Pederson Compares Wentz to Peyton

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Carson Wentz hype train continues unabated and at a breakneck pace.

A day after the Eagles moved to 3-0 on the young season by routing the well-regarded Pittsburgh Steelers, coach Doug Pederson continued to be effusive when discussing his young signal caller.

“He loves watching tape,” Pederson said. “He’s constantly talking to guys about plays and routes. It’s Peyton Manning-ish.”

Pederson is hardly the first to evoke the name of Manning when talking about Wentz’s love for the preparation aspect of the game but it might be a mistake for the head coach to make the comparison because it raises the expectations unnecessarily for a young player who is already proving doubters wrong with his strong start.

The first rookie QB since the 1970 merger to win his first three starts without turning the football over, Wentz has connected on 64 of 102 passes for 769 yards and five TDs with no interceptions, an almost unthinkable run to start a career.

“He can recall things fast and quickly,” Pederson said. “He’s a different player that way. For a young kid to do that, it’s special.”

Expectations, however, have already grown from non-existent to through the roof in three weeks time for both Wentz and the team as a whole.

In turn, Pederson’s job description heading into the bye week has now shifted from architect of a rebuild to captain of a division contender.

Making sure his team stays hungry is mission No. 1 and the coach should leave the hyperbole to the pundits.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen