If you expected to get some definitive answers about the Eagles’ quarterback situation at Nick Sirianni’s introductory press conference on Friday afternoon … I have bad news.
This did not happened.
When asked directly whether Carson Wentz would return to the Eagles in 2021, Sirianni said: “I cannot answer that. Again, evaluating everything. “
When asked if there is a timetable for when he would like to nominate an initiator, Sirianni said: “I haven’t thought about it much yet, nominate an initiator. It didn’t even cross my mind. I’m just trying to evaluate the players on our team and get our team together. “
Yes, it will be a long off season.
During his professional career, as Sirianni dreamed of becoming a head coach, he probably imagined that his initial press conference would be very different. It would have been a day to celebrate his path to the highest coaching position in the world of football at 39. A day to perhaps talk about his vision for the future, his coaching staff and how he impressed Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. to get the show.
Instead, Sirianni was in an empty auditorium, standing in a pulpit while reporters at Zoom’s virtual boxes filled him with questions about a confused quarterback dilemma he inherited.
Of course, this only comes with the territory. For an Eagles organization at a crossroads, the decision as a defender is the most urgent. On the one hand, they have invested heavily in Wentz over the past five years in capital and earnings, and he has shown that he can play at an extremely high level. On the other hand, Wentz experienced a rapid decline in 2020 and appears to have a strained relationship with the organization. To make matters worse, the fact is that the Eagles recruited Jalen Hurts in the second round last year and Hurts played well in 2020, but not enough to give him the reins.
So, where do the eagles go from here?
One way would be to keep Wentz and Hurts and try an open competition on the training ground. On Friday, when asked about this possibility, Sirianni said: “I’m not ready to say that yet”.
“We have two quarterbacks, Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts, who are first rate, who are first rate quarterbacks,” he said. “And many teams have none. I am very excited to work with both. “
But you know the old saying: if you have two defenders, you have none.
What we do know is that Sirianni has been in contact with the two defenders for eight days since he took over as head coach. Sirianni said he had a “good” conversation with Wentz, who also spoke with offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. Sirianni declined to disclose any details of the talks between him and his new players.
But after talking to Wentz, does Sirianni think the relationship between the quarterback and the organization is reconcilable?
“I can’t talk about it,” said the head coach. “I spoke to Carson, I have been looking for our players. Obviously, it has been a whirlwind as far as the amount of things to do a week on this job. … I am very excited to work with him as we move forward here. “
Yes, it will be a long off season.
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