Carson Wentz

North Dakota High School Football
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Carson Wentz

Postby winner-within » Wed Sep 14, 2016 9:22 am

You don’t get through winters with an average temperature of 12.8° without being a certain kind of tough — the cracked-skin-dried-blood kind of tough.

That toughness comes in handy in a place like North Dakota. You see, up there, jamming your numb fingers against someone’s ice-cold helmet happens every practice. Getting decked on the cement-like dirt is just how a play ends.

And here’s the thing: I love it.

Because in North Dakota, we don’t care for flash or dazzle. That’s not our game. We don’t do things the fanciest way. We do them the right way.

Going through the draft process, you find yourself answering a lot of the same questions over and over. I get it. This is basically a very long, very public job interview. But the question that seems to come up the most is one that almost makes me laugh at this point:

Carson, coming from North Dakota, are you worried about playing against tougher competition in the NFL?

There’s this belief that I’m at some sort of disadvantage coming into the league because of where I’m from. But if you get to know me, you’ll understand that being from North Dakota isn’t a disadvantage. Not even close. In fact, having been raised in North Dakota is probably one of my greatest strengths.
Let me tell you right now — football is football, no matter if it’s played in the Rose Bowl or on a dusty field in Bismarck. Those warm southern states may produce the most NFL talent, but there’s a special brand of football going on up north.

When I started out in the Bismarck youth football league, I was a running back. Now, I wasn’t a shifty, finesse running back. I was an up-the-gut, everyone-knows-where-the-ball-is-going, punch-you-in-the-mouth running back. Since I was a kid, I’ve had the mentality that if you’re going to tackle me … well, I’m going to make sure it hurts. I was pretty skinny — lanky even — but you can get away with that when you play hard and aren’t afraid of contact. And contact was always my favorite part of the game — still is. It was kind of funny, honestly. I was this crazy, string-bean kid trying to truck kids into the end zone. And a lot of the time, I did.

Some of my competitiveness is God-given — but a whole lot of it was developed during weekend wiffle ball games with big bro.

Growing up, everyone was always outside competing in just about every sport you can imagine. If I wasn’t the best at a sport I took that as a challenge. I was never scared of putting in the work to get better. And to keep me on my toes, I had the best motivation you could ask for: an older brother who was better than me at just about everything.

When I was a kid, I didn’t necessarily dream about winning Super Bowls or national championships. I wanted to beat Zach.

Baseball, football, checkers, number of plates consumed at a buffet — it did not matter what we were doing, everything was a competition. Zach was my benchmark. Knowing he was successful in baseball, football and hockey, and given that he’s three years older than me, I knew that if I could match up with him and even sometimes beat him, then I must be pretty darn good myself.

Granted, I didn’t beat him a whole lot.

But I never quit trying to replace him as our household’s best athlete, even if it meant begging him for rematches constantly. Some of my competitiveness is God-given — but a whole lot of it was developed during weekend wiffle ball games with big bro.
When I got to high school, my focus really turned to football. I always wanted to stay on the field, so I would change positions all the time. One day I would be at corner, another day I’d be returning kicks — wherever I was needed, I played. I saw the field a lot, but as a freshman, I wasn’t much to look at. I came in at 5′ 8″ and about 125 pounds (depending on what I ate for lunch that day). But playing all those different positions as a kid made me grasp the game so much better. The best way to understand the mentality of a safety is to play snaps there. When I eventually hit my growth spurt, they moved me to quarterback, and I stuck.

In North Dakota, people generally choose one of three favorite teams: the Broncos, the Packers or the Vikings.

That preference is usually inherited through your family, but whatever allegiance you do have, it’s taken pretty seriously. I grew up a Vikings fan. Jerseys, hats, posters on my wall — all of that. But despite that, I always loved watching Brett Favre. I just admired the way he played football. Nobody ever questioned how serious or competitive he was, and the way he showed off those qualities is what made me love him. The guy would get licked and then get back up, throw a 40-yard bomb and run around the field jumping and laughing like a little kid. He wasn’t out there to manage the game. He was a gunslinger. The guy flat out made plays. That’s the quarterback that I wanted to be.

Playing in high school taught me a lot, but it also had its fair share of disappointment. Every year, we made it to the semifinals of the state playoffs — and lost. Even worse, three out of the four years we lost to the same team, Fargo High.

There’s no love lost between the cities of Fargo and Bismarck, I can assure you that. Man, we wanted to beat those guys.

My senior year I really thought we had them, but they ended up scoring a touchdown with six seconds left in the game to go ahead by one. That’s still the most heartbreaking loss of my life.
n high school, I learned how to lead a team for the first time. And in college, I learned how to win championships.

North Dakota State football is a perfect representation of the grit and work ethic that makes where I’m from a special place.

Our offense might have reminded you a bit of Alabama or Stanford. We were going to start out running the ball, and then we were going to run it again, and then when you think we couldn’t possibly do it again, we were going to run some more. And when you’re sick of getting dirty with us, we’ll get heavy personnel and run with power and move you guys. We love to bring the boom. By the time we ran play-action and went over the top for a touchdown, your defense was just relieved they didn’t have to swap paint with us for one more play. Then, the next time we got the ball, we would show you completely different sets. We’d start slinging it around like Baylor. It was tough to defend.

The best way to learn how to win is to be around winners. There wasn’t one game at North Dakota State where the entire team did not prepare with the mentality that we’re going to win. Even if we were playing a power five school that had us completely outmatched on paper, we expected to win.

Am I worried about whether I can have the same success at the next level? Of course not. I’m excited to show people exactly what I can do.

And we pretty much always did.

The positive results were almost entirely because of the work put in by guys before they ever set foot on the field. Probably 90% or more of the incoming freshmen at NDSU redshirt. And during that year, the staff makes it clear just how important it is for them to develop. We may be an FCS school, but our strength and conditioning program is as rigorous and productive as any other school in the country. And everyone buys into it. We approach it with that distinct North Dakotan mentality. We weren’t upset about not playing early, or waking up at 5 a.m. to lift. We were excited about getting bigger and better. Because we knew that when it was our team, we’d be ready.

By the time I took over the starting quarterback job as a junior, I was fully prepared. And I was done losing in the semifinals. My first year as a starter, we won our FCS playoff semifinal 35–3. My senior year we won in the semifinals 33–7. We won the championship both years, just like we expected.
So am I worried about whether I can have the same success at the next level? Of course not. I’m excited to show people exactly what I can do.

After competing at All-Star games and the combine, I know that I have much more in common with guys who played FBS football than I have differences. Heck, we even beat a few of their teams while I was in college. Like I said before, football is football. At North Dakota State, I was taught to recognize the same zone pressures, blitzes, stunts and twists as the other guys in the draft. Our offense would run the ball with no receivers and then spread it out wide with five guys. We did it all.

The speed will be an adjustment, but it is for everybody, whether you’re coming from the SEC or Division III. I’m as ready for it as I can possibly be.

But I still approach the game of football the same way I did when I was a 5′ 8″ beanstalk flying around the field in Bismarck. The difference now is that I’m 6′ 5″, 237 pounds, and have been carefully developed into one of the best football prospects in America.

So what do I say to all the people who wonder if I’m ready for the NFL?

I’ve been getting ready my whole life.

CARSON WENTZ
CONTRIBUTOR
If you can’t excel with talent, triumph with effort.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby RedDirtFan » Sun Sep 18, 2016 11:46 am

He wasn't perfect in his debut, but he showed a lot of maturity in his development, which was a pleasant surprise. Rarely is a rookie QB so comfortable checking out of plays at the LOS, and his hard count was a nice surprise. I also thought his use of what I call "situational velocity" was great. Lots of young QBs throw bullets constantly (Stick is currently doing too much of this at NDSU), while Carson only did so when necessary. Otherwise, his passes were very catchable. Of course we need to mention his ball placement--that was on full display, especially on the first TD to Matthews. This is the trait that separated Carson from Goff and Lynch during the draft process, in my opinion (lolRams, lolJeffFisher).

On the downside, while he stood in the pocket and delivered needed throws, not scared to take hits, he still took way too many hits against Cleveland. He also has to figure out what's causing some passes to sail on him.

Overall, it was a great debut for a rookie NFL quarterback. Hopefully that continues against Chicago.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Sat Sep 24, 2016 4:09 pm

I was front row 50 yard line for the Eagles Monday night game in Chicago. Lots of Eagle fans. Wore my signed gold number 11 Bison jersey. Got on tv right before the Eagles first offensive series. My phone went nuts. Had to turn it off. Could not be a prouder uncle watching my nephew QB the Eagles to victory. Plays with poise of a 6 year vet. Now the big test. Steelers in town. Fly Eagles Fly!!!!!!
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:18 am

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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Sun Sep 25, 2016 7:04 pm

Wentz threw for 301 yards today and 2 TDs. Broke Tom Brady's record of starting a career without an interception at 82. He has now thrown 100 passes without a pick.
Last edited by hockeynut on Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby winner-within » Mon Sep 26, 2016 1:50 pm

hockeynut wrote:Wentz threw for 301 yards today and 2 TDs. Broke Tom Brady's record of starting a career with an interception at 82. He has now thrown 100 passes without a pick.



First off,..how can you be a "Hockeynut" with a football player like Carson as family? :D

he is dialed in and doing what no other rookie ever has and doing what a lot of veterans cant do...fun to watch congrats!!
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby RedDirtFan » Tue Sep 27, 2016 9:38 am

What's funny about his success is that the media is acting it's all being done on short passes because of his 6.6 per completion average (not sure if it's still that exact number but it was in that range). How many 15+ yard passes have been dropped, including beautiful deep ball TDs these last two weeks? Drops are a part of football but the Eagles have a particular issue with it. A few less drops and the talking heads aren't pushing this short passing narrative. Wentz is making throws that the Eagles organization hasn't seen in years, and many teams with noodle-armed QBs don't see at all (I'm looking at you, Cincinnati, and at you, Bridgewater's Minnesota).
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby winner-within » Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:55 am

If you can’t excel with talent, triumph with effort.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:32 am

Wentz named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... -the-week/
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby CoachB » Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:02 pm

I went to UND and love UND Hockey. I jumped on the NDSU football bandwagon 5 years ago and now I am jumping on the Eagles bandwagon. You must be very Proud of Carson. I am. And I only know him from high school and college.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby madseason » Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:46 pm

I'm a Vikings fan. So Eagles /Vikings? A weird game where if Wentz has a great game and they win. I will still be happy. He is a true role model for kids to look up to. Not many in the NFL you can say that about anymore. Sad but true.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Sat Oct 15, 2016 6:11 am

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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Fri Oct 21, 2016 8:36 pm

I pray Carson comes out in one piece Sunday against the Vikes. That D is the real deal and the Philly O line isn't.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Sun Nov 13, 2016 8:29 pm

The Eagles are tough at home. Beat the high flying Falcons today 24-15. Carson with a decent day behind center.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Thu Dec 15, 2016 10:59 pm

TURRON DAVENPORT ‎@TDavenport_NFL

Harbaugh said Carson reminds him of Flacco because they are both unphased. Called Eagles getting him a coup. Has been very impressed w/him
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:30 pm

Eagles had the toughest schedule in the league this year and that schedule doesn't get any easier next year. I think 7-9 is a fairly successful year considering a rookie QB and rookie head coach at the helm. Throw in the injuries and the suspension of Johnson and 7 wins isn't to shabby.
I'm proud as heck of that nephew of mine and Philly fans can be rest assured he will work harder than anybody this off season to get better.
Fly Eagles Fly!!!!
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:13 pm

Found it really interesting to compare Carson's season to Sam Bradford's 2010 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year season, very similar:

16' Wentz: 16 GS, 7-9 W/L, 379 Comp, 62.4%, 3,782 Yds, 16 TD 14 Int 150 RuYds 2 TD

10' Bradford: 16 GS, 7-9 W/L, 354 Comp, 60.0%, 3,512 Yds, 18 TD 15 Int 63 Ruyds 1TD

Carson also beat Bradfords record for completions in a season by a rookie.
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:57 am

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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Mon Mar 06, 2017 8:18 pm

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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:43 pm

Carsons receiving corp just got a facelift today. Smith and Jeffries sign with the Eagles. Carson is pumped
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Mon May 15, 2017 10:39 am

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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Mon May 29, 2017 7:10 pm

Carson ruffled some feathers in Philly with his cheesesteak choice
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2017 ... on-twitter
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:09 pm

Eagle receivers are starting to arrive in Fargo
https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/201 ... es-twitter
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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby hockeynut » Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:34 pm

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Re: Carson Wentz

Postby Run4Fun2009 » Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:48 pm

According to this offseason: Wentz has the highest selling jersey in ND (no shock there) but also ranks SEVENTH across the Nation...one spot ahead of Aaron Rodgers!
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