Eagles' Carson Wentz to Join Rare Company by Making All 16 Starts

Carson Wentz on Sunday will do something Michael Vick never did, something Nick Foles ever did, something Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and Kevin Kolb never did.

He'll start his 16th game of the season as an Eagles quarterback, joining Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb as only the fourth quarterback in franchise history to start 16 games in a season.

Wentz will become the first Eagles QB since McNabb in 2008 to start 16 games, and if he doesn't get injured, he'll become the first to start and finish all 16 games in a season since McNabb in 2003.

A handful of other quarterbacks started all the games for the Eagles when the season was shorter – Norm Snead, Sonny Jurgensen and Roman Gabriel when it was 14 games and Adrian Burk, Tommy Thompson and Norm Van Brocklin it was 12 games.

But that's all ancient history.

With his start against the Cowboys in the season finale at the Linc Sunday, Wentz will prove that he's been tough enough to withstand the brutal weekly rigors of a full NFL season.

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"I think that was another test," offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. "There were questions about [whether] he [would] be durable. ‘Could he do that? Could he start 16 games,' just because of the injuries he's had."

And the answer is a resounding yes.

He's missed six snaps all year – when he was briefly in concussion testing Thursday night. But every time he's been knocked down – and he's been knocked down a lot – he's gotten right back up and stayed in the game.

In an NFL where quarterbacks come and go all the time, Wentz will become only the 16th rookie QB in history to play 16 games. Eleven of the first 15 did it since 2008.

He'll also likely be one of 15 quarterbacks to start 16 games this year and one of only three Eagles offensive players to do so. The other two are Jason Peters and Jason Kelce.

He'll also be only the 12th Eagles rookie at any position in history to start 16 games and the first since Eric Allen in 1988 who wasn't an offensive or defensive lineman.

The previous record for most starts by an Eagles rookie quarterback was eight, by Davey O'Brien in 1939.

"I think it says a lot about several things," Reich said. "I think it says a lot about his toughness. It says a lot about his preparation in protection areas. It says a lot about how well the offensive line has played. And I think it says a lot about [the fact] that he has a good internal clock.

"He's not just a big, strong, athletic guy who is going to get back there and make plays with his legs all the time. He knows to be great in this league and to be great and take us where we want to go, you've got to learn how to play quarterback from the pocket and then let your natural athletic ability take over when something breaks down.

"I think we worked very hard at trying to develop that into him and not have him just get back there and let his athleticism take over. [We told him:] ‘Be systematic. Be disciplined. Have a progression in mind. Know what you are doing. Have a plan on every play. Then, when things break down, react and let your instincts take over.'
"I think those speak to all those things about him this year."

There's a very real connection between a rookie quarterback starting 16 games and having an advanced ability to see the field, sense pass pressure, be able to slide away from trouble and protect himself.

There's a reason not many have done it.

And early in the season, when Wentz was repeatedly putting himself at risk, you wondered if he would make it to Jan. 1. But he really improved in those areas and seems healthy heading into Sunday's game.

"I think he's done a great job of knowing how to get down," Reich said. "It was a learning process. It's been a learning process. Early on, we all know that when he ran a couple, he probably was a little bit too aggressive.

"He took the coaching, learned from it and gradually has gotten to the point where he looks like a seasoned pro out there.

"When running now, he knows when to slide and he has good sense for getting down. There are no guarantees about staying healthy in this league, but we're certainly glad he's done a good job with that this year and stayed healthy."

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