to him, obviously I have a long way to go, but it's pretty cool hearing that."
Wentz certainly has the arm strength to get the ball down the field, like Favre did.
But perhaps more interestingly, Pederson's words hint at the type of offense he intends to implement in Philadelphia. All offseason long, the Eagles have targeted speed receivers who can get down the field and makes plays. Pair those speed guys with a strong-armed quarterback who is willing to let it rip, and one might conclude that the Eagles likely want to emphasize the vertical element of their passing attack.
Wentz is already going to be responsible for the jobs of a lot of people in the front office as well as the general happiness of the city of Philadelphia. And now he's being compared to Brett Favre within minutes of being drafted. No pressure, kid.
