Carson Wentz's play has been bleak this season and many fans are left wondering if this is the new norm for the franchise quarterback. At least one critique of Wentz though doesn't think it's the end of the line for him.
"I think there is still good football [in Carson Wentz]," said Brian Baldinger on Marks & Reese Wednesday afternoon. "You can still see it in certain throws.
When he doesn't think about anything and just pulls the trigger, sets his feet and throws it. The ball gets lasered in there and he made some of those throws the other night."
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The NFL Network analyst has routinely exposed the Eagles lackluster offense and quarterback play during film breakdowns, so the optimism is encouraging. Then again, it all comes down to what level of play Wentz can return to.
Baldinger also offered his thoughts on why Wentz's play has digressed so much and how he can rebound:
"I do think this though: I think he has been hit as much as any quarterback in this league and when he gets hit, he gets hit hard. Sometimes, I honestly think he is a cyborg. He isn't human the way he takes hits and just gets up. Now you are seeing real flinching when there is contact. You can see it, it is in his game right now. To me, that is a big question moving forward: can that be taken out of his game? Because any quarterback that is flinching is not going to be productive. He's been hit more than most and probably harder than all of them. Somehow he's still survives, but it's affecting the way he throws the football right now."
There is a lot of truth to this. Wentz has been sacked a league-high 46 times and taken 111 quarterback hits. The offensive line has struggled all year including with injuries as they started their 10th different line combination in their 11th game against the Seahawks. At the same time, Wentz has held onto the ball far too long which has contributed to the myriad of sacks.