May 13, 2016
Way back in February at the NFL Combine, months before the Eagles would aggressively trade up for Carson Wentz, Doug Pederson answered questions about the crop of rookie quarterbacks in the 2016 NFL Draft. When asked what he looked for in a signal caller, Pederson focused on the intangibles.
“I think this is a talented group [of QB prospects]," Pederson said. "I think it’s a group that is – we all know what they can do on a football field, and that goes without saying. I think for a lot of us, and for most of the teams here that are looking for quarterbacks and obviously this one, it’s how can they come into your organization.
"How can they command a huddle? Can they look at 10 other guys in the huddle? And can one of these guys come into Philadelphia and get Jason Peters to believe in what they’re selling? I want to see that. I want to be able to look into their eyes and say, ‘That’s a guy I can hang my hat on.’”
During the pre-draft process, for the purpose of seeing how they handle off-the-field pressure, the Eagles had each quarterback who visited the NovaCare Complex conduct a mock press conference, answering questions from the Eagles' public relations staff and others within the organization.
"It was pretty similar to what I've gotten from you guys (the media) in here, so I thought it prepared me well and it showed how I handled myself in the media." said Wentz.
The Eagles are acutely aware that playing in Philadelphia is not the same as playing in Jacksonville or Tennessee. Asking quarterbacks to conduct mock press conferences is just one small example demonstrating that awareness. Football is by far the No. 1 show in town, and it's not even close. The media tends to be aggressive while many fans are frustrated and often demanding. Some players can handle it. Others cannot, hence the Eagles' added emphasis on those intangibles.
Of course, speaking in front of reporters isn't exactly the same as winning over a veteran player like Peters, as Pederson mentioned during the Combine.
"You have to earn (the veterans' respect)," said Wentz. "You have to earn it with building relationships and being around the guys and everything. It doesn't just happen overnight. Nothing is handed to you. You have to come in and earn the respect of everybody, and I'm looking forward to doing that."
So how does one in Wentz's situation handle walking the tenuous line between deferring to the presumed starting quarterback in Sam Bradford while also trying to become a leader?
"I have to be myself," Wentz said repeatedly. "Don't take a back seat, but just kind of be myself and be smart with it. And I've been there before (as a backup at North Dakota State). I'm really not too worried about it, to be honest. As time goes, the leadership will come out."
Do the above quotes sound a little bit like clichés? Maybe. However, hearing Wentz say that he had to "be himself" reminded me a little of former Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans' approach after the Eagles traded for him in 2012. Ryans had the reputation of being a leader on the Houston Texans, and so, he answered "leadership" questions at the outset of training camp that year.
"Just be yourself," said Ryans in regard to joining a locker room full of new faces, via Brad Wilson of lehighvalleylive.com. "That is one thing you have to do. You just have to be yourself. That is one thing I am going to do. I will just be myself."
Ryans was immediately respected by his teammates, and ultimately became the most influential player in the locker room.
Ryans, however, had clout as a Pro Bowl performer at the NFL level and a reputation as a leader both in Houston and in college at a major program at Alabama. Wentz is a 23-year-old rookie coming from an FCS program.
While it could take Wentz longer to win the trust of the vets in the locker room, it's a good sign that his initial mindset is similar to that of the most respected Eagle over the last half decade. Be yourself -- just like mom taught you on your first day of school. It works in the first grade, and it works in the NFL.
Of course, if Wentz stinks, it won't matter who he is.
