1. Jason Kelce offered a blunt assessment of the Eagles offense after the decision to bench Carson Wentz, and made it clear he did not hold the struggling quarterback entirely at fault even if Wentz is the one taking the fall this week.
“Carson has unfortunately not played well so these are the situations that happen, but if you feel bad, (it’s) that he’s the sole one taking the hit right now,” Kelce said. “Obviously, the entire offense has been terrible: Offensive line, running backs, receivers, coaches. You aren’t this bad unless everybody shares blame in this whole thing. And I think everybody here knows that.”
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Kelce was not wearing a leprechaun costume and he had not consumed “north of 20 beers,” but his Wednesday news conference became the closest to his Super Bowl speech that Week 13 comments on a 3-8-1 team can be. He was honest. He was spirited. He was realistic about what’s happening with the team. And “team” is the operative word. If “it was the whole team!” became a rallying cry when Kelce spoke on the Rocky steps in February 2018, it could similarly be applied to his message this week.
In fact, when Kelce was asked if the selection of Jalen Hurts had affected Wentz, he pivoted his answer to make sure everyone knew the Eagles’ dreadful offensive performance goes beyond a decision made in the second round of the NFL Draft.
“This was ultimately a culmination of a lot of failures on offense,” Kelce said. “I don’t know that the Jalen Hurts pick is a huge part of that. … This more comes down to a failure of pretty much every position, including the coaches, to facilitate a functioning offense, and that’s the biggest story here, not that Jalen Hurts was picked and there was some sort of internal battle and struggle going on with Carson Wentz. I don’t buy that.”
Kelce’s repeated mentions of coaching should not be ignored. Kelce is often candid, but he’s also savvy enough to know the power of his words. Those references were not a slip of the tongue. They were an indication that the problem isn’t simply a matter of failed execution by the players (although that, too, has been part of it). Asked why the offense has been so bad, Kelce said if anybody knew the answer, it would’ve been fixed by now.
“It’s complicated. Obviously, the offensive line hasn’t been great. We’ve had a lot of injuries. We’ve had a lot of this and that, but ultimately, I think that we haven’t, we just haven’t gone out there and functioned well,” Kelce said. “We haven’t been cohesive enough — not just as players, but structurally, I think there’s a lot of different things that you can look at, and whenever you’re this bad, it’s never just one person, it’s never just one position group, and it’s never just players, coaches, front office — it’s everybody. And that’s the reality. We should be able to manufacture more points than we’re putting up and we should be able to play better no matter what’s called and put up more points than we’re putting up. So this is ultimately a failure on a lot of different levels to facilitate a good offense.”
Carson Wentz and Jason Kelce. (Tim Tai / The Philadelphia Inquirer / pool via Associated Press)
Ultimately, that led to a quarterback change. Kelce understood the Eagles needed some type of change. They need to find some way to score points. Changing the quarterback might not be the panacea, but it’s the biggest change they could make at this point in the season.
“We owe it to the rest of the team here, we owe it to the Eagles — we owe it to the fan base, certainly, to figure something out,” Kelce said. “Whether it’s too late or not, you still keep working. You still keep fighting, and you still keep trying to grind out and figure out what’s going on, and you still keep trying to freakin’ win.”
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2. Fletcher Cox also made it clear he supports Wentz, albeit in a different manner than Kelce’s spirited approach. This might be a very 2020 way of making one’s opinion known, but Cox saw a tweet by a local radio station that called for a retweet if you thought Hurts should start and a “like” if you thought Wentz should start. He liked it.
It all might seem silly, but social media is one way to express an opinion. Just to make sure nothing got lost in digital translation, Cox was asked if it indicated his thoughts on the quarterback change.
“My tweet is my tweet and I stand with it,” Cox said.
That’s not quite Terrell Owens in tears saying “that’s my quarterback,” but Cox wasn’t backing off the social media interpretation.
“Carson, he’s my best friend, he’s my guy, I’ve always had his back since Day 1,” Cox said. “Jalen, he’s my teammate. So you’ve got to support whoever’s in there. But again, it’s the NFL and you understand that things happen and it sucks for a guy like Carson to be put in that position because it never comes down to just one guy. There’s 11 guys on the field.”
Cox and Wentz have been teammates for the quarterback’s entire career. After Wentz’s rookie season, general manager Howie Roseman said the Eagles are built around Cox and Wentz. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Cox wanted to support Wentz. He disagreed with the notion that the quarterback change could cause a locker room divide between players who think Wentz should start and players who think Hurts should start.
“There’s never been a locker room divide,” Cox said. “We don’t make decisions like that. We’re a team. We’re all in that locker room together. Shoot, you could put Nate Sudfeld out there at quarterback, I mean, and obviously, we’re all going to rally behind him. It really doesn’t matter. … We’re going to support (Hurts). We know it’s going to be a lot for him, it’s going to be a first start, the sideline, everybody’s going to support him just the same way as everybody supported Carson or whoever else is out there.”
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3. The big question this week was about who would start against the Saints. But the big question for the organization is whether Wentz will be back as the starter in 2021.
The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia broke down the 2021 options at quarterback earlier in the week. Bo Wulf examined what the trade market might look like if the Eagles decide to move on. Mike Sando reported on what some NFL executives think of Wentz. Those stories highlight the financial ramifications of moving on from Wentz. If the Eagles make that decision, it’s because they’re convinced Wentz cannot be fixed and that this year is more indicative of his ability than the previous four seasons of his career. Otherwise, it would behoove the Eagles to figure out a way to get Wentz right and determine what infrastructure must be in place for that to happen — and whether coach Doug Pederson is a part of it.
“I think Carson Wentz can be an exceptional quarterback in this league and he’s proven that, right?” Pederson said. “Back in ’17, ‘18 and last year. We got to continue to battle and fight and work and work with him individually, work with him within the confines of the offense, the structure and just get (him) back to being Carson Wentz and back on track. So, that’s my focus with him, to just get him back to the level of play that we all know that he has shown us and that he is capable of doing.
“I can’t predict what’s going to happen next week or the last three games, but I know this week we can begin that process of just beginning to improve and getting better and seeing things a little bit differently.”
Pederson said the benching offers Wentz a chance to view the game through a different lens. Wentz said after the Packers game that he didn’t think he required that perspective, although it would be a bigger story if Wentz had been pulled and didn’t respond that way. His personality is such that he thinks he can push through and fix it.
“He has to embrace that too, right?’ Pederson said of Wentz learning while being benched. “He has to understand and kind of look at it that way in order for us to kind of work through this.”
Carson Wentz watches from the sideline Sunday. (Larry Radloff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kelce said that from the moment Wentz arrived as a rookie, he “transformed our offense.” And that wasn’t just Wentz’s on-field talent. It was also his personality. Five years of working closely with Wentz has made Kelce a believer that Wentz’s regression this season won’t define the rest of his career.
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“The intelligence he brings, athleticism he brings, the competitiveness he brings made a tangible difference in practice every day and on game day,” Kelce said. “So it’s kind of hard to believe that we’re at this point now, to be honest with you. … I have no doubt that this is not the final (chapter) to the Carson Wentz story or saga. I will always have confidence in him as a person and him as a player. So just gonna go out there this week and play some ball.”
My view: The next four weeks, assuming Hurts remains the starter, will reveal a lot about Wentz. If the offense shows tangible improvement, it’s an indication that Wentz was the problem — or at least the biggest part of it. But if the offense still has no answer for scoring points, it’s an indication that Wentz’s regression is a symptom of a larger problem.
4. Hurts learned on Monday night that he would be named the starter. The news leaked Tuesday, yet Hurts said his parents found out before he could even tell them he was going to make his first NFL start.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Hurts said. “As a kid, you dream of opportunities like this. Like always, my head’s down and I’m always working. And I’m attacking it.”
So life is a bit different this week. When the Eagles started practicing Wednesday, Hurts took the first-team snaps. He’s learning a game plan that is tailored to him. The Eagles’ starting quarterback holds a weekly news conference, and before this week, Hurts had not needed to consider that what he wears to work would be seen by the viewing public. When he arrived Wednesday, he realized his Houston Astros attire would be broadcast. (Hurts is from Houston.) There will be end-of-week responsibilities incumbent upon a starting quarterback, such as television production meetings.
“Obviously, my role has changed this week,” Hurts said “But the preparation and the hard work throughout the week has not. I’m carrying on the same mentality I’ve always had this year. Always being ready to answer the phone when it rings. It’s ringing and I’m ready to answer.”
This might be Hurts’ first start, but he’s no stranger to the spotlight. He’s started in two national championship games. He’s played for two of college football’s biggest programs. The competition is greater in the NFL, but the attention on the starting quarterback and the pressure of leading a team isn’t foreign to him.
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“My coach, my dad, or even other coaches around me, always said anybody can lead,” said Hurts, who is a coach’s son. “They may lead by example (rather than words). I just want to earn the respect of my teammates. Secondly, just do the things I need to do to earn the respect of my teammates. That’s where it all starts from. Just move around with urgency on the field and having great energy, and ultimately having great execution. Just doing those things. Those are the things that matter.”
Jalen Hurts: "As a kid, you dream of opportunities like this." pic.twitter.com/id8k1o8ve3
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 9, 2020
5. The Eagles picked the hardest game on their schedule to start Hurts. The Saints have the NFL’s top-ranked defense, second-ranked rush defense, fourth-ranked pass defense and fourth-ranked scoring defense. Prior matchups might have been more forgiving for a rookie quarterback — not one against a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 16 points in a game since Week 8.
“You try and make things as simple as you can for a young player going in,” Kelce said. “Not overcomplicate things, let him go out there and play free. But at the same time, it can’t be so simplified that the defense knows exactly what’s going on, so that’s the line that they’re all going to be fighting this week. I’m sure they’re trying to give him the ability to go out there and play, and not have to overthink things. And he’s young, he’s got a lot of confidence, he’s fun to be around, so I’m excited for Jalen to be able to go out there, and even though it’s a tough matchup this week, knowing the personality he is, he expects nothing but to go out there and have success.”
Jalen Hurts takes a snap before the Seahawks game. (Bill Streicher / USA Today)
It’s not a secret the Eagles will take advantage of Hurts’ mobility. He rushed for 3,274 yards in college, including 1,298 yards at Oklahoma last season. Look for the Eagles to feature designed runs, run-pass options and rollouts on which Hurts can scramble. (At least, logic suggests they will.) And that matters when considering the Saints defense, too.
The Saints have been a challenge for any quarterback this season, but they haven’t played against the NFL’s most mobile quarterbacks. (There are eight quarterbacks with at least 300 rushing yards this season. One is Saints quarterback Taysom Hill, and the other seven haven’t been on New Orleans’ schedule.) So if nothing else, Hurts will present a different dynamic.
“They haven’t seen this type of quarterback this season, so we may, you may see more zone coverage, you may see maybe a little more man on the outside and spy a safety or a linebacker. There are all kinds of things that the teams will do,” Pederson said. “We have to be prepared for everything as coaches and then as players we just go play.”
6. The changes to the offense could mean Malcolm Jenkins has less of an idea of what’s coming. If there’s any opponent who has a sense of what the Eagles do on offense, it’s Jenkins. He returns to Philadelphia this week to play at Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since the Eagles chose to part ways with him in March — a polarizing decision considering Jenkins is one of the best players in recent franchise history and was a key leader in the locker room.
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“I gave everything I had to the city, to the team,” Jenkins told reporters in New Orleans this week. “Did everything the coaches asked me to do, did everything to make the players around me better, tried to put my best football out there. And it just wasn’t valued that much by those who make the decisions. For me, it was just more of a principle about respect. I really didn’t care what the money was. But I wanted to see what the respect factor was. And it wasn’t valued what I thought. And so decisions are made. And I ended up at a place that values what I bring.”
Malcolm Jenkins celebrates after making a play last season. (Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today)
The Eagles-Jenkins divorce is well documented. Jenkins wanted a new contract for more than one year. The Eagles never gave him an offer he found satisfactory. The contract he signed in New Orleans suggests he wasn’t looking to set the market rate at the position. Like Jenkins said, it was about how the team valued him — and that was Jenkins’ focus from the day he packed up his locker last offseason.
The Eagles were ready to move on, hoping they could be a year early on a player’s exit rather than a year late. (Is that why they keep bringing back Jason Peters?) Jenkins still lives in Philadelphia during the offseason and remains active in the community. He said it will be nostalgic to return this weekend — he just wished there would be fans in the seats.
7. Speaking of Jenkins, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was not shy about explaining Jenkins’ significance to the Eagles and how the veteran stacks up among the best players Schwartz has coached.
“He played seven different positions in defense here and he knew all 11,” Schwartz said. “He knew all 11 like a coach. He was a great set of eyes on the field for me. Incredibly honest player. Always did his job. I mean, he was so efficient at doing his job, if he made a mistake, it was like once a year. I mean, other players will make a couple mistakes a game. … He was just that player that always did the right thing. He was really good at weathering any storm. Always remained calm. He knew when to turn it up and when to give his fellow teammates confidence.
“I’ve thought about a lot over the years of all the great players I’ve coached, and Malcolm goes right up there. He’s probably the smartest player I ever coached, and leadership-wise you take all those players, if he was on that he would probably be elected team captain. … I would say this: I don’t think I’ve ever been around a smarter player. “
There was a 2019 game against Seattle in which Jenkins heard the Seahawks offensive line make a call and returned to the sideline to tell Schwartz to dial up a certain play on the next third down. Jenkins guaranteed the Eagles would get a sack.
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Sure enough, the Eagles recorded a sack.
Without Jenkins, the Eagles moved Jalen Mills from cornerback to safety and put more on Rodney McLeod’s plate from a leadership perspective. It also meant they lost the player who “played seven positions,” as Schwartz said. McLeod explained that the Eagles have moved Mills and him around in given weeks as the team used to with Jenkins.
“I would say the difference is instead of one guy doing a job, it’s been a collective effort, it’s been a week-to-week basis for us, based on matchups and how Jim wants to use us, which is great,” McLeod said. “We’ve all been in different spots and it’s hard for a team to necessarily prepare for us because of that. One week you have Jalen Mills outside, next week, he’s inside. Next week he’s down at the dime on third downs. Next week I’m there. So I think that’s the biggest difference this year for us, just utilizing a lot of our guys.”
8. The Eagles reshaped their secondary by letting Jenkins go and acquiring Darius Slay. He became the centerpiece of that group, with Schwartz overhauling the way the Eagles played defense (more man-to-man coverage) because they had a player they considered a shutdown cornerback for the first time in Schwartz’s tenure.
Slay had a strong start to the season, although he didn’t play against elite receivers. Those matchups awaited him in December. So far, the results haven’t been encouraging. Seattle’s DK Metcalf and Green Bay’s Davante Adams had big games against Slay. Of course, they’re two of the best in the NFL and do that to most cornerbacks. Plus, Slay has played through an injury. (He had a calf injury the past two weeks and injured a knee last week.) But those are the matchups the Eagles acquired Slay to win — or at least hold his own. It’s not enough to just to give credit to the other player when Slay was made one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks and the defense was changed to facilitate him. The Eagles need Slay to play much better in tough matchups.
“It’s not all about him. It’s not nothing about him. It’s somewhere in between,” Schwartz said. “And on a different basis, I do like his competitiveness and his ability to match up against players. One-on-one defense is hard to do in the NFL, particularly with some of the marquee wide receivers, marquee quarterbacks and stuff like that. Sometimes holding your own is a win when there is a lot of spotlight on you and stuff like that. I think that he’d probably be the first person to say that he hasn’t played his best football these last two games, but that’s not going to change the way we handle him. That is not going to change the plan for him.
“Like any other player, we just got to get out of that and get him winning those matchups. I have every confidence that he will. He’s a veteran player. He has a long track record. You can’t show me a corner in the NFL that hasn’t had a bad game or two regardless of what their level is.”
(Top photo of Carson Wentz and Fletcher Cox: Elsa / Getty Images)