The Facts: The Eagles moved heaven, earth and Kiko Alonso to draft franchise Wentz with the No. 2 overall pick in 2016. Every resource in the franchise - every sports-science strategy, every minute of coaching, every mock-up and rubdown - was commandeered to speed the development of Wentz, an FCS (I-AA) quarterback with 23 college starts and one preseason game. Then, this winter, Wentz hired the quarterback gurus at 3DQB in Los Angeles. He went to Southern California to find a better version of himself. The Eagles obviously were not thrilled.
Diehards Line:
And according to Philly.com's Marcus Hayes, "You can't blame them. ..." Asked Tuesday what Wentz gained from his time in California, HC Doug Pederson replied, with tepid and artificial enthusiasm: "Well, the biggest thing I've seen, No. 1, is leadership. He's come in here ready to go. He's come in here eager, excited about the offseason, working with the new guys and the guys from last year. That's what I've seen. I've seen him come in rejuvenated." Usually mild-mannered, Pederson didn't hide his disdain for having strangers tinker with his meal ticket. So intentional or not, Wentz seeking outside help was a slap in the face. Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich, both former NFL quarterbacks, were hired in 2016 for their QB expertise. Quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo is the hottest coach on the staff. That's why weren't thrilled farming Wentz out to a couple of former baseball pitchers. Wentz seems aware at how he's made his handlers look. "It wasn't super in-depth," Wentz said. "It was just kind of cleaning up some things from an efficiency standpoint. No mass overhauls. Nothing major. A lot of it having to do with footwork." Sounds like Wentz realizes it's time to fall back on his own coaches.