Nick Piccone
Dave Uram is a contributor for Philly Influencer.
It’s amazing how life pans itself out sometimes.
On January 26, 2016, I was working in the 94 WIP newsroom anchoring sports updates while watching NFL Network. Popping up on the tube was this tall, confident quarterback I’ve never heard of before. Who was it, and from where?
His name was Carson Wentz from North Dakota State University.
At first, he seemed like one of those feel good stories, a guy from a small school who’s trying to prove people wrong and make the NFL out of an FCS program. Usually, those tales don’t work out.
But hearing Wentz speak for the first time, I became hooked. I knew nothing about his on field ability, yet his interview game was great. However, again, what was the likelihood the Eagles would actually invest in such an unknown? Apparently strong.
Their investment wasn’t strong enough to suit him up on game days though. The Birds plan was to make the kid wait, and ultimately, make the starting fan base wait. Patience isn’t a strong suit for a city waiting 56 years for another pro football championship.
It’s funny how things happen though when you least expect it.
Let’s fast forward to the beginning of September as I send my best wishes to Teddy Bridgewater on a speedy recovery. If Minnesota’s quarterback didn’t freakishly blow out his knee just over a week before the 2016 NFL season began, we wouldn’t be in Wentzsylvania right now. It would still be Pennsylvania and Carson Wentz holding a clip board on the sideline.
The rookie wouldn’t be NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3, let alone capture headlines or receive presidential shout outs.
Darren Sproles exhilarating 73-yard touchdown reception against the Steelers wouldn’t have happened because Sam Bradford isn’t capable of escaping the pocket like Wentz did.
CBS analyst Bart Scott wouldn’t be public dummy number one in Philly because he would’ve never had the opportunity to refer to Wentz as “fool’s gold.”
FS1’s Skip Bayless would have no basis to say Dak Prescott is better than Wentz, because Wentz wouldn’t have taken a snap yet to even compare the two.
The Eagles future wouldn’t be moving forward with the growth and progression of its franchise quarterback because it would be stuck in the Bradford era. If anything, we’d be hearing about Wentz being in the same category of Jared Goff, who’s not playing while other rookie quarterbacks across football shine.
Credit to Howie Roseman and company for being smarter than the Cleveland Browns by trading up to get Wentz in the draft.
Credit to Doug Pederson for being a bigger surprise than Wentz and coaching a FCS rookie quarterback to a 3-0 record and NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
And credit to Wentz himself for not letting untimely drops and the noise of Philadelphia’s excitement affect him.
None of this giddiness would occur though if the Bridgewater didn’t suffer a horrific non-contact knee injury with less than two weeks before Week 1. Wentz-a-mania would be at least another year in waiting.
Kid Carson should ship Bridgewater a really nice get well card.