Tuned into WIP, one of Philadelphia’s sports talk radio stations, I was pleasantly surprised in my car this morning to hear the great quarterback hand-wringing had begun. About a week ago in this cyberspace, it was suggested one pressing question the Philadelphia Eagles must answer before their first real game September 6 is which quarterback will take the first offensive snap from center. Will it be MVP-caliber Carson Wentz, rehabbing currently from reconstructive (left) knee surgery, or will it be Nick Foles, Super Bowl LII MVP?
The Great Hand-Wringing Over the Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Situation Is Ready to Take Off
This is what qualifies as an obverse dilemma. A dilemma, of course, involves a choice between two bad alternatives. Neither alternative here seems too bad, given two facts: despite his shiny, new trophy, Foles is apparently happy to back up Wentz, and Wentz is, after all, healing well – and quickly.
In any event, a week ago, it was suggested: “much hand-wringing will occur about this question before the season opens, particularly once [Wentz] is cleared for contact.” Shoving the quarterback hasn’t occurred yet, but nonetheless, the hand-wringing has begun. It’s always nice to predict something correctly, even if it’s a no-brainer.
Today on WIP, Jon Ritchie, a hard-nosed former Eagles running back, seemed to be in a positive panic about how the Eagles were handling Wentz in offensive drills. Wentz has been quite mobile already in the drills he’s been allowed to participate in and has been running well with fewer than 11 players on a side on the field and in sideline jogs and sprints.
However, as Ritchie went on about for some time, Wentz was not working with the first team!
To borrow from Joseph Conrad, “The horror! The horror!”
His co-host, Joe DeCamara, was less concerned, seemingly, and pointed out the Eagles have made it clear that whether or not Wentz feels he’s ready to face the Atlanta Falcons in Week One, that decision is the team’s, not his.
Ritchie pointed out the need for Wentz to work with new receivers Dallas Goedert and Mike Wallace. Callers included one fellow who suggested, but didn’t quite say, that both Foles’ and Wentz’s religious beliefs would prevent a dangerous friction for the team. But Ritchie didn’t seem happy, even though the caller explicitly noted these players likely believe “God has a better plan.”
The word “controversy” was used several times, but considering how early into training camp this discussion occurred, the question begs: How much of this was theater?
It is a staple of sports talk radio that co-hosts disagree, and that disagreement often spurs callers to call in and take one side or the other. Also, it might be useful here to remember what might be called Jon Ritchie’s declaration of intent when he was hired by WIP: “I’m foaming at the mouth because this is a gigantic opportunity to drop truth-bombs on a savvy fan base who appreciates brutal honesty.”
In fact, Ritchie is a thoughtful Stanford grad who rarely foams at the mouth.
Back home, I discovered evidence of more hand-wringing, albeit less panicked, on Twitter. Veteran Eagles writer Les Bowen felt obligated to tweet: “Wentz says he’s sticking to his goal of being ready for the opener, five weeks out. Leaves open possibility that he won’t be.”
Apparently, Wentz updated the press on his readiness to play – more than a month from now.
To summarize and review: Today was the second day of Eagles training camp involving live tackling drills, which theoretically doesn’t involve quarterbacks, no matter how vigorous. As to Wentz, his knee surgery occurred in mid-December. He not only tore his ACL but his LCL as well.
Considering modern orthopedic technique, it is unlikely that Wentz’ knee will fly apart. However, he could hit a divot in the practice field while running, or just take a curb somewhere incorrectly.
Everybody take a deep breath.
