Matt Nagy believes in the power of positivity. He’s a head coach who buys into seeing the glass half full. That is how he coaches. Perhaps this is why he was able to rescue the Chicago Bears from their ugly six-game losing streak last year to sneak into the playoffs. Yet he’s also a realist. This team isn’t going to compete for a Super Bowl until they find a legitimate quarterback. He feels they’re really close, but that position is key. This no doubt explains their interest in Carson Wentz.
The 28-year old quarterback was the toast of Philadelphia at one point. A rising star who set the Eagles up for their storybook run to a Super Bowl championship in 2017. Then he had another good year in 2019 with over 4,000 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. Nothing seemed amiss coming into last season. Then it all went sideways.
Philadelphia set the tone early by drafting Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round.
A move that was not well-received by Wentz. This created tension in the building before the season even began. Not long after is when the injuries started. Everybody from the wide receivers to the offensive line saw significant losses to the starting lineup. Wentz tried to make up for but the harder he tried the more mistakes he seemed to make. Finally, it all came to a head when he was benched for Hurts late in the season.
Now Wentz wants out. The Eagles are clearly approaching a rebuild and there are lots of hard feelings from the quarterback toward the organization. Chicago obviously needs somebody under center. Ryan Pace liked Wentz coming out of North Dakota State. John DeFilippo was his quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia back in ’17. Is it so crazy to think the marriage could work?
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Former linebacker Bart Scott doesn’t think so. He made it clear on ESPN Get Up that Wentz gets way more heat than he deserves for the Eagles’ problems last year. Not only does he think the QB is still good, but the Bears stand to benefit in a big way if they trade for him.
"If [Carson Wentz] goes to Chicago, that makes Chicago, I believe, a Super Bowl contender."
—@BartScott57 👀 pic.twitter.com/q87nbAE5tx
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 15, 2021
Carson Wentz has talent but does he have the drive?
One of the most concerning aspects about his entire situation came out of a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. One that labeled him as entitled and somebody who chaffed in the face of “hard coaching.” An expensive quarterback with an inflated ego who resisting coaching? It’s not hard to understand why the Eagles haven’t gotten the offers they were expecting when the market opened on Wentz two weeks ago.
He is a gamble in every sense of the word. Sure if he regains his 2019 form, the Bears are squarely in the NFC title game picture. However, if he remains closer to the 2020 version both Nagy and Pace will be out of a job by next January. This doesn’t even count reports that Carson Wentz would much prefer to play in Indianapolis. So does this mean he’d be a problem if he doesn’t get his wish?
It isn’t hard to see why lots of Bears fans want nothing to do with him.
Name the last quarterback who flamed out with his first team and revived his career in Chicago? This would be the first time. It just feels like there are too many red flags. Too many things need to go right for him to find success here. Not only do the Bears need to trade for him, but they also need to fix his mechanics, rebuild his confidence, and put a viable offense around him. Can they really do that in the space of a few months?
Doesn’t seem likely.