Can Doug Pederson's Success with Backup QBs be Useful in Fixing Carson Wentz?

There’s this little weird factoid making the rounds that indicates Doug Pederson is a better coach with backup quarterbacks than he has been with Carson Wentz starting for him.

The numbers bear it out, too.

Pederson’s record with Wentz starting is 35-33-1, and one of those losses was last year’s playoff game when Wentz was knocked out with a concussion in the first quarter and Josh McCown had to play most of the way.

With the backups, the Eagles coach’s record is 11-3 and one of those losses was in a meaningless loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the 2017 regular-season finale after the Eagles had already locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and started Nate Sudfeld.

Of course, one of those wins game with Jalen Hurts on Sunday, who found a way to lead an onslaught of 413 total yards against what was the NFL’s top-ranked defense.

OK, so the backups have only been Hurts, Sudfeld, and Nick Foles, who was 10-3 filling in for Wentz, counting the playoffs.

Still, a winning percentage of 78 percent with a quarterback not named Wentz is significant, and it is even more significant when you factor in that Foles wasn’t winning against slouch teams. Four of his victories came in the postseason, with one a win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

And Hurts’ win came against a 10-2 Saints team with the top-ranked defense in the NFL.

What gives?

Pederson went through a lengthy list of reasons on Monday afternoon, all plausible - lack of film on the backup, keep the verbiage at a minimum, pull out some plays from earlier in the season, all were given as reasons why.

Pederson rifled down a suggestion that it could be a lack of chemistry between him and Wentz.

“Carson and I, our relationship's great,” said Pederson. “We've had great communication. I just look at this year and the amount of adversity that we've faced and played with all season and trying to make things work…there’s been no issue between us.”

Still, the look and feel of the offense was different on Sunday with Hurts at the helm.

All Pederson wanted Hurts to do was go out and run the play that was called without changing at the line of scrimmage.

Of course, Wentz has carte Blanche at the line of scrimmage and there are times, especially now without fans in the stand, when he could be heard loud and clear yelling “kill, kill,” then wiping his hands down the length of his jersey.

Maybe, when Pederson talks about dumbing down the offense, maybe he should just trip Wentz of his free reign to audible. Just run the play as called.

Pederson doesn’t want to do that, though.

“That's one of the things that I really appreciate about Carson is I want him to have control,” said Pederson. “I want him to have the ability to get us in and out of bad plays or plays that aren't conducive to what we're seeing defensively on that snap. We've given him that freedom. He's that type of quarterback that can do that, and at the same time, we've had success doing that because he can do that. He can get us out of some plays.”

Would that be considered too much freedom then, given the near-.500 record?

“I don't think so,” said Pederson. “I mean, I think we have to be careful with the amount of - I think that goes with any quarterback around the league. I just don't think it's with Carson, but I think it is with any starter that as play callers and play designers, you give these guys too much on their plate and you've got to be careful. There is a fine line.”

It’s all a moot point, right now, though, this whole fixing Wentz storyline. At least for this week, it is, because Hurts will make his second straight start when the Eagles go to Arizona.

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