Wentz or Hurts: Please, just pick one originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
This has gone on long enough. It’s so far past the point of being a joke, it’s not even funny anymore.
Carson Wentz is having an awful season. That’s not a debatable point. It continued Monday night against the Seahawks. To call the offense sad at this point is like saying Super Bowl 52 was a pretty good game.
But it’s time to you-know-what or get off the pot. Make a decision.
Either leave Wentz in or replace him with Jalen Hurts for the rest of the season.
Doug Pederson decided to insert Hurts during the Eagles’ fourth possession — after three 3-and-outs — on a 2nd-and-9 on the team’s own 28-yard line. That quickly became a 2nd-and-14 after Hurts tried a hard count that led to a couple of his own teammates jumping ahead of the snap. Hurts did complete a pass to Alshon Jeffery (his first catch of the season) for six yards.
Leave Hurts in and build on the minor momentum? Nah. Let’s throw Wentz back in there to get sacked on third down. Punting team!
There’s no sidestepping the struggles of the starting QB. It’s also tough to forget his ceiling. And how he played during the 2017 season before his knee injury. And how he put the team on his back last December as the Eagles won the NFC East.
But it’s nearly impossible to lean on those things now. Not when the team finds it this difficult to score in a season in which 14 teams are averaging 26.5 points a game or more, compared to just six doing so last season.
Maybe Hurts can give the offense a spark. Maybe he falls on his face. But putting him in for a play, only to take him out, doesn’t help either Hurts or Wentz.
And don’t even get me started on bringing in Hurts and splitting Wentz out as a wide receiver. Who exactly does Pederson think he’s fooling? Are they hoping the defense starts laughing so hard it forgets to tackle anyone? Football is about playing advantages, and leaving Wentz in the game while Hurts takes the snap leaves the offense 10-on-11.
If Pederson stays with Wentz, that’s fine. Maybe he can play his way out of it. If he pulls Wentz, so be it. Welcome to the Jalen Hurts era.
But make a decision and go with it. Stay with it. Give one quarterback all the first-team reps in practice, let him start the game, and stop with the yo-yo business.
Until that happens, nobody wins. Certainly not the Eagles.
Subscribe to the Eagle Eye podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | Watch on YouTube
