Pederson has to bench Wentz now originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It’s time. Maybe it’s past time. Time to end the insanity. Time to hold the quarterback accountable. Time to take drastic action before it’s too late. It’s time to bench Carson Wentz. It’s the only way the Eagles can salvage the season. Because it’s 10 weeks now. And nothing has changed. Ten weeks of Wentz bumbling around in the pocket, throwing into double coverage, taking needless sacks, turning the ball over at record pace, missing open receivers. If anything, Wentz is getting worse. If that’s possible. He makes mistakes and then compounds them with more mistakes, and week after week you can just see him losing confidence as the mistakes add up. The quarterback we saw face the Browns Sunday was a lost cause. There’s no way to watch that guy and think this is someone on the brink of turning things around. Someone who’s one big play away from finding his lost form. He’s lost. And the coach and his staff have shown zero ability to get things turned around. Wentz has played 10 games. Seven have been terrible. Three have been barely average. There’s something terribly wrong here that’s not being fixed and what Wentz needs now is a chance to step away, catch his breath and try to recapture the magic that made him the NFL’s 6th-ranked QB over the last three years. Because continuing to send him out there right now is giving up on the season. Even though Pederson says the opposite.
And as awful as the Eagles have been, the standings still say they’re in first place, and Pederson owes it to his team to do anything he can to keep them there. I don’t even think this is all Wentz’s fault. Pederson has been a bad play caller, the offensive line has been shaky, his receivers haven’t always made the plays they should have. Doesn’t matter. Wentz is broken right now. And it's not just a few weeks. We’re heading into Week 12. So let him sit and watch. I don’t know what the Eagles have in Jalen Hurts, but they drafted him in the second round for a reason and they elevated him to No. 2 in Week 2 for a reason and they’ve been getting him snaps every week for a reason.
He’s had 2 ½ months now to learn the offense, develop chemistry with the receivers and get a feel for the speed of the NFL game. He can’t be any worse than Wentz and who knows, maybe he’ll inject some life into the offense?
What do you have to lose? It doesn’t mean Wentz will never start another game for this team. It just means the offense needs a jolt of electricity and Wentz needs to stand on the sidelines and see things from a different perspective.
Because the current one sure as heck ain’t working. Quarterbacks get benched. It happens. It’s not the end of the world. Donovan McNabb got benched in 2008 after taking this team to four NFC Championship Games, bounced back a week later and led the Eagles to a fifth. It’s year 5 for Carson, and I don’t care how many million dollars he’s earning or how high a draft pick he was. Sending him out there every Sunday to play like crap doesn’t do anybody any good. If Hurts plays poorly, you can always go back to Wentz at some point. If he plays well? Maybe you win enough games to get to the playoffs. If he plays lights out? Too bad for Carson. He’s staying on the bench. If I saw any sign whatsoever that Wentz was about to turn things around, I’d never suggest this. But the guy we’re watching play quarterback for the Eagles right now has no confidence, no instincts, no answers. He’s got to sit. Now. Doug has no choice.
