Colts: Carson Wentz takes indirect shot at Eagles with latest comments
By Jerry Trotta
The Indianapolis Colts are hopeful that Carson Wentz has put his controversy-filled final season with the Philadelphia Eagles in the rearview mirror.
Luckily for the Colts, everything we’ve heard from Wentz, his new teammates, and Indy’s coaching staff over the last few months suggest the former No. 2 overall pick cleared that mental hurdle the moment he was traded out of Philadelphia.
Colts fans have been paying close attention to the uproar from Eagles fans about Wentz’s banner still hanging on the side of Lincoln Financial Field. This week, the poster was finally removed, marking the official start of the second chapter of his career.
The fact Eagles fans are still taking cheap shots at Wentz — though the banner should’ve been taken down weeks (if not months) ago — is embarrassing.
In a sweet dose of poetic justice, Wentz took an indirect shot at his former organization with comments he made during an interview with Beth Hoole of Valley News Live.
Colts QB Carson Wentz is clearly happy to be out of Philadelphia.
"“I really feel like I have a new passion for the game,” Wentz said of coming to Indianapolis. “I’ve been high, I’ve been injured, I’ve been, now, benched, I’ve been traded, I’ve kinda seen a lot in five years, so whatever the game throws at me I’m ready.”"
Wentz is speaking from the heart here, folks, as his tenure with the Eagles unraveled quicker than most fans expected. To make a long story short, a push for the MVP award in 2017 was derailed by a torn ACL suffered in December. He was then forced to watch backup Nick Foles step in and lead Philadelphia to its first-ever championship.
In 2018, a lingering back issue ended Wentz’s season prematurely. While he bounced back to lead a depleted Eagles roster to the playoffs in 2019, his disaster 2020 campaign was enough to convince the organization to ship him off to Indianapolis.
Speaking of which, Wentz is all sorts of excited for this new chapter.
"“I’m excited, I’m excited for it. Just being in the organization and being in the facility, it’s definitely a special place. It’s really got a family vibe and a family element … just to know there are some guys before me who had done incredible jobs and really are legends in that city is exciting.”"
The Colts, thanks to Frank Reich and Chris Ballard, have built quite the culture over the last four years and Wentz is clearly loving what he’s seeing. The 28-year-old certainly has a lot of questions to answer, but fans in Indy would be hard-pressed not to feel encouraged about the direction things are moving in as we inch closer to training camp.
We’ll know soon enough if Wentz is able to walk the walk with the Colts, but if his these comments were meant as a backhanded shot at the Eagles, can you really blame him?