Commanders QB Carson Wentz on facing the Eagles, Jalen Hurts and getting over Philadelphia
Carson Wentz was one of the most polarizing figures in Philadelphia sports history and the former No. 2 overall pick will now attempt to lead Washington to the postseason by taking down his old team.
Wentz and the Washington Commanders will host the Eagles for their first divisional matchup this year and the game also will be the first time Wentz has faced his former team.
The quarterback met with local media in D.C. and gave some insight into his time in Philadelphia and mental makeup entering Sunday afternoon.
Wentz on being a better teammate in Philly
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It’s not the first time he’s made these statements, but Wentz acknowledged again that he kept a tight circle in Philadelphia and certainly could have been a better teammate.
“There are always things I look back on and [think], man, I could have been better here. I could have been better as a person and teammate, Wentz told the Washington Post. [There are] lots of things that you do take for granted,” he said. “And so I think I definitely thank God for the experiences I’ve had even though sometimes they’re dark or sometimes they’re not how I envisioned them to be. But I think it’s allowed me to grow as a person, and I’m thankful for that.” […] A division victory could change the trajectory of either team. But with Wentz in burgundy instead of green, the matchup has personal ties that could ensure the wild ride carries on. “I’m excited for it,” Wentz said. “But … you try not to make the game bigger than it needs to be. Every week is a big week. It’s hard to win in this league. And so I know once the first kickoff goes, it’ll be football again.”
Wentz on the dynamic with Jalen Hurts
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When talking to Philadelphia media Wednesday, Hurts said he and Wentz have “a mutual respect.”
Hurts praised Wentz for his playing style but never acknowledged that the two men developed or have continued any type of relationship.
“I just saw he has a great arm, he’s a big guy, hard to tackle, and he just makes kind of crazy plays in the pocket, so I definitely took notice of that when I was a rookie,” Hurts said. “And he still does that now, kind of ducking and dodging and weaving and doing those things.”
When asked about Hurts on Wednesday, the Commanders quarterback kept his comments brief.
“I don’t think so. You know, it’s a different offense. It’s a different kind of everything. Again, we’re preparing to play their defense, you know, they got a good defense. I know our defense will be up for the task of stopping him in that explosive offense that they have there. But yeah, I don’t put a lot of stock into that. It’s a new team. A lot of new new faces over there, so yeah, it’ll be a fun one either way though.”
Wentz on facing Philadelphia for the first time
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Wentz didn’t hide the fact that he was extremely excited about this opportunity.
“Yeah, exciting. It’s an exciting time. Obviously, a division rivalry, you know, been a part of this one for a while. Things look different this year, but it’ll be fun. It’ll be fun. Obviously, it looks a little bit different over there from when I was there. New faces, new coaches new everything, but it’ll be a fun one.”
Wentz on his time in Philadelphia
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The former No. 2 overall pick was an MVP Candidate, willed his team to the playoffs in 2019, and was an overall solid quarterback who couldn’t avoid injury or turnovers in the most important moments.
“I mean this league, my career has been a whirlwind. I’ll tell you that much. A lot of really good memories from my time there. I’m not going to lie. A lot of great friends. A lot of great relationships that I made, you know. Definitely will have some mixed emotions in terms of those things, but nothing crazy jumps out other than my time there was a whirlwind. It was wild. The NFL is a whirlwind but I’m grateful to still be playing and I’m excited for this one.”
Wentz on facing the Eagles talented defense
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Wentz and Fletcher Cox are really good friends, while he’ll also be familiar with Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat.
“They play fast, you know, their front. They’ve always had a really good front. The same thing goes this year. You know, their DBS do a good job obviously creating turnovers like we’ve seen the first couple weeks and, they’re good defense. They play fast. They play hard. I wouldn’t say they’re anything exotic, so we kind of know what we’re gonna get, but that just means we gotta execute and I would execute them. We’ll be up for the challenge.”
