Ex-coach sticks up for Carson Wentz over Colts struggles
Carson Wentz’s tenure with the Indianapolis Colts will not be remembered fondly. In spite of that, coach Frank Reich is eagerly sticking up for his former quarterback.
Reich defended Wentz from critics Sunday, saying it would be unfair to scapegoat the quarterback for the team’s late-season collapse that cost them a playoff spot.
“Carson played a lot of good football,” Reich told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “We did a lot of good things as a team, he did a lot of good things as a quarterback. Three quarters of the year we were one of the teams to beat, one of the teams everybody was talking about. And then we had a pretty big time collapse in the last two weeks of the season and we all take responsibility for that, starting with me as a head coach. What would be unfair is to make Carson the scapegoat.”
Reich has a point, but a better quarterback may have served as a mitigating factor amid the collapse. In the Colts’ final two losses, Wentz failed to throw for 200 yards and completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes. That included a performance that saw Indianapolis post just 11 points against the lowly Jaguars.
Reich does seem to be a genuine fan of Wentz. Things definitely did not work in Indianapolis, though, and a lot of that is the quarterback’s fault.
Photo: Nov 28, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz (2) drops back to pass in the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
