How Accurate Or Inappropriate Is It To Call Wentz ‘Selfish’?
Following his third season in the NFL, Carson Wentz has already experienced a career filled with roller-coaster types of highs and lows. After being thrust into the starting role just eight days before the start of the 2016, Wentz proceeded to start 3-0 with Five Touchdowns and zero interceptions. But that season would go sideways as Lane Johnson served a ten game suspension and the Eagles had a 2-8 record during that stretch as Wentz finished the season playing with statistically one of the worst Receiver Corps in the league. In 2017, Wentz became a national star as he would throw 33 Touchdowns in the first 13 games before a season ending injury in Los Angeles. Wentz would return to the field nine months after tearing his ACL and LCL yet looked limited physically but still was productive with 21 Touchdowns in 11 starts. But his season ended early for the second straight year, this time with a stress fracture in his back. The 2018 season also marked the first time the Eagles fan base started question if Carson Wentz really is the future of the franchise or if he should be the starting Quarterback moving forward.
ESPN NFL Reporter Sal Paolantonio joined Mike Gill on Wednesday with his reaction to the controversial Carson Wentz story and his impression of the 26 year old Quarterback:
“If you are going to do a story that calls Carson Wentz ‘Selfish’...you need to have somebody on the record and that didn’t happen and that reporter was in the locker room when Carson Wentz was available to the media before the team disbursed, never asked him. He was in the press conference with Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman, never asked them; And he’s been talking to people over a period of months, he had plenty of opportunity to get the reaction of a lot of players on the record. – Just from my perspective and observation having been (around Wentz) on that team since the day he was drafted, the word ‘Selfish’ would be as far away as possible from any description that I would have of Carson Wentz. He is the most selfless person that I have ever come across in a locker room. Is he demonstrative? Sure. Is he demanding? Absolutely, he’s a Quarterback and he wants to succeed. Is he different from Nick Foles in personality and approach? Definitely. Do players like both of them? Yes. Do (Wentz and Foles) like one another? Absolutely they do and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to go along with that. You got to remember, when Nick Foles was the pilot of the team in the Super Bowl run, Carson Wentz was there with in him that Quarterback room….Fletcher Cox would be the first defensive player to arrive in the parking lot in late December and January last year during the Super Bowl run, he always would see Carson Wentz’s truck there first. (Wentz) would be in that Quarterback room side by side with Nick Foles and John DeFilippo and Nate Sudfeld and they would be going over the tape and the game plan. Selfish? No Way.”
Hear what Paolantonio had to say about Andy Reid's next Defensive Coordinator, Super Bowl 53 match-up, and more