It was just another morning for Carson Wentz. Lying in a cornfield somewhere in South Jersey hunting geese.
 
He only bagged one.
 
“It wasn’t a good morning,” he said.
 
Until his phone rang and he learned that he would become the first rookie in Eagles history to start at quarterback on opening day.

Then it became a better morning.
 
“I was obviously very surprised, but instantly I was just very excited,” Wentz said Monday. “A lot of excitement going on and we quickly cleaned up and got out of there because there were just so many emotions going on, and I was with my family and stuff.
 
“Now it’s just down to business, but I can tell you I’m very confident and I’m very excited to get this opportunity.”
 
So in the span of two days, the Eagles traded starter Sam Bradford, promoted Wentz from No. 3 to No. 1 and demoted veteran Chase Daniel behind Wentz.
 
Wentz will make his NFL debut on Sunday when the Eagles open the 2016 season with a 1 p.m. game at the Linc against the Browns.
 
“Going back to when I first got here, I feel like I’ve earned respect just from how I go about my business, how I carry myself,” Wentz said.
 
“There’s nothing different that I’ve got to do now. It’s still football. I’ve got to still be the same guy and just play ball, and I think those guys believe in me and I’m excited for it.”
 
Starting Wentz is a massive philosophical shift for head coach Doug Pederson, who has said since getting here that whatever young quarterback the Eagles drafted would be better off sitting for a year than playing right away.
 
But Pederson said Wentz was so impressive this preseason – despite playing in only one preseason game and missing the last few weeks of practice – that the franchise felt comfortable trading Bradford, who set a franchise record last year by completing 65 percent of his passes, and handing the football to the 23-year-old Wentz.
 
“Everybody feels this kid is ready to go,” Pederson said Monday. “We drafted him to take the reins, and it’s something that we’re prepared to do.”
 
This is a move that doesn’t come without risk.
 
Wentz didn’t play much in college. He started only 23 games at North Dakota State, and that was at the NCAA Division 1-AA level.
 
He threw only 24 passes in the preseason, all of them against the Buccaneers back on Aug. 11.
 
He’ll go into the Cleveland game without taking a live rep for a month.
 
“The whole time, all along, I was just getting ready for whenever this time would come,” Wentz said. “I knew I was ready. I knew I was taking mental reps being out the last couple weeks (and) even going into the first preseason game I felt very confident, I felt like I’ve developed at a fast pace.
 
“Now it’s here. Now it’s here and I’m really confident in myself and confident in this team and excited for it.”
 
At 23 years, 8 months, Wentz is two months younger than Nick Foles was when he made his first NFL start against the Cowboys in November of 2012. He’ll be the Eagles’ youngest starting quarterback since Donovan McNabb started the last five games of 1999 – replacing Pederson.
 
McNabb started two games just before his 23rd birthday and three just after it.
 
The Eagles’ only other quarterback under 24 to start a game since 1975 is Randall Cunningham, who was 22 when he started four games as a rookie in 1985.
 
Wentz expected to spend the season on the bench but said he’s felt ready to play all along.
 
“I just knew ever since OTAs this summer, diving into the playbook and then going forward,” he said. “Really that preseason game I guess I walked away feeling really extra confident with it.
 
“It wasn’t pretty by any means but I didn’t feel overwhelmed or anything. I just felt really confident with it.”
 
Wentz completed 12 of 24 passes for 89 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in that game against the Bucs.
 
He also suffered two broken ribs in that game and didn’t practice again until Monday.
 
Wentz said he was officially cleared earlier Monday.
 
“We knew today technically but we knew kind of going forward last week it would have been pretty close to being able to play, but it wasn’t worth it the minor risk there was,” he said.
 
“But we knew when week one rolled around we’d be ready to go. We’re good to go. We’re healed and ready to go.”
 
The Eagles have gone from a proven commodity – albeit one that’s never had a winning record – to an unknown.
 
Rookie quarterbacks have won a total of 11 games in modern NFL history – since 1950.
 
Mike Boryla is the winningest rookie in Eagles history with three wins in 1974. But he only won five games the rest of his career.
 
Sonny Jurgensen won two games as a rookie in 1957 and McNabb won two games in 1999.
 
Jack Concannon (1964), Cunningham (1985), Koy Detmer (1998) and Foles (2012) won one apiece.
 
Wentz said he knows there will be hard times along the way, but he said he’s ready for it.
 
“That’s the way life is, that’s the way the game of football is,” he said. “Especially young quarterbacks usually experience some bumps in the road, and I’m just going to take it in stride.
 
“I’m going to learn from my mistakes and I’m going to keep getting better and keep putting this team in good situations to win ballgames.”
 
Wentz will be the seventh starting quarterback the Eagles will use since the end of the McNabb Era in 2009, following Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Vince Young, Foles, Mark Sanchez and Bradford.
 
“I’m just excited for my opportunity,” he said. “I feel very confident that we’ll be successful here this year.”