Carson Wentz Says Everyone on Same Page after Anonymous Criticism

Carson Wentz’s favorite target from last year, Zach Ertz, is no longer is favorite target this year.

The perceived favoritism the Eagles quarterback showed his tight end in 2018 drew the ire of one or more anonymous sources, but the reduction in Ertz’s targets hasn’t seemed to make everyone happy this year, either, with anonymous sources continuing to carp about Wentz.

It’s been reported that Alshon Jeffery has been one of those anonymous sources, though the receiver has vehemently denied it.

Wentz didn’t want to get into any of the anonymous leaks when he talked prior to Wednesday’s practice.

“That stuff always gets handled internally,” said Wentz. “It’s not the way we like to do things through the media. We’re not going to resolve it through the media, either.”

Asked if he has sat down to talk with Jeffery, specifically, Wentz said: “We’ve all had conversations. Everyone’s good, everyone’s going forward and on the same page.”

That doesn’t mean the quarterback doesn’t understand the interest that is out there regarding anonymous sources and how they can impact a locker room.

“Absolutely,” said Wentz when asked if he understood the interest. “You can have all the interest you want, but internally we’re going to keep that stuff tight and keep it tight going forward.”

Wentz said that last year’s criticism hasn’t affected his decision-making when it has come to throwing – or so far this year, not throwing - the ball to Ertz. Some of it is the opposing defenses designing ways to take away Wentz, forcing another pass catcher to step up and make them pay.

So far it hasn’t quite worked out that way, with DeSean Jackson MIA, Jeffery inconsistent, and Nelson Agholor seemingly reverting to the lackluster form he showed early in his career.

“He (Ertz) has still been a primary quite a bit and we’re still integrating him quite a bit,” said Wentz. “I think last week we struggled all across the board. I’m always confident Ertz will get his for sure.”

So far Ertz isn’t getting his, and that’s as good a reason as any why the offense sometimes seems to have trouble getting out of its own way.

The tight end has been targeted 59 times this season, making 35 catches for 404 yards with one touchdown.

Last year after seven games, he had been targeted 77 times with 57 catches for 618 yards and two touchdowns.

Wentz talked all summer about how be needed to adopt a point guard’s mentality and distribute the ball more evenly, especially, he said, with all the weapons the team had.

That was then. The reality now is that those weapons and that depth the Eagles appeared to have looks more like a mirage.

Still, head coach Doug Pederson’s said the one thing he likes what his quarterback is doing this season is equally distributing the ball.

“That's a positive,” said Pederson. “We've opened up a little more of the offense that way. I think the addition of (running back) Jordan Howard and some of the runs we've had with him has helped Carson in the passing game. And just his overall just understanding of our offense, knowing where everybody is going to be, is also helping. We just have to continue to do more of that. We just have to cultivate more of that as an offense and just build off of that.”

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