Philadelphia Eagles: Why does Carson Wentz look like Carson Palmer?

There’s a certain Philadelphia Eagles career bordering on being a rerun.

Those of us who have watched a ton of football, whether that be Philadelphia Eagles football or otherwise, have racked up quite a few stories that we can share with our children and grandchildren when we get older. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Father Time is undefeated in battle, and one day, it will be our turn to sit in the recliner and talk about the way football used to be.

Imagine hanging out on the porch and wearing an Eagles jersey and talking about that highly-touted quarterback that came to a struggling franchise with the hope of resurrecting it and how he ran through the NFL on his way to displaying MVP ability before ultimately shredding both his ACL and MCL.

Yes, that was a magnificent 2005-2006 season for Carson Palmer. What’s that? Oh, you thought we were talking about Carson Wentz? No, we were talking about that run the former Heisman Trophy winner and former Orange Bowl MVP had in just his third year in the NFL, which leads us all to something of note.

Don’t be surprised if Carson Wentz’s career turns out to be a lot like the career we saw play out by another Carson. When you think about it, there are a lot of similarities.

Get a load of this if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan (and even if you aren’t).

Once upon a time, long before any Birds fan knew who Carson Wentz was, there was Carson Palmer, a young signal-caller who was charged with a monumental task, resurrecting the Cincinnati Bengals. Unlike Wentz, who we were told would carry the clipboard as a rookie, Palmer sat his entire rookie season behind Jon Kitna.

In his second season, Palmer played 13 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, which might remind some of the 2018 season, one where Wentz literally played with a broken back before calling it a season after 13 games.

Now, Wentz’s 13-game run came in his third season, and Palmer’s came in his second. What’s interesting is, again, both had MCL and ACL tears, and you can argue that neither was the same after their respective injuries.

Palmer’s injury came on a play where he completed a 66-yard passing play where he was knocked out of the game by Kimo von Oelhoffen (who ironically played for the Eagles in 2007). That play is still the longest completion in Bengals playoff history. There isn’t an Eagles fan on Planet Earth that doesn’t remember how Carson sustained his.

The story continues for Philadelphia Eagles fans.

For Palmer, the questions are endless. Would Cincy have won that game? Were the Pittsburgh Steelers really a better team? Might it have been the Bengals in the Super Bowl that year if they beat the Steelers?

For Carson Wentz, the questions are equally as constant? What if Nick Foles would have never led the Eagles to a Super Bowl? Then again, what if Wentz had been healthy? The Eagles wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl with Wentz at the helm, would they? No, seriously. How do we know Carson wouldn’t have screwed things up? Keep in mind the fact that he has yet to win a playoff game.

Then again, it took Palmer a while to win his first. His career ended with stops with the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. He finally won his first postseason game in his 12th NFL season and boasts a 1-3 record. Hopefully, things won’t play out that way if you’re a Carson Wentz fan.

Then again, based on his resume, how can one believe anything other than he’s destined for a career that leads him to a couple of different franchises and, maybe, a playoff win. Highlight the word ‘maybe’. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.