Carson Wentz has really struggled recently. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is leading the league in interceptions and playing some of the worst football of his life. His decision-making under center has been questionable at best, downright stupid at worst. Case in point:
Despite Wentz’s shortcomings, not everyone is ready to jump ship on him in Philadelphia. They blame the coaching or offensive game-planning, they blame the offensive line, but many are unwilling to let blame stick to Wentz. Game to game, his performance will be questioned, but in totality the blame seems falls on everyone but him. I’ve never seen so many staunch defenders of someone who has never lived up to how good they say he is as I have with Carson Wentz.
Over in Chicago, however, it seems like people have already thrown in the towel on Mitchell Trubisky. His surrounding organization is also really terrible, so why does he get all the blame for his poor performance while Wentz gets none? Apparently, supporting Trubisky is insane, but supporting Wentz is the logical thing to do.
The truth is, Carson Wentz and Mitchell Trubisky are extremely similar quarterbacks. Like, eerily similar. The double standard here is ridiculous given the equality of their career production.
Carson Wentz = Mitchell Trubisky
Let’s look at the career stats for Carson Wentz and Mitchell Trubisky side by side:
Obviously, some numbers will be different given the different tenures of the two quarterbacks, but most of the averages and rate stats are extremely similar. The completion percentages are identical. There are undeniable similarities between Wentz and Trubisky in QBR, longest completion, yards per attempt, net yards per attempt, career rushing touchdowns, and longest rush. It’s right there. They’ve basically been the same quarterback.
Let’s take a look at their per game averages:
I mean, come on. They basically have the same number of interceptions, sacks taken, rush attempts, and rushing touchdowns per game. Wentz passes for more touchdowns per game, so I’ll give him that.
The similarities don’t stop with their stats. Both quarterbacks have played in just one playoff game, which their team lost. Each have made the Pro Bowl once, in their second season. Wentz and Trubisky were both replaced by Nick Foles when things went south. They are the same quarterback.
Bottom line, Carson Wentz needs to be held accountable for his lackluster play in the same way Mitchell Trubisky is held responsible for his. You can assign appropriate blame to other personnel as needed, but don’t delude yourself into thinking either of these guys have consistently played well.
Maybe it’s that Philadelphia has a better quarterback history than Chicago does, so those fans are more willing to hold out hope that Wentz will turn it around. It doesn’t matter. Get rid of the double standard. Wentz has been just as bad as Trubisky.
When Has Carson Wentz Ever Been Elite?
I’m not sure where everyone got this idea that Wentz has been consistently good throughout his career. People treat this guy like he’s an elite quarterback, or at least like he should be. He just isn’t that guy. He’s had one and a half good seasons, which is about as many as Trubisky has had. Of course, the times Trubisky plays well are just a fluke but when Wentz plays well, it’s because he’s just a great quarterback? Are we giving Wentz some sort of career-long grace period because he was hurt? When does he actually have to start being good? It’s been all downhill since he received two MVP votes in 2017.
Are there other factors at play with both these guys? 100 percent. The coaching and supporting cast for each have been terrible. Good quarterbacks should still perform despite those things. Deshaun Watson and Matthew Stafford have done it their whole careers. Justin Herbert is doing it this year with bad coaching. But when Carson Wentz plays at an MVP level, it can’t be all because of him if we’re going to blame everyone around him for when he plays poorly.
Wentz has the second-lowest completion percentage among qualified NFL quarterbacks. He leads the league in interceptions. Are we really going to blame the offensive line for Wentz not being able to throw a football accurately? That doesn’t seem right to me. Deshaun Watson has one of the worst lines I’ve ever seen, and he’s still sixth in completion percentage.
If I had to pick between the two (I hope that’s a choice I never have to make), I would probably pick Wentz. But the point is, these two are a lot closer than most people want to admit. Based on the reaction of my Vendetta counterparts, I guess this is a hot take? I don’t really see why. I’m just reading what the stats say. Maybe I’m way off base.
Overall, everyone needs to be more consistent in their evaluation of quarterbacks. That’s all I want.
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