Dan Quinn wasn’t looking for a quarterback when he went to the Senior Bowl in January. The Falcons are set at that position with Matt Ryan.
Yet Quinn said he couldn’t help but notice Carson Wentz, the rookie quarterback the Falcons (6-3) will face Sunday at Philadelphia (4-4).
Wentz was a standout at North Dakota State’s powerhouse program in the NCAA’s FCS division. But now he was performing along with other top prospects in front of coaches and scouts from every NFL team.
“That was kind of the first test, and he looked like a really good player right there on the very first day I was there,” Quinn said Wednesday. “The ball jumped out of his hands. You saw the athleticism. His size really jumped out; thought, ‘Man, that’s a big cat.’ That was my first impression was right off the bat when the competition was ‘ramped’ up in front of everybody he looked like he was right in his element. That was the first sign I said this guy probably has something that is real strong.”
It’s looking as if Quinn’s hunch about Wentz was correct. Wentz hasn’t been good every week, but judging him on the steep rookie learning curve for his position, the Eagles are getting a good early return on the big investment they made in Wentz.
Wentz was excellent during Philadelphia’s 3-0 start: 769 yards passing, five touchdowns, no interceptions, 64.7 completion percentage. He’s not been as efficient in his past five starts: 1,121 yards passing, four touchdowns, five interceptions, 64.1 completion percentage.
Philadelphia’s issues with pass protection and dropped passes have contributed to Wentz’s decreased effectiveness, but he’s also missed some throws. In a 28-23 Eagles loss at the Giants on Sunday, interceptions by Wentz ended the first two possessions and helped put the Eagles in a 14-0 hole that they couldn’t overcome.
Wentz went on to complete seven passes for 20 or more yards against the Giants, but threw four consecutive incomplete passes from the Giants’ 17-yard line to end the rally.
“What that really showed is the competitor he is,” Quinn said. “He had some turnovers early in the game, but he didn’t back off. He came right back and had some he plays to get them right back in it and was battling for it all the way to the end.”
Most successful quarterbacks don’t find success right away, with current exceptions including veterans Joe Flacco (Ravens) and Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers). But playing quarterback in the NFL now is a lot different than when those players were rookies.
Falcons quarterback Matt Schaub, in his 13th NFL season, cited the increasing complexity of defenses with pressure packages and pass coverage as well as hybrid players who can cover and rush the passer.
“It’s just a chess match back-and-forth between defenses and offenses and how they’ve evolved over the last 13 years,” Schaub said. “You have to constantly keep evaluating teams and trends and trying to stay ahead of it or you find yourself being picked apart.”
The Eagles decided to let Wentz learn on the job as a rookie.
The Eagles sent the Browns picks in each of the first four rounds for the No. 2 pick in the draft. After the Rams selected Cal standout Jared Goff at No. 1, the Eagles took Wentz. Then eight days before the season opener the Eagles traded veteran quarterback Sam Bradford to the Vikings.
As he did at the Senior Bowl, Wentz immediately showed he belonged.
“It’s been a blast,” Wentz said. “We’ve kind of struggled as of late, really just finishing ballgames. There has been a lot of learning for me personally, for this offense and for this whole team, so we are looking forward to getting back on track and learning from the mistakes that we have made.”
Wentz's mistakes against the Giants included ill-advised decisions on the two early interceptions. In a post for phillyvoice.com, ESPN analyst and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski faulted Wentz for rushing to make difficult throws on the final four plays instead of making simple throws to open receivers against pressure.
The Eagles blitzed Wentz on all four of those plays and dared him to make the right decisions. The Falcons are not a blitz-heavy team and probably won’t send extra defenders at Wentz often, instead relying on their improved pass rush to pressure Wentz.
The Falcons say they don’t expect Wentz to make rookie mistakes.
“When you watch him play, sure he is a rookie player, but we’ve been impressed with him,” Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith said. “I think they do a good job with him as a coaching staff. He’s a really good athlete. He’s got a really strong arm, can make all of the throws. I think he manages the game well.”
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