Carson Wentz put all his skills on display

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carson Wentz put all his skills on display against the Washington Redskins last season.He showed off his strong arm Womens Harold Carmichael Jersey , his accuracy, his running skills, ability to escape and toughness in two double-digit wins, helping the Philadelphia Eagles to the No. 1 seed in the NFC before a knee injury ended his season.The Eagles (5-6) need Wentz to play at that level Monday night when they host the Redskins (6-5) in an important division game. The Cowboys (7-5) lead the NFC East and the defending Super Bowl champions are a victory away from heading to Dallas for a first-place showdown.First, the Eagles must beat Washington. It starts with Wentz.The Redskins expect to see him at his best even though he’s still less than a year removed from surgery to repair two torn knee ligaments.“He’s a big-frame guy,” Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said. “Andrew Luck is very similar, Ben (Roethlisberger) same thing. Just guys that can (be difficult to) actually get them down physically. But overall on the back end, you have to be able to plaster. The first game we didn’t plaster. I think on the first possession then they got a score.“But overall on the back end, we have to make sure to plaster because he can extend plays, get out of the pocket and break some tackles that you see that he does a lot. We have to make sure we plaster on the backside.”On Philadelphia’s opening drive of the 2017 season, Wentz made a spectacular play on a 58-yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor that kicked off a victory at Washington. He spun away from a defender and eluded another in the pocket before scrambling away and heaving a deep pass to Agholor.He did it again to the Redskins on a Monday night a month later.In the third quarter of that game http://www.eagleslockerroom.com/authentic-randall-cunningham-jersey , Wentz somehow escaped a sack, stayed upright, took a hit and tossed a TD pass while falling forward.Then early in the fourth quarter, Wentz appeared to be sacked — television and radio announcers both called one — but he ducked under a mass of bodies and escaped for a long run.All three plays came on third downs. That type of magic has been missing from Philadelphia’s offense this season. Part of the reason is Wentz hasn’t been able to extend plays with his legs.“If there are opportunities to take off and get a first down, protect yourself, slide, then we need that to stay on the field,” coach Doug Pederson said. “I think that’s one area that we can, on third down, particularly, to make sure we do stay on the field Ron Jaworski Jersey , is utilize his ability to run.”But Pederson doesn’t believe Wentz is reluctant to run because of his knee.“No, he just hasn’t had as many opportunities yet this year,” Pederson said.Wentz has only run for 100 yards in nine games. Last season, he rushed for 299 in 13. He also doesn’t blame it on his recovery from knee surgery.“There’s no kind of just get back into it, feel your way into it,” he said. “I was trying to take this thing full speed and run with it. So I never want it to be one of those excuses.”Wentz has put up similar passing numbers to last season when he finished third in NFL MVP voting. His completion rate is a career-best 69.7 percent and his passer rating is 100.8, down from 101.9. He has 16 TD passes and six interceptions, including three in a 48-7 loss at New Orleans.“He’s just taking it in stride and kind of knows the system a little bit better of course,” Manusky said. “He’s having a lot of success and he’s playing good.”On the opposite side, the Redskins are trying to imitate Philadelphia’s success with a backup quarterback. Nick Foles stepped in for Wentz and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title.Colt McCoy threw three picks in his first start since replacing the injured Alex Smith. McCoy is 7-19 as a starter since Cleveland selected him in the third round of the 2010 draft.“Nobody gave them a chance last year and they went out and lost their starting quarterback and ended up winning a Super Bowl,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said.“You can learn a lot from that. It’s about how the team rallies around certain people and it’s not about one guy. That defense stepped it up http://www.eagleslockerroom.com/authentic-malcolm-jenkins-jersey , that offensive line stepped it up, the running game stepped it up and of course Nick Foles did a great job in critical moments. That’s what we’re trying to do.”11 safety options for the Philadelphia Eagles following Rodney McLeod’s injury The Philadelphia Eagles might be looking to add another safety to their 53-man roster after reportedly losing Rodney McLeod for the season. Let’s take a look at their options.TRADEEARL THOMAS - Can you even imagine? It’d be pretty crazy to see the Eagles get the guy that people criticized Howie Roseman for passing up on in favor of drafting Brandon Graham instead. (I’d say that move worked out OK with Graham strip-sacking Tom Brady to help the Eagles clinch a Super Bowl win, by the way.) Putting that angle aside, Thomas would be a fantastic addition for Philadelphia. Adding his range and play-making ability to this Eagles defense is very enticing. The problem is that he wouldn’t come cheap. The Seahawks reportedly turned down a second-round pick offer from the Cowboys. The Chiefs (Andy Reid!) are reportedly interested in Thomas as well, which indicates there’s a market for him. I don’t think the Eagles would want to give up their 2019 first-round pick considering they’re tight on cap space and Thomas is a 29-year-old player on the last year of his deal seeking a mega extension. Maybe something like the Eagles giving up both of their 2019 second-round picks (their own and one from the Ravens) could get it done instead? Something to consider is that even if the Eagles don’t re-sign Thomas, they could recoup a 2020 third-round compensatory pick if he signs a big deal with another team in free agency after this year. Acquiring Thomas would be an aggressive move but it could make sense if the Eagles feel like they need to capitalize on this window they have. Find a way to make it happen, Howie.