Carson Wentz came through for the Philadelphia Eagles with an outstanding showing in his NFL debut.
His performance was so strong that teammate Jason Peters is already making a lofty comparison — Aaron Rodgers.
“He can throw just as good as Rodgers on the run, on the move,” Peters said, per Jimmy Kempski, Philly Voice. “He’s really accurate on the run. That’s who he reminds me of. Rodgers. When he gets to moving, the way he darts the ball on the run.”
Rodgers? Really? The two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer? After one game, we’re comparing Wentz to Rodgers?
Now, we do have to be fair and acknowledge that this is a really tight rope for a teammate to walk. Particularly coming off of a convincing win, teammates have to talk glowingly about their new quarterback.
Teammates have to believe in one another, and Peters is doing that.
With that said, Peters would have been better off expressing unqualified confidence in his quarterback without making this specific comparison. The comparison puts a bullseye on Wentz’s back and makes it natural for people to, well, compare him to Rodgers.
Rodgers is one of the game’s most complete quarterbacks. But for all Rodgers does well, he may well be best at throwing the ball on the run.
So, Peters not only compared his rookie quarterback to arguably the game’s best quarterback. He’s also making the comparison talking about the best part of the legend’s game.
Wentz has one game under his belt. Yes, it was a good game, but it also came against one of the NFL’s most downtrodden franchises. Going against the Cleveland Browns, players are frankly set up to succeed. When they don’t, it’s far more of a story than when they do.
None of that is said to put an asterisk on Wentz’s game. He did look good.
But what happens when he’s throwing on the run against a better defense? Maybe the linebacker closing on him is a little faster than what he dealt with in Week 1. Maybe the safety chasing the receiver is a step quicker. Will Wentz be as good as Rodgers then?
Keep in mind, Wentz is still a rookie. So, if he’s not as good as Rodgers in those spots and struggles, it certainly won’t mean he’s a bust. It’ll just mean that he’s still progressing as a player.
While it’s nice to show confidence in your teammate, such a lofty comparison so early is probably better left unsaid. It creates a potential narrative for Wentz that a rookie quarterback doesn’t need.