Chris Ballard expects a seamless transition for Carson Wentz
The Indianapolis Colts went out this offseason and believe they got their quarterback when they traded two draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles for Carson Wentz.
While there will be a transition period for the 28-year-old quarterback, general manager Chris Ballard believes that transition won’t be as difficult for Wentz because of the previous relationship he forged with head coach Frank Reich during their time with the Eagles.
“When it came to Carson, it was a little like Philip (Rivers) last year. Frank and Nick Sirianni had a really good relationship with Philip. He knew the offense, and it was almost a seamless transition when we brought him in,” Ballard said on the Colin Cowherd podcast. “I almost see the same thing with Carson here over the first month and a half where it’s a pretty seamless transition for Carson just because of his relationship with Frank, who also happens to be the play-caller.”
Reich was the one pounding the table for Wentz during his time with the Eagles. The two hit it off immediately when Reich was at his pro day at North Dakota State, and the pair wound up being effective during their two shared seasons in Philly.
Having that relationship to make Wentz comfortable is vital to his transition. And Ballard doesn’t want to discount the comfort level Wentz will have with Reich as the play-caller.
“I don’t think you can ever minimize how important that is Colin,” Ballard said. “The quarterback has to feel comfortable with who’s pulling the strings and who’s pulling the trigger. And that made the trade for Carson a lot easier because I knew there was a trust level between the two of them, and trust is everything in this league and trust between the quarterback and the play-caller is everything.”
The Colts certainly believe they can get the most out of Wentz. After a disastrous 2020 season, many fans are still coming around on the fact that the Colts are putting a lot of their eggs in this basket.
But Ballard and Reich believe the foundation is already in place with Wentz, and that it will go a long way when it comes to getting him back to form on the field.
The Colts would be elated to get a Rivers-type season out of Wentz from the jump, and Ballard believes that could be possible because of the relationship he has with Reich.
