NFL

Carson Wentz is a complete and total nerd — and that’s why he’s so good

Carson Wentz is a complete and total nerd — and that’s why he’s so good
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Carson Wentz wears “nerd” glasses when he’s off the field and it’s kind of fitting.

He may not fit the typical description of a nerd or geek, but the Eagles’ star rookie quarterback has an obsession, and it’s football.

Performing well during reps in practice, or on the field during a game is just a small portion of what makes up Wentz’s obsession. It’s not about playing. It’s about thinking about playing.

“He loves watching tape,” head coach Doug Pederson said.”Like I’ve mentioned, he and the quarterbacks, Chase [Daniel] and Aaron [Murray], they are in here at 5:30 in the morning watching film and they are exhausting the tape. I hear him just even in the building talking to guys about plays and routes and protections.

“It’s Peyton Manning-ish. You hate to label … You don’t want to put labels on guys. But that’s how Peyton prepared. That’s how these top quarterbacks prepare each week. He has that now as a young quarterback. That will just carry him throughout his career.”

Sunday, prior to Philly’s 34-3 win against the Steelers, the Eagles were in their team hotel having breakfast and mentally preparing for game day. Not Wentz.

“I was up this morning at eight at the hotel getting breakfast and I saw him and he was heading to go watch some film this morning on game day,” Jordan Matthews said Sunday. “Everybody is thinking that it is a crazy thing, but that is his standard. I tell people all of the time that you have to work hard until hard work is your standard. So I looked at it like, ‘This guy is working hard.’ No. If he doesn’t do that, then he isn’t Carson Wentz anymore. That is who he is, and we are fortunate to have him.”

The film-watching Wentz has even gotten himself into some trouble with his longtime girlfriendMelissa Uhrich. According to the New York Post, on a recent date Wentz was caught red handed with his cellphone under the table at dinner. He was watching game film. Uhrich has implemented a no-phone policy on dates.

Wentz also, back before he was the Eagles’ starter, got locked in a rest stop bathroom in New Jersey from the inside and had to be rescued.

Clearly, Wentz has the skills to be a star quarterback and the preparation to do it for a long time. But there’s some nerd-like quality the QB possesses that isn’t often found in NFL locker rooms. He has an elite level ability to recall what he sees in film, and clearly it has translated into success on the field.

“For a young quarterback after just a few weeks to have that type of recollection is something special,” Pederson said.