Speaker 1: All right, Um, before I get started, UM, a couple
Speaker 1: of things. I just want to, uh, first of all,
Speaker 1: thank everybody that sent out condolences and their prayers and thoughts.
Speaker 1: My dad passed on Friday, and and UM, you know
Speaker 1: it's a you know it wasn't uh it was expected, UM,
Speaker 1: but it's it's never an easy thing to go through.
Speaker 1: Just just fortunate that my family and brothers and sisters
Speaker 1: were there for my mom. And so I appreciate everybody
Speaker 1: that sent text messages and all that. Um. The second
Speaker 1: thing is I want to I want to thank Sam Bradford,
Speaker 1: um for everything he's done. He came in here and
Speaker 1: he led this football team and he did everything that
Speaker 1: I asked him to do. And UM, I wish him well.
Speaker 1: I know he's gonna be a fine He went to
Speaker 1: a great place, went to a great place, good football team.
Speaker 1: And I'm just happy for him and excited for him,
Speaker 1: and and I just want to thank him for everything
Speaker 1: that he did for for this Eagles organization the last
Speaker 1: last few years. And then the third thing is this, Uh,
Speaker 1: Carson Wentz. We'll start the game on Sunday. Chase will
Speaker 1: be number two, and uh we're moving. We're moving forward
Speaker 1: in that direction. So with that, I'll opening up the questions. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, we obviously made this decision, and uh, I
Speaker 1: spent um obviously over the weekend with with with my
Speaker 1: offensive staff, with Frank and d Flippo and really the
Speaker 1: entire staff, and everybody feels like this is this kid's
Speaker 1: ready to go, you know, and and we we drafted
Speaker 1: him to to take take on the reins and and uh,
Speaker 1: um you know it's something now that that that we're
Speaker 1: prepared to do and looking forward to to Cleveland, and
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, one day at a time with
Speaker 1: him and and uh, at the same time, we've we've
Speaker 1: got to be uh you know, obviously smart and how
Speaker 1: we handle it, but at the same time fully expect
Speaker 1: him to perform like he's capable of performing. And what
Speaker 1: we've seen throughout OTAs and training him, he is he is.
Speaker 1: He did he did? You know the fact that that
Speaker 1: I had a chance to go watch him, uh and
Speaker 1: work him out way back in the spring meet the
Speaker 1: kid a mature individual. What he did in all of OTAs,
Speaker 1: what he's done around this building, the plays he's made
Speaker 1: in practice in the one preseason game has has has
Speaker 1: given me a confidence that that he can he can
Speaker 1: lead this football team. And I'm excited. I'm thrilled that
Speaker 1: this is a you know, an opportunity for him, it's
Speaker 1: an opportunity for our organization and our team. And and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, we're we're we're going full steam ahead. So
Speaker 1: I feel I feel fully confident that that we'll be
Speaker 1: able to get the job done with any young quarterback.
Speaker 1: You're you're more comfortable, you know, letting him sit for
Speaker 1: a year and get acclimated and learn the offense and
Speaker 1: take it slow. UM. I mean, this seems like a
Speaker 1: major philosophical change. What changed in your guys by with Carson?
Speaker 1: All the trade happened, and and um, you know, we
Speaker 1: were fortunate to get some draft picks back that that
Speaker 1: we that we gave up for the trade for Carson,
Speaker 1: and and it was it was right for this football team.
Speaker 1: And uh, you know, it's something that that we believe in. Um,
Speaker 1: I believe in. Uh, this is why we we drafted him.
Speaker 1: Um and would would would the ideal situation be later
Speaker 1: than sooner? Sure, but but right now where we are, UM,
Speaker 1: you know, we got a good football team around him.
Speaker 1: We got a great defense, special teams, good offensive line,
Speaker 1: good runners. So all the pieces are here for him
Speaker 1: to be successful and for us to win win some games.
Speaker 1: How did he move? Why not Chase Daniel? You know,
Speaker 1: for for a reason. And Chase is a team guy.
Speaker 1: And Chase is uh, um, the guy that I wanted
Speaker 1: to to to be, to be in this role, to
Speaker 1: be in this position. Um, you know, Chase, Chase has
Speaker 1: done everything I've asked him to do. He's an unselfish
Speaker 1: ball player. He leads by example on and off the
Speaker 1: football field. He's been a great mentor to to to
Speaker 1: Carson and even when Sam was here as far as
Speaker 1: teaching this offense, and and knowing that, um, you know,
Speaker 1: Chases is the number two gives you a lot of confidence,
Speaker 1: just much like it was in Kansas City as him
Speaker 1: being our number two behind Alex and and uh, it's
Speaker 1: it's great to have another set eyes on the field
Speaker 1: for Carson and and I feel I feel real comfortable
Speaker 1: with with where we are with these two guys. Did
Speaker 1: you reference what happened to you in nineteen ninety nine
Speaker 1: with now you know? And I listen, I didn't. I
Speaker 1: didn't go back that far. I mean, I just this
Speaker 1: is this is what I believe in. This is this
Speaker 1: is what as an organization, this is what we believe in.
Speaker 1: And and you know, I'm I'm gosh, I can't wait
Speaker 1: till Wednesday. I can't wait till you know, we get
Speaker 1: we get the uh to Sunday. But um, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm very comfortable with with where we are as a
Speaker 1: football team with Carson being the starter. This is why
Speaker 1: we drafted him. He's ready to go. He'll prepare and
Speaker 1: study all week just like just like I know he
Speaker 1: will and and uh, um get ready for Sunday locker
Speaker 1: room or any of the players in the locker room
Speaker 1: I did. Um, guys, guys were excited, you know, guys
Speaker 1: are guys are excited for Carson. You know, I'm obviously
Speaker 1: uh when when you lose, when you lose your quarterback
Speaker 1: in SAM, I mean, it can be it can be
Speaker 1: mixed emotions. But but the guys were one hundred percent
Speaker 1: behind it and and thrilled that, uh you know, um,
Speaker 1: that Carson's going to be the guy. They've seen him
Speaker 1: day in and day out like we've seen him, and
Speaker 1: they know he can be a special, special player in
Speaker 1: this league. And and they've embraced it and supporting him
Speaker 1: a hundred percent. Are you play with just two quarterbacks?
Speaker 1: Are you going to bring in some of these practice? Well,
Speaker 1: obviously going into the going into the season, you'd like
Speaker 1: to have three. Obviously two are usually active on a
Speaker 1: game day, So obviously we're there, But but we're we're looking,
Speaker 1: you know right now, Um, if we can find that
Speaker 1: and feel that third spot potentially a practice squad kid, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: Did Carson take any reps with the first game or
Speaker 1: the first time it was because it open? Where are
Speaker 1: you going? Did Carson take any reps with the first
Speaker 1: team over? He had not. Now, he had taken some
Speaker 1: center quarterback exchange reps with Jason in the past because
Speaker 1: we do that prior to practice, so he's done that.
Speaker 1: But other than uh, and he can listen now, he's
Speaker 1: he's worked with all our receivers because we've rotated our
Speaker 1: receivers throughout the training camp, and he just this will
Speaker 1: be the first time that he's gone with the with
Speaker 1: the starting offensive line. How quickly just Carson's mindset and
Speaker 1: have to change. It was a week ago We're talk
Speaker 1: about them missing the last preseason game, possibly not playing
Speaker 1: the entire year. I mean, it's it's tough. But here's
Speaker 1: the thing. He's such a special guy that that this
Speaker 1: doesn't bother him. The stage is not that big and
Speaker 1: and and he he can handle he can handle this. Um.
Speaker 1: That's why, that's why making this decision is very comforting
Speaker 1: for me, and and and really easy easy to make
Speaker 1: h just knowing him and knowing how he prepares, and knowing,
Speaker 1: you know, knowing what he's done in the past, and
Speaker 1: and this guy is a proven winner. He's he's he's
Speaker 1: proved it all the way all the way up through
Speaker 1: college and and uh and fully expect him to do
Speaker 1: the same thing at this level. Well, you know, if
Speaker 1: if I were chased, I'd probably be a little disappointed. Um. Uh.
Speaker 1: And I would hope so I coming from a head coach,
Speaker 1: I would hope that he because it just shows his emotion.
Speaker 1: It just shows the passion that he has for the UH,
Speaker 1: for the for the position, and for this team and
Speaker 1: for playing and UH. But again, Chase is such a
Speaker 1: he's the ultimate team guy. UM that that you know,
Speaker 1: he understands the decision, he understands where we're going in
Speaker 1: the direction, and he's going to do everything he can
Speaker 1: to not only get himself ready, but to help the
Speaker 1: starterse certain Carson that it's his job. Don't look over
Speaker 1: your shoulder. There's gonna be bumps in the road and
Speaker 1: things are not going to come easy all the time,
Speaker 1: and you know, but you're our guy for the long
Speaker 1: for sure, for sure, because I want to I want
Speaker 1: to exude that confidence in him. I don't want him
Speaker 1: looking over his shoulder at all. Um. You know, we
Speaker 1: take this thing one day at a time, one game
Speaker 1: at the time, and uh and hopefully we can string
Speaker 1: strength and wins together. And and we know, we understand
Speaker 1: there's gonna be some bumps, but at the same time,
Speaker 1: we're gonna learn from those. And I don't want him
Speaker 1: looking over his shoulder. During the summer where the switch
Speaker 1: just flipped and you just said this guy, Carson Waynes
Speaker 1: could be our starting quarterback. Wayne, was that? You know,
Speaker 1: I look back to rookie mini camp when we first
Speaker 1: landed him here and he had a chance to really
Speaker 1: kind of compete at that time with that that rookie
Speaker 1: camp and OTAs and and just watching him in person
Speaker 1: throw the ball. Um. You know, the zone read game,
Speaker 1: the the you know, the the run pass option things,
Speaker 1: that we've done in the in the spring and training
Speaker 1: camp and just kind of some of the wild factor
Speaker 1: throws that he makes from unconventional positions. You just kind
Speaker 1: of go, all right, this guy, this guy is going
Speaker 1: to be special and um and we saw that throughout
Speaker 1: throughout training camp practices, you know, making making some of
Speaker 1: those unique plays. But it kind of for me went
Speaker 1: back to that first rookie mini camp when I first
Speaker 1: laid eyes on him in those competitive situations, look at
Speaker 1: some of the reckless or risky plays that he had
Speaker 1: in that game, and talk to him about taking care
Speaker 1: of his body. He understands at it, and sure, we've
Speaker 1: we've got to We've got to address that with him
Speaker 1: with any quarterback UM going forward. But UM, I don't
Speaker 1: want to take that aggression away from from any player,
Speaker 1: especially the quarterback position. That that kind of makes him special.
Speaker 1: But at the same time, he has to understand that
Speaker 1: he needs to protect himself in those situations. We will
Speaker 1: look back on on that Tampa game and and look
Speaker 1: at some of the plays that that some of those
Speaker 1: were designed designed read option runs, some of them where um,
Speaker 1: you know, he can do some things better in protection
Speaker 1: and things like that, and just just get him caught
Speaker 1: up and cut and coached up. And and again, he's
Speaker 1: such a smart guy. I keep saying this, but I
Speaker 1: see it day in and day out in and a
Speaker 1: sharp learner that that he makes the mistake once he
Speaker 1: can move on from it. And uhum, but yeah, we'll
Speaker 1: we'll keep coaching him up that way. But again, I
Speaker 1: don't want to take that aggression from him with Sam,
Speaker 1: like this is obviously what he wanted back in the spring,
Speaker 1: but he had no idea what was going to happen. Now.
Speaker 1: Was he shocked? You know what was what was it
Speaker 1: like talking to Sam and I had a great conversation.
Speaker 1: I spoke to him right away. I reassured him, and
Speaker 1: I wanted him to understand that that he needed to
Speaker 1: hear it from me, h than than reading it or
Speaker 1: seeing on TV or in the papers. And and he
Speaker 1: was very appreciative of everything. Um. You know, he and
Speaker 1: I sort of started this journey together way back in February,
Speaker 1: even even before he was signed. And and you know,
Speaker 1: I wanted him as my starting quarterback and I wanted
Speaker 1: him here on the team. And so we had a
Speaker 1: little different relationship than than maybe what he's had in
Speaker 1: the past. So he was very appreciative of everything that
Speaker 1: I did and and he listened. He was he was
Speaker 1: He's playing at a at an all time level. He's
Speaker 1: stronger physically, he's throwing the ball more accurately, and um,
Speaker 1: and just wished him the best of luck. Bob. Were
Speaker 1: you in the trade, well, UM, definitely involved from a
Speaker 1: conversation standpoint, and and UM, you know there's some things
Speaker 1: too that that uh, you know, we had to we
Speaker 1: had to look at every we had to look at everything.
Speaker 1: We had to look at Carson obviously, Chase, we had
Speaker 1: to look at Sam, what we were receiving, UM, And
Speaker 1: and I wanted to make sure that it was right
Speaker 1: for the Philadelphia Eagle. So so I was involved that way.
Speaker 1: Could you have seen coursing a scenario where Carson could
Speaker 1: have overtaken Sam as a starter lady season? Probably not
Speaker 1: going into the game one. It just depends on how
Speaker 1: how Sam was playing, how the team was going, and
Speaker 1: where we were at the time. But but I didn't
Speaker 1: I didn't foresee any um at the time, UM, any
Speaker 1: change you know at the position. Well, you know number one,
Speaker 1: what felt like that that Carson's ready to go, and
Speaker 1: and you know the fact that that Minnesota UM wanted
Speaker 1: Sam Bradford, and and it makes a difference on what
Speaker 1: we were receiving in in in return. UM. You know,
Speaker 1: we got to look at the big picture and the
Speaker 1: scope of of what we want to do, and and
Speaker 1: I think it was it's it's a great UM, it's
Speaker 1: a great opportunity for both organizations at all. I challenge
Speaker 1: the team this morning that that that you know, we
Speaker 1: we come to work every single day, we roll our
Speaker 1: sleeves up and we go to work, that the expectation
Speaker 1: level doesn't change. We expect and I expect them to
Speaker 1: compete and compete at a high level and win football games.
Speaker 1: That's our job, that's what we get paid to do.
Speaker 1: So UM, I don't expect anything less. Parson wasn't ready
Speaker 1: to go. I mean, you had Chase, would you still
Speaker 1: on the trade if he wasn't ready to go? You'd
Speaker 1: have to look at the injury and just just sort
Speaker 1: of see where he was at at the time. It
Speaker 1: it'd be probably harder to make the make that decision,
Speaker 1: but because then you'd really be down to one quarterback
Speaker 1: at the time, you know, UM, And so you'd have
Speaker 1: to just take a look and factor in the whole
Speaker 1: injury and where where Carson is at, Like he wasn't
Speaker 1: really ready bent only to start the season if he
Speaker 1: just felt like he needed more seasoning and even if
Speaker 1: he was healthy, but you just felt like he was
Speaker 1: ready to be a starter. Yet Yeah, you know you could.
Speaker 1: You still got to look at the big picture and
Speaker 1: you got to look at the whole organization. And we
Speaker 1: can do things offensively. I say, we franking myself, we can.
Speaker 1: We can put game plans together that keep it that
Speaker 1: keep it simple for the quarterback and allow him to
Speaker 1: go out and use his use his talent and and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, we'd have to consider that going forward, but
Speaker 1: we're just you know, we're a little further down the
Speaker 1: road with him. Um, and he can handle a lot
Speaker 1: more information than than than that that scenario. A lot
Speaker 1: of quarterbacks in recent years have been able to start
Speaker 1: as rookies on day one and had success, Guys like
Speaker 1: Luck and Flack on that Ryan and Um, did you
Speaker 1: look at that. This that's not something that really happened
Speaker 1: in the league until last ten years, maybe with Rafflesberger started.
Speaker 1: Did you look at that? Yeah, and what do you
Speaker 1: think that is? And was that factor. And you're thinking,
Speaker 1: I think you gotta I think again, it goes to
Speaker 1: the big picture of the organization and the team. You
Speaker 1: played great defense and great special teams and and you
Speaker 1: got all the pieces. You got a good offensive line,
Speaker 1: a good running game, and and and you can you
Speaker 1: can protect guys. And that's what those guys did back
Speaker 1: early in their careers with the Roethlisbergers and the Flaccos
Speaker 1: and the Ryans and quarterbacks like that. I mean, look
Speaker 1: at Jameis Winston even last year, the success he had
Speaker 1: later on in his in his rookie career, and and
Speaker 1: so you can there's there's a definitely uh um, a
Speaker 1: blueprint there um. And that's that's kind of the approach
Speaker 1: that we're going to take here doing the same same
Speaker 1: types of things. Alan Barberie is going back to left
Speaker 1: card and then lane right now, you know, until I
Speaker 1: hear something further uh lane, Lane's went right tackle this
Speaker 1: being for the future, your first year head coach. When
Speaker 1: you hear about it at first, is it difficult for
Speaker 1: you to accept knowing the wins and losses won't be
Speaker 1: the same with this situation? You know, I just approach
Speaker 1: it each day and and my goal is to try
Speaker 1: to win this first football game and to win this week,
Speaker 1: and and and again, I can't. I can't speculate and
Speaker 1: put up put up prediction on wins and losses. I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, um Roethlisberger, those guys were in the AFC
Speaker 1: championship games or their first couple of seasons, so who knows,
Speaker 1: who knows what can happen. I just know that I'm
Speaker 1: going to coach the guys that we have hard. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna make sure that they're ready and prepared. That's my job.
Speaker 1: And and uh, you know, we just take them one
Speaker 1: at a time. Yes, yes, well you know, we'll see,
Speaker 1: we're gonna we're gonna, you know, look at look at
Speaker 1: what's out there. If it's a young guy that we
Speaker 1: could maybe put on practice squad, we'll do that too.
Speaker 1: Small Small wod is good. He was out there today.
Speaker 1: He's he's okay. The only one not out there was
Speaker 1: Viny Curry because the injury last week, so he was
Speaker 1: the only one that wasn't there. But he's day to
Speaker 1: day and and uh you know, we'll we'll monitor him
Speaker 1: again on Wednesday. Okay, thanks guys, appreciate it. H