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  • Marcus Hayes weighs in

    Claims that the Eagles' Carson Wentz is selfish might not be wrong, but they’re overblown | Marcus Hayes
    Updated: January 21, 2019 - 3:34 PM
    by Marcus Hayes
    Marcus Hayes | @inkstainedretch | [email protected]
    Claims that the Eagles' Carson Wentz is selfish might not be wrong, but they’re overblown | Marcus Hayes
    TIM TAI / Staff Photographer

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    If nothing else, the remarkable PhillyVoice story by Joe Santoliquito that painted Carson Wentz as a selfish, petulant hothead certainly provided a distraction from the officiating controversies in Sunday’s NFL conference championship games.

    It was remarkable for its timing — a week after the Eagles' season ended, and on a holiday morning. It was remarkable for its allegations — several teammates and other sources, all unnamed, voicing different degrees of dissatisfaction with The Chosen One.
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    We’re not saying it was inaccurate. Just incomplete, and sensationalized.

    It also was remarkable for what it lacked.
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    Journalistically, there is little reason to question the veracity of the comments nor the method by which they were gathered. Santoliquito has been a solid journalist in Philadelphia for years; in fact, he has been employed by this company.

    However, journalistically, balance and fairness are lacking in the story. Intentionally.

    The story was published Monday morning. An Eagles source said the site left a voicemail just minutes before it was posted. Santoliquito admitted Monday afternoon that he left a voicemail just 40 minutes before it was published, then wrote in the story that the Eagles did not reply to his voicemail.

    This not only is unacceptable, but seeking comment in this manner was unnecessary. He could have spoken to the team and Wentz several times during his reporting process.
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    Santoliquito wrote, and told me Monday, that he spent “two months” mining sources and gathering information. Wentz, Foles, and their teammates were available last Monday. Santoliquito was there. Head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Howie Roseman were available Tuesday.

    None of them was asked to comment on the characterizations.

    Santoliquito said he wasn’t finished with his reporting on the story until last Monday night, which was after Wentz spoke. He said he did not attend the Pederson/Roseman press conference on Tuesday. That doesn’t matter. That was almost a week before the story ran. It is simply unacceptable to not give the principals reasonable time to respond.

    Santoliquito now realizes this:

    “I should have,” Santoliquito told me.

    When contacted by the Inquirer and Daily News on Monday, the Eagles declined to comment.

    The rest of the story seems ... overblown. Not false. Not inaccurate. Just overblown.
    Carson Wentz stands on the sideline with Doug Pederson during the Eagles' win over Washington in December.
    TIM TAI / Staff Photographer
    Carson Wentz stands on the sideline with Doug Pederson during the Eagles' win over Washington in December.

    Yes, Wentz can be prickly. Team sources told the Inquirer and Daily News for months that they had been concerned with his demeanor, especially while he was sidelined by a knee injury he suffered in Game 13 of the 2017 season. Those concerns lessened this season, even after he was sidelined with back injury, also after Game 13.

    Yes, Wentz can be stubborn, and he can be headstrong, and he can be a control freak. He has resisted suggestions from Pederson and former offensive coordinator Frank Reich that he alter his sometimes-reckless style of play. This is well-documented.
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    He can be dismissive, but to describe him as selfish is probably inaccurate; he is more self-reliant, and that can be an obstacle. He also is 26. Frankly, it describes the millennial archetype.

    The story gave the impression of an arrogant semi-diva who isn’t as humble as he seems to be. Well, that sounds a lot like Tom Brady.

    Pretty sure Eagles fans wouldn’t mind if Wentz turned into Tom Brady.

    If any of that bothers anyone — and it probably shouldn’t — then the real issue does not concern what Wentz is, which — even according to this story — would be a relatively typical franchise quarterback. Rather, it concerns what Wentz isn’t.

    Wentz isn’t Nick Foles. He also isn’t perfect. (Neither is Foles.)

    Wentz is no messiah, despite that “Ginger Jesus” nickname.

    He’s just a pretty good dude, who does pretty good things both on the field and off it, at a pretty young age. He’s massively talented, he’s a good teammate, he’s a committed professional, and he appears to be a very good citizen.

    Does that mean every teammate will agree with and endorse every decision he makes on the field? Does that mean every coach and every member of the support staff will get along with him? Does that mean he will have a unanimous caucus throughout the franchise for the entire time he plays in the NFL? Of course not.

    Were there times this season when Wentz favored Zach Ertz, consciously or otherwise? Absolutely. So what? All great quarterbacks have favorites. Besides, the connection worked.

    Pederson admitted that he simplified the offense three times — after the Game 10 loss at New Orleans, during the Game 11 win against the Giants, and after the Game 13 loss — while Wentz was running it, or was expected to run it (he did not play after Game 13). This isn’t news. It’s recorded history.

    The story also implies that Foles never argues with his coaches. And that is absurd.

    Tweets from Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Ertz, and Nate Sudfeld quickly defended Wentz.



    All of that support might make Wentz feel better; however, while his teammates might offer their personal perspectives, those perspectives should not diminish the perspectives of other teammates and team sources.

    Wentz will always try to play, even if he is hurt. He’s a warrior.

    He will always try to run the plays he wants to run, even if his coaches or teammates don’t agree. He will always do what he thinks is best.

    And he might be not always be right. And he might not always be nice.

    He might even be a little jealous of Foles, now a Philly demigod.

    He might think his ideas are better than Pederson’s, forever this town’s preeminent football genius.

    But Wentz’s intentions will always be pure. He will always want to win, and he will always do everything he can to that end.

    That doesn’t make him controversial, or detrimental.
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    Just human.

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    by Marcus Hayes
    Posted: January 21, 2019 - 3:34 PM
    Marcus Hayes | @inkstainedretch | [email protected]
    "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

  • #2
    Sorry MM that that I hijacked your thread. I was rushing out of the room and I meant to put this under yours. Maybe Vin can move this if he's around.
    "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

    Comment


    • #3
      Doing more “research” would not have given Joe the story he wanted. He stopped interviewing when he had all that suited his purpose. Sensationalism at its finest.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Rossovich View Post
        Doing more “research” would not have given Joe the story he wanted. He stopped interviewing when he had all that suited his purpose. Sensationalism at its finest.
        Why would the guy do that? That’s brutal. How would he like it if somebody wrote an article about him being a jerk and putting it in a newspaper? These sportswriters are scumbags.
        "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Eagle60 View Post
          Why would the guy do that? That’s brutal. How would he like it if somebody wrote an article about him being a jerk and putting it in a newspaper? These MEDIA PEOPLE are scumbags.
          Fixed.

          Comment


          • #6
            As expected it's total bullshit from another scummy sportswriter

            Malcolm Jenkins, Lane Johnson address Carson Wentz report in more detail
            22
            Hear from two of the Eagles’ top talents.
            By Brandon Lee Gowton@BrandonGowton Jan 23, 2019, 2:44pm EST
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            Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
            Malcolm Jenkins and Lane Johnson are down in Orlando this week as they represent the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl. Unsurprisingly, both players were asked for their thoughts on the bombshell PhillyVoice report about Carson Wentz.

            MALCOLM JENKINS
            From CBS Tampa’s Justin Granit:

            JENKINS: You know, I think at any point in time, when you don’t understand something, you just start to speculate. And I think it’s been hard for people to grasp how we’ve had two starting quarterbacks, you know, both contributed to success for the last two years, and not have any issues. But Carson’s a good teammate, I have nothing bad to say about him. He’s a great player on the field, he’s a great teammate off [the field]. And like I said, nobody’s — at least, from what I’ve seen — nobody has issues with Carson on our team. I think people are trying to figure it out and speculate, and you get those kind of articles.

            Q: Is there any truth to it? I mean, to be a great quarterback, you kind of have to at times be selfish and things like that, but is there any truth to any of what was said in there?

            JENKINS: Well, I didn’t read the whole article. I only started responding when people were trying to say I was the one making the quotes, which is crazy. But nah, I think any great player is going to be confident. I think any great player is going to know what he likes, is going to be demanding. I’m the same way with the [defensive] coordinator, where I can go say, “No, I don’t want to run this.” Or, you know. So I think [Wentz] being assertive or anything like that, is what you want out of your starting quarterback. He’s a leader. But no, I don’t think — like I said, I didn’t read the article, so I don’t know exactly what the quotes were — but I’m guessing it probably was inaccurate.

            Q: For you, he’s your guy going forward?

            JENKINS: He’s going to be our starting quarterback. I don’t think anybody doubts that. Yeah, he’s our future. The biggest thing, if anything, is we’re just like trying to convince him to slide a couple more times so he doesn’t get hurt. [laughs] But other than that I don’t think anyone doubts Wentz is our starting quarterback.

            LANE JOHNSON
            From CBS Tampa’s Justin Granit:

            GRANIT: I wanted to get your reaction to the Wentz story out there and kind of your thoughts of what’s going on with that?

            JOHNSON: Well, I think earlier in this year when things weren’t going good, and especially in a town like Philly, a lot of buzz gets created, and a lot of drama. So that’s all I see it as, is drama. And nothing new to the city, nothing new to us. So it’ll blow over and that’ll be that.

            GRANIT: Do you pay any credence to an article like that?

            JOHNSON: Not really. I showed my support for Wentz. And just, there’s so much that his the papers nowadays. So, it is what it is.

            From ESPN’s Dianna Russini:

            RUSSINI: Some people have questioned why did you need to come out and say that? Because there’s always reports out there that could perhaps be filled away as just gossip. Why did you guys feel the need to go out and actually tweet about it?

            JOHNSON: Just to give clarity to the situation. I think whenever stuff hits the fan and people want initial reactions from the players, and how it is inside the locker room, and that’s how we treat it. Just noise. That’s how we’ll always treat stuff like that.

            RUSSINI: Who is Carson Wentz as a quarterback, as a person, as a player?


            JOHNSON: First of all, he’s a country guy. Stays close to his roots, to his friends and family. Just an outgoing guy. Fun to be around, creates a lot of energy. Kind of goofy at times, that’s just his personality, what makes everybody love him so much.

            RUSSINI: And your message to Eagles fans who think, ‘Oh, wait, there could be some truth to this.’ What would you say to people in Philly?

            JOHNSON: The truth is you need to go get your Wentz jersey and show your support as well.

            In addition to Jenkins and Johnson, the following players have publicly shown support for Wentz:

            Fletcher Cox

            Brandon Brooks

            Zach Ertz

            Torrey Smith

            Nate Sudfeld

            Jason Kelce

            Chris Maragos

            Kamu Grugier-Hill

            Stefen Wisniewski

            Avonte Maddox

            Chris Long

            Wendell Smallwood

            Rodney McLeod

            Golden Tate
            "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

            Comment


            • #7
              Way too much time being wasted on a giant nothing burger--- as it is said in today's world!!

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by MDFAN View Post
                Way too much time being wasted on a giant nothing burger--- as it is said in today's world!!
                Let's face it, we're in the offseason and it sucks. These are the kind of topics that we'll be talking about for the next few months. This place will become a glorified miscellaneous page.
                "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hope not 60. Hopefully there is plenty to discuss that has some credence. I am a draft fan and there is unlimited draft speculation but you would hope opinions on the team, the league, the whatever are based on some actual data not some crap like I heard your brother say your mom said your daughter is thinking...…
                  Wait until next year is a terrible philosophy
                  Hope is not a strategy
                  RIP

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Yup, Joe Santoliquito is a hater, period

                    The asshole hated him before he ever saw him:


                    http://igglesblitz.com/
                    "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

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