No one knew what to expect when the Philadelphia Eagles traded starting quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings right before the start of the season and handed the job to rookie Carson Wentz.
There have been ups and downs, but Wentz has completed 65.8 percent of his passes and the Eagles are 4-3. The job has not overwhelmed him.
“Everyone gets excited about playing a rookie quarterback if you are on defense, but he doesn’t look like a rookie quarterback to me. He really doesn’t. Not the way he functions,” Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said on Thursday. “He is pretty good. He is really good.
“I think they have been real efficient with what they have been doing with him. They have been in a lot more manageable situations because of the run game and the things they are doing, so I think that has helped them have that completion percentage and he obviously was ready to go out there and play. They made the move, pulled the trigger and it has worked out pretty good for them.”
Here are some other takeaways from Spagnuolo’s Thursday meeting with the media.
On the depth at safety ...
“Not much has changed, to be honest with you. We are not sure where Nat (Berhe) is, we are not sure where DT (Darian Thompson) is right now and really Landon (Collins) and (Andrew) Adams have been getting all the reps right there. We are filtering in some other guys just in case, emergency guys right now, but yeah, we are thin. We thought we would be getting some guys back, but we are going to have to wait and see if that happens.”
On whether Andrew Adams would continue to play if Thompson or Berhe were healthy ...
“Well, the only way to answer that question is to get somebody back, have them get out there, see how they are doing and then make a decision who plays. But we are at the point in the season where a lot of the guys are going to have to play. Some may walk out there and be the starter, but I think they are all going to have to play. I think that he has done a solid job. You are talking about somebody who originally got cut at the 53, brought back on the practice squad and he has taken full advantage of his opportunities. So he is the guy right now. He is the guy we roll with.”
On whether linebacker Devon Kennard might begin receiving more snaps ...
“Oh yeah, he is going to get in there and play. A little bit of it has been dictated by what the offense puts out for personnel. I was very happy with what he did over in London in some passing situations, so we need to get him oiled up. But everyone has a role. I talked to the guys after they came back from the bye week, that as we self-scouted and looked at the film, there are some guys we want to make sure are healthy as we get towards the end of the season, they may get less reps, we have guys that kind of deserve to play a little bit. I like it when everybody has a role, so we are trying to do that.”
On the health, and play, of Olivier Vernon ...
“Well, look, obviously we thought that he was a pretty premier football player and he has been that at times. But I do know that the hand has affected him. I think we all know that. But you hit the nail on the head, that is never going to be an excuse, he is not going to take himself out because of it, he has practiced all the time, there are times that he keeps his hand out of it. He is being smart with him. He is like all of us, as we are standing here. I would like him to be 100 percent, but I am not so sure it is there right now.”