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What is the problem with Carson Wentz?

mark schofield
·6 min read

Things look bleak right now in Philadelphia, and the misery centers upon one question: What is the problem with Carson Wentz?

The Eagles are 0-2 and much of the consternation focuses on Philadelphia’s quarterback. Concerns raised after Week 1 were brushed aside: Their offensive line was banged up. Washington Football Team has a tremendous defensive front.

Now, however, the questions are directed right at the quarterback. That has led to rumblings that perhaps Wentz is taking on too much at the line of scrimmage. There are also concerns regarding his decision-making, punctuated perhaps by an interception in the end zone on a throw intended for J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Both Fran Duffy, who covers the Eagles for the team, and Benjamin Solak, who covers the team for Bleeding Green Nation, broke down that interception, which we will return to in a moment.

But inaccuracy issues are also plaguing the quarterback. That led to a testy exchange between head coach Doug Pederson and a reporter during a recent press conference:

JIMMY KEMPSKI: Hey, Doug. Carson had great protection all day, he wasn’t sacked, I think he only got knocked down once. I know you were asked Monday why he’s missing throws, and it’s an assortment of reasons. But some of the throws he’s missing are sort of like lay-ups. What could be the reason for some of those easier misses that he’s missing?

DOUG PEDERSON: Have you played quarterback in the National Football League?

KEMPSKI: I have not, Doug.

PEDERSON: Okay. They’re not lay-ups. There ain’t a throw out here that’s a lay-up. And so some of it is just timing with young guys. Some of it is just Carson being not accurate at that particular time. It could be that there’s a defensive guy that flashed a hand, and he’s got to change his arm angle in a split second. There’s all kinds of reasons for accuracy, and these are things we continue to work on, and will continue to work on for the entire season.

That prompted quite the rebuttal from the NFL Research Twitter account, with a thread highlighting passing numbers on Wentz, and Pederson himself:

That’s worth reading until the end.

But the NFL researchers are not alone in their assessment of Wentz. Both Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus and Steven Ruiz of For the Win put him under the microscope this week, coming to similar conclusions: Wentz is struggling.

So what is the issue?

From where I sit, it is his left leg.

(Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Take stock of Wentz’s left leg in that picture above. Knee flexed, toes pointed towards the target. Almost ideal.

Now let’s revisit that interception, previously references and broken down by both Fran Duffy and Benjamin Solak, among others. I put together another video breakdown of that play, with a focus on the mechanics:

I have long maintained the position that when it comes to quarterbacks, “mechanics don’t matter until they matter.” If the football is getting where it needs to be, when it needs to be there, the mechanics the passer uses to get the football there are not an issue.

But if the ball is not getting where it needs to be, when it needs to be there, and mechanics are the reason why, then we have a problem.

On this interception, Wentz locks that left leg, thanks to an extremely wide base and an over-stride with his front foot. What does this do? It causes a “break” in the chain between the upper body and the lower body. Steve Axman, who coached Troy Aikman in college and wrote the book on passing mechanics, outlined it this way:

…the front step is not a bit step…it must be short enough to force the upper torso to actually roll, or fall, over the all of the planted foot. Too big a front step forces the upper torso to position its weight toward the back foot, causing a “break” of the body at the hips. In essence, the hips and lower body are left behind as the upper torso snaps forward from the hips. This action either causes a release that is too high, thereby forcing the football to take off high, or a situation in which the football is pulled down low, thereby causing substantial loss of torque and power and a low throw.

Here, Wentz overstrides, locks up that front leg, and loses torque, power and velocity. That enables the defender to cut under the route.

But locking the front leg is not the only issue. Look at this play, with a focus on Wentz’s left foot:

Do you see the issue? Wentz basically steps with his foot almost parallel to the target, and not with his toes directed at his aiming point:

The pass is off target, outside of the frame of the receiver, and it falls incomplete.

Now, working through this game this might have been a one-ff. He had pressure, maybe he did not want to step into this throw with an offensive linemen getting dumped into his lap a bit, but then I saw this play, first pointed out by Solak on Twitter:

Same issue. Foot more parallel than pointed to the target, and the pass is off the mark and it falls incomplete.

The act of stepping in this manner has almost the same pass-action results as locking the front leg. Don’t believe me? Try it. Act out the throwing motion, only step with your foot parallel to your target, and not with the toes pointed at your aiming point. You’ll feel it immediately in that front hip, and you will feel that break in the throwing chain between the upper and the lower body.

Mechanics don’t matter until they matter. Right now, they seem to matter a great deal to Carson Wentz.

On the bright side? The issues might be fixable:

Whether Wentz gets the deliberate practice he needs might ultimately decide Philadelphia’s season.