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Philadelphia Eagles: Mike Vick believes in Carson Wentz’s playing style

By Justin Grasso

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles fumbles as he is sacked by safety Antrel Rolle #26 of the New York Giants during the first quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 27, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vick recovered the fumble. (Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles fumbles as he is sacked by safety Antrel Rolle #26 of the New York Giants during the first quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 27, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vick recovered the fumble. (Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images) /
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Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Vick recently spoke about current Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

Back in the day, you couldn’t tell legendary mobile quarterback Mike Vick to stop running with the ball. Although he had a strong arm and could air the ball out, he was best known for his ability to scramble and put on the jets with his ridiculous speed to beat defenses.

Vick was good at making guys miss — but he wasn’t invincible. He took some big shots to his body early on (see Brian Dawkins hit), and he took some shots later on down the road as well. In other words, Vick was considered a reckless runner.

Fast forward to this era of football now and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz deals with the same type of criticism. Although Wentz doesn’t run the ball nearly as much as Vick did, he still can escape the pocket and extend plays while running.

Sometimes, Wentz makes some amazing highlight plays doing so. However, he also risks taking a shot to his body, which can affect him short or long-term. We’ve seen it before, in the past three seasons, and we even saw it just last week against the Atlanta Falcons.

Many say that Wentz has to change his playing style in order to have longevity in the NFL. While he is trying to become more of a pocket passer in year four, he won’t entirely shy away from using his mobility to the team’s advantage. So as a player who dealt with the same type of criticism in the NFL — what does Mike Vick have to say about Wentz’s style?

Carson Wentz should be himself

“I don’t think you ask a person in his fourth season to change too much,” Vick told Ike Reese of 94WIP on Wednesday. “He’s effective doing it, he’s doing it really well. I don’t think you ask him to change that at this point in his career. It’s what they got him for, it’s what they paid him for, and he deserves to go out and execute and find a way to take care of his body.”

Vick raises a good point. Wentz is who he is. When the Eagles drafted the North Dakota State star with the second-overall pick in the 2016 draft, they knew what kind of risk they were taking.

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While Wentz is trying to do more to preserve his physical health, he won’t shy away from utilizing that part of his game, which makes him so special.

Wentz to wants to win. And if the offensive line isn’t doing their job to the best of their ability, then No. 11 is going to find a way to escape the pocket and try to make a play. Not every quarterback can do that, and that’s fine. But if they could do that — why wouldn’t they?

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