Have the Philadelphia Eagles let Carson Wentz down?

On the eve of Week 14 of the 2020 NFL season, The Punt Return Podcast looks at a number of franchise quarterbacks, starting with the Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield.

MONEY MAYFIELD

The Browns desperately needed their guy to stand up and be counted. To be considered legitimate in the National Football League, their Heisman Trophy winning, former #1 draft pick QB needed to stop being just a game manager and get back to the dynamic passer they saw during his rookie year. Mayfield answered that call Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, putting together a historic first half in which he threw for four touchdowns, becoming the first Browns quarterback to achieve the feat since Otto Graham in 1951.

Is ‘Money Mayfield’ back for good?

For the Cleveland Browns, this is the Baker Mayfield they need for the rest of the season to secure a return to the NFL Playoffs for the first time since 2002.

THE BIG EASY QB QUESTION

With gadget man, Taysom Hill, going 3-0 as a starter, the New Orleans Saints are 8-0 without their future Hall of Fame QB, Drew Brees.

At age 41 and in his 20th NFL season, Brees (7-2) had thrown for 2196 yards with an 18:3 touchdown to interception ratio, before suffering 11 fractured ribs and a punctured lung in a Week 10 victory against the San Francisco 49ers. While Hill is since unbeaten in the starters role under center, would he be the favourite to take over QB duties full time should Brees retire following the season?

Brees is contracted for one more year and has a cap hit of of $36,150,000 in 2021, which makes for intriguing discussion as this season nears its end. What would you do?

FOUR SEASONS TOTAL LANDSCAPING IN PHILADELPHIA

In Philadelphia, the QB situation is delicately poised, and dangerously fragile.

Carson Wentz – last year signed to a 4-year, $128 million extension – has been horribly out of form in 2020.

Just one year on from leading the Eagles on an unlikely playoff run, and three years removed from an MVP calibre season (before an ACL injury ended his year), Wentz has struggled mightily, throwing for just 2620 yards in 12 games (in which the team has gone 3-8-1) for a return of only 16 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. Wentz’s Quarterback Rating of 72.8 is the lowest of his career, as is a 49.2 QBR.

But does all this mean that Carson Wentz is a terrible quarterback?

Damningly for the Philadelphia Eagles, the answer is a resounding “no.”

The Punt Return Podcast‘s Nick Splitter suggests there is plenty of evidence to show the blame lies squarely with the franchise and it’s management.

 

Having started 11 different combinations on the offensive line due to injuries, the Eagles offense hasn’t been able to protect their QB, with Wentz sacked a league-leading 50 times through 12 games.

And the skill positions? Once again, Philadelphia has been down to the bare bones of undrafted free agents and practise squad players, with many of the starters either injured and missing for long periods of the season, or simply not able to deliver consistently at the NFL level, while talented receivers like DK Metcalf (Seattle) and Justin Jefferson (Minnesota) flourish at their respective franchises after being overlooked by the Eagles at the draft over the last 2 years. Says Nick Splitter, on The Punt Return Podcast:

When you pay a QB that sort of money, you are derelict in your duty if you don’t do everything in your power to ensure that QB succeeds.

Clearly, in terms of providing complementary pieces alongside Wentz, the franchise hasn’t come to the party. The play calling hasn’t helped, either, with head coach Doug Pederson coming under heavy fire from Eagles fans in recent times for the lack of a run game despite a running back (Miles Sanders) averaging over 5-yards per carry, and a QB clearly out of form and devoid of confidence.

So where to now for the Eagles? Wentz has been benched – for now – with rookie QB Jalen Hurts handed the start this week against Taysom Hill and New Orleans.

Will it be Carson Wentz or Jalen Hurts in 2021?

Will the franchise finally support their man with a change in direction, or even a full front office cleanout, as has been suggested?

It’s clear that things are, in fact, not always sunny in Philadelphia.

AND THE REST…

ON THE WEEK 14 PUNT RETURN PODCAST the boys dive into the New York Giants playoff hopes after an incredible upset victory over the NFC powerhouse Seattle Seahawks, while analysis of an historically awful performance by the Los Angeles Chargers dominates the early discussion.

Listener ‘question of the week’ from the Twitterverse:

“Can you shed any light on the actual role of a head coach in the NFL? Can find it hard to wrap my head around what they do in the absence of play calling which seems the most important part?!”

Q of the week from @Smok3y10:

“What is the actual role of a head coach in the #NFL?”

We discussed on this week’s podcast:

“Everybody Hurts Sometimes”https://t.co/GwdCgpGma1

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— The Punt Return ?? (@PuntReturnPod) December 12, 2020

For more NFL analysis, statistics, picks, props and long shots every week of the NFL season, subscribe to The Punt Return Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

THIS WEEK’S EPISODE: