The Indianapolis Colts are fancying themselves as reclamation specialists this offseason, as they parted with a not insignificant bit of draft capital with the aim of trying help Carson Wentz become the player that almost won an MVP with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wentz was one of the worst quarterbacks in the game last year, eventually losing his job to a rookie quarterback in Jalen Hurts.
While he was terrible in 2020, and the Eagles remain a complete mess that gave him little support, the Colts are banking on him being a bit better in Frank Reich’s system.
While he will be given a slightly better group of receivers and one of the best offensive lines in the league, USA Today’s Doug Farrar recently claimed that Wentz was the worst quarterback in the league this year when it came to making several types of throws Reich will ask him to execute frequently in Indy.
Farrar’s assessment was that Wentz was the worst quarterback in football on zero and one-step drops, plays without pre-snap motion, and passing plays off of play-action.
In tandem with Hurts and Nate Sudfeld, Wentz was also lumped in with a group that was poor on throws in the pocket, throws in non-blitzing situations, and throws while not under pressure.
New on @TheNFLWire: When I used tape and metrics to determine the best NFL quarterbacks for every type of throw, it was the Aaron Rodgers Show.
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) June 10, 2021
The worst? Well, that was pretty much Wentzylvania, with a heaping helping of Lock, Jones, and Darnold. https://t.co/6DwF5tZ9eS
Colts QB Carson Wentz struggled with a variety of throws last year.
Wentz completed 90 of 145 passes for 784 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions on zero and one-step drops. On play-action throws of 20 or more air yards, Wentz completed just five passes all season long, failing to find the end zone and posting a gnarly passer rating of 40.3. Keep in mind, that is WITH the added benefit of play-action.
While Marcus Brady will bring some different concepts to the table after taking the OC job away from Nick Sirianni, Reich’s offense won’t be dissimilar to the vertical attack that saw Wentz throwing bombs deep down the field regularly.
Wentz’s issues are due, in part, to a poor internal clock. He’ll create pressure where there is none or stand the pocket when pressure actually does come. Fixing that flaw might be able to improve Wentz’s passing numbers.
If Wentz fails in spectacular fashion, the Colts could be in the market for yet ANOTHER quarterback. Reich has been the only guy that has been able to turn Wentz into an MVP-level player, and he needs to be able to work out what caused his regression to save Indianapolis’ chances at winning the division.
Colts remaining favorites to win division after Titans-Julio Jones trade says it all
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