Former NFL star says Carson Wentz will never surpass Donovan McNabb

One former NFL star has a lot to say about Carson Wentz.

Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that Keyshawn Johnson was the first-overall selection in 1996’s NFL Draft. Philadelphia Eagles fans remember him for a different reason. Long before Carson Wentz threw two perfect passes to the wrong-colored jersey in Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season, there was an NFC Championship Game that was played at the end of the 2002-2003 NFL season.

That one also doubled as the final game that was ever played at Veteran’s Stadium, and it was Johnson’s catch that sent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the locker room with all of the momenta that eventually led to a 27-10 Eagles home loss that slammed the door on Philly’s hopes of a Super Bowl appearance.

If you’re a little younger and a ‘Birds’ fan, you may not remember that, but you should know Johnson for his work as an analyst on ESPN. He’s never been shy about telling anyone how he felt. Then again, how could a man who wrote a book entitled Just Give Me the Damn Ball! The Fast Times and Hard Knocks of an NFL Rookie ever be considered shy? Recently, Johnson expressed his feelings about Carson Wentz.

Could Carson Wentz eventually supplant McNabb in Eagles’ lore?

If you’re offended by any harsh criticism of ’11’, this one figures to taste like Robitussin. On a recent episode of Keyshawn, JWill, and Zubin, the subject of quarterbacks and how they’re performing came up. Yes, you probably already know where this is headed. Keyshawn thinks Carson will never surpass Donovan McNabb. Take a look at this one. it comes courtesy of ESPN’s official YouTube channel.

Here’s just one thing. It’s time to move past the ‘Carson Wentz doesn’t have an offensive line’ narrative. Most of those sacks are on ’11’. He has to be smart with the ball, and most of those interceptions have been thrown when he’s had time to deliver a pretty good looking pass.

While we’re at it, can we stop saying that ‘if we’re going to celebrate those big plays, we’re going to have to live with the bad ones’? One, though Wentz’s ability to improvise has led to a few highlights (see 2017 in Seattle), those highlight-reel moments haven’t often resulted in wins. ’11’ has always looked better while playing under control. Second, see the first point again.

While some of you may disagree with Keyshawn Johnson, it’s hard to discredit what he’s saying here. ’11’ hasn’t looked good. Statistically, Donovan Mcnabb is the greatest quarterback in Eagles franchise history. Wentz has a lot of football left in him, but he’ll need to play much better than he has or the calls for Jalen Hurts or some other replacement are only going to get louder.