Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has heard all the chatter about his struggles this season, and for his part is taking accountability.
Wentz took accountability for his struggles during an address to his teammates this week, and that gesture has resonated with players in the locker room.
Went ranks first in interceptions (15) and sacks (46), 31st in completion percentage (58.1%) and 30th in yards per attempt (6.02), easily his worst season in the NFL.
“The first step is admitting where you’re bad at, and that’s what I love that Carson did,” Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said, according to ESPN’s Tim McManus. “When we talked to the team, he knew he had to own some of the stuff that he’s been doing, and he let us know that he’s working his butt off to make sure that he starts doing a lot of stuff better. And that’s all people want to hear is for you to take ownership of yours and we can move on. That’s how you build relationships: taking ownership of what you do.”
“He understands that he needs to play better. And for him to stand up and take ownership with the team and quite frankly show vulnerability I think is a sign of growth in any player, and we’ve had several players do that this week,” Eagles head coach Pederson said.
“It just shows that our young players — and I still consider Carson in that young [category], only five years in is still relatively young in this league — that they’re showing signs of maturity and growth and leadership ability, especially from your quarterback.
“It was good to see. And conversations that he and I have had over the last month hopefully have maybe spurred him in that right direction.”
Pederson is looking to do his part to get the team back on track as they prepare to play the Green Bay Packers, saying that he has delegated some playcalling duties to assistants recently, and it is something they will consider for their game against Green Bay.
“I am currently the playcaller. You make it sound like I gave it up completely. That’s not the case,” Pederson said. “If I’m going to be part of the solution to our offensive woes, then I’m going to be part of the solution whatever that takes and whatever that looks like whether that be elements of the game plan, calling plays or whatever it might be in game. But ultimately these are my decisions as we move forward.
“It is something I have to dig deep and soul search a little bit because I love doing it, don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of fun and gives you a lot of joy and excitement when you do it and do it well, but I’m going to keep it internal and focus on the team.”
