Doug Pederson sees a bit of Brett Favre in Carson Wentz
28 October 2017 Eagles News
Carson Wentz has been compared to a lot of quarterbacks in his first two years in the NFL, but recently, Wentz has been compared to his childhood idol, Brett Favre.
Wentz has been on another level this season, throwing for 1,852 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is unstoppable on third downs and in the red zone and leads the league in touchdowns. Wentz has this passion and heart you cannot teach, much like Favre. In an interview on PFT Live head coach Doug Pederson compared Wentz to Favre.
“I had a chance to play with one of the greatest, one of the toughest quarterbacks to play the game in Brett Favre, and he didn’t shy away from contact too much either. Carson’s just that way. That’s the way he’s built and the way he’s wired. I don’t want to take that edge away, but at the same time we’ve got to be smart and he’s got to be smart.”
Pederson said he likes to talk to Wentz about Favre’s approach to the game.
“Just relaying stories and instances and games that I can recall, and taking him through some situations that I watched Brett go through in his career, the eight years I spent in Green Bay,” Pederson said. “You see a little bit of Brett in Carson, the toughness, the mental and physical toughness, the way he can elude the pocket and extend plays, keeping his eyes down the field — that was one of the things Brett was very good at, making the off-schedule play but at the same time keeping his eyes down the field and trying to throw or extend the play down the field.”
For Wentz, these comparisons are humbling, but he is how own player. Learning from studying the greats is only beneficial, but do not kid yourself, Wentz is here to set his own legacy. However, if Wentz can pick up all the good things the Favre did in his career, including protecting himself, the Eagles will be in great hands.
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher | USA TODAY Sports