Frank Reich: Carson Wentz did not listen when told to tone down aggressiveness
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz plays aggressively, and some would say recklessly. That, apparently, is something his coaches tried to adjust — with little success.
Former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, now the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, recounted how coaches spent Wentz’s rookie season trying to get the quarterback to take a few less risks and avoid hits, but to no avail.
“It definitely went in one ear and out the other early on,” Reich said, via Jeff McLane of Philly.com. “It didn’t go exactly like this, but this is just made up to protect the innocent or protect the guilty, however you say it. We would say to him, ‘Hey, you just need to kind of back off on some of this tackling stuff.’
“And he didn’t quite say it like this, but it was essentially, ‘No. I’m not backing off. This is me. This is how I play.'”
Reich said Wentz was a bit more receptive in his second NFL season, but the year still ended with him tearing his ACL. It doesn’t sound like he plans to adapt any further. For better or worse, this is who he is.
