Carson Wentz starts hot, finishes with questionable mechanics

[CGI_Ram]

MOD EDIT; This is not the original article title. I changed it because the original felt a little misleading. CGI

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/o...in-a-super-bowl-with-carson-wentz-as-your-qb/

There were plenty of ups and downs during Carson Wentz’s first season with the Eagles, an unexpected year in terms of it featuring Wentz starting 16 games.

Wentz was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft after the Eagles traded a ton of future capital in a blockbuster trade for the rights to nab him there .

The youngster started out white hot, with the Eagles winning their first three games and Wentz looking like some freakish combination of every single great quarterback ever .

Then regression reared its ugly head a bit -- in the final 11 games of the season, Wentz threw nine touchdowns to 13 interceptions and people started questioning his mechanics.


View: https://mobile.twitter.com/CharlesRobinson/status/805566300114321409/photo/1


But the consensus that Wentz will be a good quarterback moving forward largely remains. Dave Zangaro of CSN Philly spoke to multiple coaches, GMs, etc., at the NFL owners meetings and “plenty of folks [he] talked to from around the league think the future is still extremely bright” for Wentz.

“You can win a Super Bowl with that kid,” one head coach told Zangaro.

The Eagles are a good position thanks to some savvy navigation by Howie Roseman. They grabbed Wentz, who appears to be the answer for the franchise at the quarterback position, but didn’t completely drain their draft resources in doing so.

Yes, it was expensive to trade for Wentz. But in the process -- and thanks to some luck, spurred by an unfortunate injury to Teddy Bridgewater -- the Eagles were able to recoup a first-round pick by trading Sam Bradford to the Vikings before the 2016 season began.

The net result is a loss of just two draft slots, with Philadelphia getting the No. 14 overall pick from Minnesota and giving the No. 12 overall pick to the Browns. Philly is also sending a third-round pick in the draft, but it feels negligible relative to the acquisition of a quarterback.

If Wentz is the type of guy that you can win a Super Bowl with, giving up what the Eagles gave up to get him looks like a pretty smart move.

 

[Legatron4]

How do young QBs mechanics change so drastically throughout the season? I see it all the time. Is it fatigue from playing 16 games? Laziness? I feel like I've been throwing a ball the same since I was 15. Idk how it changes.

 

[CGI_Ram]

How do young QBs mechanics change so drastically throughout the season? I see it all the time. Is it fatigue from playing 16 games? Laziness? I feel like I've been throwing a ball the same since I was 15. Idk how it changes.

That's a good question. Fatigue is a valid theory.

It could be an injury, or pain, that changes things almost unknowingly as the motion copes with that.

It's probably mostly a battle of concentration, however, IMO. The QB has so many things to do simultaneously, at this level, I can only imagine the slippage that occurs in "lower priority areas" as the brain works OT to get thru high priority demands like progressions, etc.

 

[snackdaddy]

I heard a lot of talk about how we picked the wrong guy. But I'll bet if we picked Wentz people would be saying the same thing. How could anyone play quarterback in the offense the Rams had?

 

[Faceplant]

How do young QBs mechanics change so drastically throughout the season? I see it all the time. Is it fatigue from playing 16 games? Laziness? I feel like I've been throwing a ball the same since I was 15. Idk how it changes.

Doesn't look like much changed with Wentz. I think teams just had film on him and his tendencies as the season wore on. Coaches are smart and stuff.

 

[Ram65]

Locally there was a little disagreement between Wentz and HC Doug Pederson about mechanics. Wentz disagreed when Pederson stated later in the season that Wentz's mechanics were leading to his problems. Here is an update that Wentz has now agreed and getting the training that Goff is getting.

I thought some of the knocks on Wentz before the draft was about mechanics. Wentz was throwing a lot of high throws all year long. Locally they say he has trouble with deep passes. He also lost his RT Lane Johnson due to suspension and that's when he started to slip. His best mechanics may not be natural to him.

Here is a quote from his draft profile:..........
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/carson-wentz?id=2555259
WEAKNESSES
When rolling out, will float it a little too much when taking shots down the field. Allows passing windows to close quickly when he short arms his release. Needs a little more consistency on anticipatory throws outside the hash. Will get caught locking in on target bringing secondary charging in to make a play on the ball. Inconsistent footwork from the pocket. Arm gets ahead of his feet even with time to come to balance. Needs to pick up pace of his post-snap setup. Has to put a little extra air on his field-side throws. Can be a little flat with his downfield, touch throws. Has to eliminate the occasional nonchalant throw into tight quarters. Doesn't look comfortable yet with bootleg rollouts to the left. Broke a bone in his throwing wrist in October sidelining him for eight weeks. Dealt with arm and shoulder injuries as a baseball player in high school. Lower level of competition could cause issues for him adapting to NFL speed.


http://theeagleswire.usatoday.com/2017/01/26/carson-wentzs-thoughts-on-his-mechanics-have-changed/
Carson Wentz's thoughts on his mechanics have changed

450SHARES
SHARE
TWEET
EMAIL
By: David Hennessey | January 26, 2017 12:11 am ET

Carson Wentz started out his rookie season on a tear but as time went on he regressed. This offseason he will be working to correct the mechanical issues that contributed to his decline.

Wentz will be learning from Adam Dedeaux of 3DQB over the offseason. Dedeaux has helped quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees improve their mechanics.

After an ugly 32-14 loss to the Bengals in Week 13, coach Doug Pederson was asked about Wentz’s tendency to sail throws over the heads of receivers.

“It’s strictly mechanics,” Pederson said. “It’s the fact that we have to get him off his back foot and get him stepping into the throws and trusting the decision down the field. . . Again, he’s a young quarterback who missed a lot of time in the preseason, but now we just need to keep cleaning these things up.”

Wentz didn’t know he would be the starting quarterback until right before the season. Philadelphia traded starter Sam Bradford to the Vikings eight days before the first game of the year.

The rookie quarterback handled the NFL well at first, but as the season continued his mechanics seemingly worsened.


Though Pederson pointed to Wentz’s mechanics as the main issue after a brutal loss to Cincinnati, the young quarterback disagreed.

“You throw the ball 60 times, you’re going to miss some. That kind of happens,” Wentz said. “I don’t think it’s the mechanics. You make mistakes. Things happen, and that’s just the bottom line.”

Wentz had a career-high three interceptions against the Bengals. He was asked to do a lot in the loss, but he made some very questionable throws.

Wentz’s self-evaluation has clearly changed since then. If he truly thought his mechanics weren’t an issue, it seems unlikely he would’ve reached out to someone like Dedeaux.

 

[LACHAMP46]

How do young QBs mechanics change so drastically throughout the season?

Pressure in the pocket.

 

[Psycho_X]

How do young QBs mechanics change so drastically throughout the season? I see it all the time. Is it fatigue from playing 16 games? Laziness? I feel like I've been throwing a ball the same since I was 15. Idk how it changes.

Pressure in the pocket.

What LACHAMP said, you start getting hit by guys larger and faster suddenly you get more defensive. You start keeping that left hand down more because your brain is just subconsciously trying to protect the body. Most people come in low, after getting hit below the chest a lot you just start getting defensive with that non-throwing hand and also not going through into your plant foot and throwing off the back foot. It's just all mental blocks caused by evolution. The brain adapts to protect the body.

Wentz will be fine probably. I would be impressed if I ever saw a rookie not do this during a season but i'm willing to bet it has happened to everyone. Even veteran QBs start doing it in games where they are getting pounded. I still like Goff's abilities and still believe in him being the right pick but I have no doubt Philly got a steal with Wentz eventually and being able to trade Bradford was just icing on the cake.

 

[LesBaker]

I'm not going to say I told you so......YET.

On the Herd Max (who used to post here) and I both agreed that he isn't going to do well in the NFL because of his style/delivery.

We both actually said if the Rams picked him it would turn out to be a mistake, IMO it would have been the Griffin trade only foisted onto the Rams.

Name a good QB that changed what they did in college as far as style of play, mechanics, ability to understand defense etc.

Answer......none. Because the NFL isn't the place learn that stuff, you don't have the time.

 

[Merlin]

I actually think Wentz could end up being a Hall of Fame type player. That's how talented he is, and he's also got another thing I love, the natural leadership and natural ability to be "one of the dudes." He's gotta fix some stuff, but if he does the work and they keep building it around him he is going to have a fine career. Super Bowls are more about the other 21 around him, but yeah he's got that kind of ability.

 

[Mojo Ram]

He going to be an excellent QB.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

How do young QBs mechanics change so drastically throughout the season? I see it all the time. Is it fatigue from playing 16 games? Laziness? I feel like I've been throwing a ball the same since I was 15. Idk how it changes.

Repeating something for many years is called conditioning. Wendy's muscle memory has been conditioned to his old style. So, say he has thrown that way since 9th grade, up to his Senior year of college. That is about 8 years of conditioning his body to throw that way. It cannot be undone in one football season. Sure in camp when things are slower and he can concentrate,then he gets it right. In the beginning of the season he retains it but slowly reverts to what he has conditioned himself to do for 8 years, as a long season goes on.

We all have our own degree of adaptability. Some adapt to change readily, most don't. That is why NFL coaches and GMs get so excited when they see a QB with great mechanics. It removes a big question about the prospect.

I agree with LA too. The pressure is the catalyst. The pass rush, the speed of the game, don't allow a QB to be focused on the changes when he is just trying to make plays.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Here we have one example of why Goff was regarded as the first choice by most. Goff had a better throwing motion. Short, and quick. Wentz has a longer slower motion. To me it looked labored.

Of course Goffs pocket presence, keeping eyes downfield in the face of pressure, and year to year progress were big factors too.

I love that Goff sought out help with his mechanics this off-season. Wentz resisted, disagreeing with his coach that his mechanics were the problem. Plus one for Jarred.