Eagles Wake-Up Call: Wentz’s Learning Curve

Carson Wentz. (Jeff Fusco)

The first thing you notice when you watch Carson Wentz practice is his size. He’s every bit of the 6-5, 237 pounds he’s listed at — if not more — and he even makes some offensive linemen look small. The second thing is his arm strength and how the ball comes out of his right hand, and you understand why the Eagles fell in love with him during throwing sessions.

But the third thing is his spiral, and how the ball wobbles some as it sails down field.

“I would agree, there is a little bit of a wobble, but again, not a concern,” Doug Pederson said. “A lot of those situations, a lot of those throws from a young quarterback, come from learning your system. Meaning you’re a little late here, you’re a little late there, you’re trying to anticipate that throw, you’re a little off here. And so you’re processing all the information so fast, that the last thing that goes is the throw, the actual physical nature of the throw.

“Not a concern, because obviously we saw the tape in college and he can definitely spin the football. And the more comfortable he gets — the other thing, too, when his feet are right, and it’s for any quarterback, Sam [Bradford], Chase [Daniel] included, when their feet are right, the ball comes out of their hand nicely and we’ve seen that from Carson as well.”

Wentz noted that he didn’t have the tightest spiral in college, but he isn’t worried and is confident it will improve with more repetitions. He also added timing and accuracy is what matters most, not how the ball looks in the air.

Outside of his spiral, Pederson said Wentz needs to work on his lower body and footwork so his strides aren’t too long in the pocket, as well as his comprehension of the offense. Wentz signaled that he wants to improve on balancing his aggressiveness in throwing the deep ball while not turning the ball over too much.

“There’s a fine line. There’s a time to be aggressive and I think that’s something I like to bring,” Wentz said. “I like to push the ball down the field when it’s there, but there’s also time to just take the underneath one. That comes with learning the offense. Again, that’s kind of those fine detail things as to when you should attack and when you shouldn’t.

“Even in college, I had conversations with coaches sometimes: ‘Just take the underneath throw instead of forcing things down the field.’ Part of it’s my nature, but yeah, I need to walk that fine line.”

In the six-week period Wentz will have off after mandatory minicamp ends today and rookies begin training camp on July 25, he will spend time working out in both Philadelphia and back home in North Dakota. Wentz also has a week-long trip to San Diego planned, where he will join Bradford and other teammates to “develop a rapport.”

While Wentz may evenly split practice repetitions with Bradford and Daniel to start training camp, Bradford will receive more as the season gets closer. But because of his high school and collegiate experiences, Wentz is not concerned about the lower snap count stunting his development.

“Obviously, I’ve done it before [in high school and college], so I know what kind of patience it takes,” Wentz said. “I’ve shown that I cannot have the actual reps and take mental reps and learn. Obviously, as a competitor, you want those reps, but you got to find a way to learn whether it’s in the film room, watching live reps from the back or getting live reps. No matter how it works out, I’ll be learning.”

WHAT YOU MISSED

Practice observations: The defense dominates the day, while a new drill is introduced.

“I’m expecting to be at training camp, yes.” Fletcher Cox briefly talked to the media prior to practice.

Our photographer Jeff Fusco took some great pictures from Tuesday’s practice, and a familiar face showed up as well.

“It limited me on what I did in the offseason. … I think just jumping right back into it full speed ahead was what kind of what (did it).” Jordan Hicks discusses his quad spasm he suffered during OTAs.

“Everything’s up for grabs right now. It’s up to us to go out there and prove ourselves…I’m excited to be a part of this. It’s a new path for me.” Rueben Randle on a new beginning in Philadelphia.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Chris Givens is excited to team up with Sam Bradford again, writes Paul Domowitch of the Daily News.

The 5-11, 198-pound Givens blames himself for his rapid fall from grace with the Rams. He acknowledged he got lazy and satisfied after experiencing a little bit of rookie success in St. Louis. Instead of developing his entire game and trying to become a complete receiver, he became content just being a vertical threat. The problem is, defenses can find ways to take away the deep ball if they really want to.

“I didn’t work as hard as I should have in the offseason to become the receiver I was capable of being,” he said. “I got a little complacent and a little comfortable knowing I had Sam and things like that.

“Then, when he got hurt and I didn’t have a quarterback to play to my strengths, I couldn’t really do the things I needed to do to get open. I eventually looked at that as an opportunity to look in the mirror and fine-tune the things in my game that were going to take my game to the next level.

“My whole mindset now is to go out and prove everybody wrong and to show that I can do more than go deep. That’s the biggest thing I want to prove. That I can be a complete receiver. Play every down and just run all of the routes and do the things I need to do to be great.”

Nolan Carroll and JaCorey Shepherd are eager to enter the Eagles’ cornerback competition, says CSN Philly’s Andrew Kulp.

Both players are itching to show the coaching staff what they can do coming off of their respective injuries, but also realize there’s no need to rush things.

“I feel good. I feel ready,” said Carroll. “It’s one of those things where it’s kind of precautionary. [Schwartz] has been easing me back into stuff, he’s been doing it since OTAs, but I feel good.

“When I’m doing individual drills, I feel great. On special teams, I’ve been feeling great. I’ve been trying to sneak in on some team stuff, but they have me limited at OTAs. It’s a progression thing. Take my time with it is all I’ve been trying to do, so I feel fine, I feel good, but I’ve gotta do what they tell me to do right now.”

“I’m feeling good, but what’s three extra days,” Shepherd said. “I’ve been here rehabbing and getting myself right both mentally and physically for months now, so we’re just taking precaution. It’s not that I don’t believe I could go out there and do more or they don’t, but like I said, three more days.

COMING UP

Doug Pederson will address the media at 10:30, while the final mandatory minicamp practice begins at 11:10.

Chris Jastrzembski contributed to this post.