Why Bears Think They Can Solve Carson Wentz's Issues
So much attention has been focused on the mental state of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, and how he might be a head case for any team trading for him.
Wentz has been labeled thin-skinned in various on-line reports and his decline last season somehow has been linked to all of this, while other reports also focus on his benching and dissatisfaction with it.
An alternative reason for Wentz's passing problems this season has been presented by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer while addressing John DeFilippo's promotion to Bears passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach. And it's more of an easy fix than any potential personality issue.
Breer suggested this is something other teams would also address if they signed Wentz, which means this drop in production from one of the league's best to the league leader in interceptions occurred largely due to a simple breakdown of passing mechanics.
"And DeFilippo was Wentz's position coach in Philly for two years (2016 and 2017)," Breer pointed out.
DeFilippo was successful last year to some degree in working with Mitchell Trubisky. Some of Trubisky's footwork and overall mechanics appeared to improve over other years, although no one would call his season a major success.
His statistics definitely improved. His passer rating climbed 10.5 points to 93.5. His yards per attempt soared from 6.1 to 6.9. His touchdown/intercetion ratio improved to what it was in 2018, 2 to 1.
A good deal of Trubisky's improvement has to be attributed also to using him in an offensive style of play more conducive to his skill set. The bootleg and QB movement fit him well.
Still, Trubisky did display better general accuracy in the shorter passing game after working with DeFilippo on mechanics in 2020.
On deeper passes, there also was less Jay Cutler-style throwing—sitting on his back foot and heaving it well downfield without stepping into it.
DeFilippo has brought out the best in Wentz's passing in the past, and everyone continues to wait to find out if they'll be working together again to correct any problems.
At the moment, it looks like a standoff and a long wait.
LOOK: What they're saying in Philly about Carson Wentz today
BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
