Carson Wentz Blocking out the Noise
PHILADELPHIA – Carson Wentz wants to know that he doesn’t hear you. He doesn’t hear words like regress or regression, which are the two biggies being thrown at his feet after getting off to such a dismal start to the season.
“I don’t know what’s being said, but what people say or how they feel everyone’s entitled to their own opinion,” said Wentz, the quarterback who has four interceptions and just two touchdown passes in the Eagles’ 0-2 start, prior to Wednesday’s practice. “This is how I’ve been my whole career. I don’t get worked up about what people say, write, feel, I’m confident in myself, I’m confident in this team.
“Obviously being 0-2, statistically 0-2 but then statistically where I’m at with the turnovers and all those things, that’s all behind me. For me, it’s all about going forward. I don’t get too caught up or worked up about it. I’m confident in myself, I’m confident in this team that we’ll get it going.”
The Eagles will try to get it going against a team they don’t see very often, and that is the Cincinnati Bengals, who visit Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
This will be just the 14th meeting in the history between the two teams. The last time the Bengals came to Philadelphia was in 2012. The last time the Eagles went to Cincinnati, they were scorched 32-14 in a 2016 game that wasn’t that close.
It was, in fact, one of the top five worst losses under head coach Doug Pederson. The two losses to start the season rank up there now, too.
VIDEO: My Carson Wentz take with AllBengals publisher James Rapien
The Eagles need a win in the worst way.
They weren’t expected to start the season at 0-2. The Bengals, on the other hand, are still building, so 0-2 was probably the expectation, though rookie quarterback Joe Burrow is quickly changing the narrative.
Wentz isn’t the only problem, but he is the quarterback, the epicenter of the offense, which makes him the most visible problem.
What gives him the confidence the Eagles can turn a season around?
“I think this business, this game, confidence can turn on people really quickly,” he said. “For us, it’s going back to what you know. It’s believing in yourself, it’s the entire body of work ever since you were a kid, how you train, how you work, how you prepare. There’s going to be rough times, there’s going to be rough patches, but guys have to lean in.
“I think we have a really good group of guys in this locker room that lean in on each other and trust each other and encourage each other and no matter what the outside world is saying or feeling, we trust each other, we stay together. The confidence is still there and still sky high for this team.”
It wasn’t until Oct. 20 last year that Wentz threw his fourth pick, and his back-to-back games with two interceptions mark the first time that has happened in his career, so it’s easy to see the issues here.
“Honestly, I think back to the entirety of my career and how I’ve bounced back from good games, bad games,” he said. “It doesn’t matter (good or bad). I try to reset myself every week and still be myself, not play tight or too loose either. Just be myself and be aggressive.
“When I see something, rip it, and just trust my instincts. I’m not going to change anything drastically by any means. It’s just being smart. We’ll be just fine. I’m confident in myself that we’ll be just fine and take care of business.”
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