Paolantonio: Kudos to Rivera for helping Wentz chart new course with Commanders

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Throughout his time in the NFL, Carson Wentz has gone through a gauntlet of highs and lows. And ESPN's Sal Paolantonio has been there to witness many of those moments while covering the Commanders' new quarterbacks' time with the Philadelphia Eagles.

So what has Wentz done to get settled in Washington and get his head into the right place for his second-straight season with a new team?

"I can tell you he has done a lot this offseason to just do some self-reflection, just to do some self-adjustment," Paolantonio said on The Burgundy & Gold Today this week.

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Paolantonio, who just interviewed Washington's new QB, says one of the messages he believes Wentz needed to hear was his new head coach Ron Rivera telling him, "know that you're wanted here."

And one of the ways Rivera helped Wentz in this self-adjustment was by having Wentz do more team-orientated offseason activities, Paolantonio said.

"And what did Rivera do? 'No more hunting, put the rifle down. Hey, we're gonna go play golf with the team, we're gonna do team activities,'" he told The Team 980. "And that was always the knock on Carson, in Indy and in Philly, is that he didn't do enough bonding with his teammates."

Paolantonio added "kudos to Ron Rivera" for drawing a line under that narrative, which could be unfair, and allowing Wentz to form a new direction with his new team.

"The bottom line is, are you learning something from your mistakes? And is the coach cognizant of the narrative and doing something about it?" Paolantonio told The Team 980. "And the answer is yes and yes."

And when it comes to the notion of the Commanders in 2022 being Wentz's last chance to remain a full-time starter in this league, Paolantonio said he doesn't believe anyone within the Washington organization agrees with that.

"I don't think the coaching staff looks at it like that, and I don't think Carson Wentz, or his wife, or his family, look at it like that at all," he said.

But while narrative is one thing, Wentz's play matters a great deal, too.

And Paolantonio thinks the schedule is set up for Washington to start hot and Wentz to change that narrative. And, circle the Commanders' Week 3 matchup at FedEx Field with the Eagles, as a potential upset win for Wentz against his former team.

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