I keep hearing that we shouldn't expect Carson Wentz to come in and be a savior. That we shouldn't expect him to come in and be Superman.
Yeah, wrong.
Wentz is Superman, last I checked, and we're all about to see it.
Forget all this nonsense about how it's going to take Wentz a while to get back to game speed. That it's going to take him weeks or maybe even the rest of the season to get comfortable again after a 9 1/2-month layoff to rehab his torn ACL.
This is the guy who, as a rookie, didn't play in the last three preseason games because of a cracked rib and barely practiced the last month of the preseason before suddenly getting a promotion from third-stringer to starter eight days before the regular season and then began his career by throwing for 278 yards and two touchdowns against the Browns. Then took off from there.
Remember?
And now in his third season after making a run at an MVP last year he's going to suddenly need all this time to find himself?
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Stop.
Wentz isn't hurt anymore. He's fine. He's not going to change the way he plays. He's not going to go out and be careful or be cautious.
He didn't miss a single practice this preseason. Not one. And he's somehow not going to be ready Sunday?
This is Carson Wentz we're talking about, and not only is he going to be ready from the get-go, he's going to raise everybody's level around him.
That's what MVPs do.
Nick Foles was a fantastic caretaker of the position, and Philadelphia will never forget that he was the first quarterback to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl title.
But what Wentz does is restore some order to an offense that so far this year has been inconsistent and sloppy. He'll get the ball down the field. He'll convert third downs. He'll use his legs to avoid trouble in the pocket.
He'll avoid the long stretches of shaky play we often get from Foles in between his moments of brilliance.
He'll make the players around him better. Average receivers will make plays, because he'll be able to get them the ball. Mediocre backs and tight ends will pick up their game. Even the offensive line will look better because Wentz will get rid of the ball quickly.
I have a hunch we'll see a different Eagles team Sunday. A cleaner product. A more streamlined, more efficient offense.
There is no process with Wentz. There is no getting comfortable.
It's his first game in 9 ½ months, but isn't that what opening day is for everybody else? So he didn't play in preseason games. Do you really think a guy who last year threw 33 TDs and seven INTs needs to play against a bunch of Browns or Jets scrubs in a preseason game?
No. He's Carson Wentz.
Don't let anybody tell you Wentz needs time. Don't let anybody tell you he won't be himself until maybe the Vikings or Giants game. Don't let anybody tell you he needs to stay out of harm's way for a few weeks.
Nah.
Wentz is going to go out there Sunday starting from the first play from scrimmage and he's going to play the same brand of football that we saw him play last year, when he was having an MVP season before he tore up his knee.
If he gets hit? He gets hit.
If he needs to run for a first down? He'll run for a first down.
If he has to scramble around the pocket to keep a play alive? He will.
The difference between Nick Foles and Carson Wentz is that Foles is a legend and Wentz is a superstar.
And the instant he walks onto that field, the Eagles will become a different team.
