Keeping Carson Wentz Glued in the Pocket isn't Doing Him any Favors
During the week, Doug Pederson says he needs to call more rollouts for his quarterback Carson Wentz. Then game day rolls around and that pledge goes right out the window.
Against the Browns, Wentz dropped back more than 40 times. Only once was a rollout called. The lack of any sort of designed rollouts was made even more glaring by, one, an offensive line that, once again, surrendered consistent pressure up the middle and right into Wentz’s face, and two, Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield seemed to rollout after play-action on just about every throw.
Naturally, Pederson was asked about it on Monday during his weekly videoconference with reporters, and sure enough, he admitted once again that he has to call more of them.
Here’s more to that answer:
“We had success in the run game in the first half, and my plan going into the second half was to kind of get him out of the pocket - it was to get him out of the pocket, especially on first-and-10 situations to do that,” he said.
“We had in this game plan the movement throws, also kill to a run check built into the game plan based on what the defense gave us. So, some of that came up where we got to the run as opposed to the quarterback movement.
“But honestly, it’s probably more me just calling them.”
Untangle that any way you like, though it sounds like so much coach-speak.
The Eagles’ run game was clicking in the first half and only six runs were called.
Could there have been more play-action rollouts?
Sure, feels like it.
Wentz would have liked more too, though he didn’t say as much after the game.
It was during the week when he was asked about rolling out that he said plenty.
“I know I love it,” he said last Wednesday. “I love when I’m out of the pocket and can kind of make plays, move, change the launch point and everything but coaches do a good job of sprinkling that in when and where it applies.”
He puts his trust in the coaching staff to roll him out when the defense allows it.
“Every week has a different game plan and different defensive schemes we’re playing, how the defensive ends play, and the ability to just get outside clean,” said Wentz. “There’s a lot of factors that go into that and the coaches do a good job of studying that and finding ways to do that or some weeks saying, this maybe isn’t the week.
“Certain defense just make it hard and I’m aware of that. Coaches do a good job of kind of communicating that with me. I think he definitely has a good feel. Is it something maybe we can do here and there each week? There are times it’s successful, there are times it’s not. Coaches do a good job of that and everyone putting together the game plan, it’s something they look at every single week.”
Maybe lack of in-game sideline communication is to blame.
If Wentz believes he could be more successful rolling out, he needs to speak up and remind the coach of that.
Surely, there is no game plan that can’t be flexible enough to allow for tweaks as a game goes along.
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