Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz admits to having a level of frustration when informed he wouldn't be available for the regular season opener.
Wentz originally targeted Week 1 for his return from an ACL injury, after all, but he wasn't medically cleared until earlier this week.
Now, the Eagles' franchise signal-caller will resume his role as the starter and he couldn't be happier to finally see his first action of the 2018 season.
"Quite the grind of an offseason and just throughout all this, a lot of the unknown of when and all those things," Wentz told reporters Wednesday. "I know you guys were dying to know, I was dying to know at the same time. So there was a lot of excitement, a lot of built up, almost anxiety over when was going to be that time. Almost relief to finally be cleared and get back out there."
Without Wentz, the Eagles turned to Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles to lead the offense, but the results were mixed through two games.
Wentz, however, believes the offense will quickly be in sync with him under center despite the missed time.
"I and the whole offense, really this whole organization, always have high expectations," he said. "We expect to start fast, play fast, be clicking. So, I truly believe that's a realistic expectation.
"Now, that's just football. It's not always like that. Those things come; you got to learn how to balance those things out to the flows of the game. But I think we all hold ourselves to high expectations around here."
Last season's injury is finally behind Wentz, but he remains cognizant of protecting himself, which he said he's always done before suffering the ACL injury.
Wentz's confidence level in his health extends to his scrambling ability. He indicated he will continue to find ways to extend plays with a view to make the necessary throws down the field. He also plans on wearing a brace to protect his surgically repaired knee and doesn't foresee any challenges in adjusting to it.
"I feel comfortable with it," Wentz said. "We'll see after this season how I feel with it, but I feel good with it right now. It's definitely something the doctors recommend and so I've gotten used to it by now and I feel really comfortable with it."
In the meantime, the Wentz Watch officially ended with his return to the starting lineup.
While there is a sense of relief for Wentz and the Eagles coaching staff, the first test on how much rust he might have to knock off will arrive Sunday when the Eagles host the Indianapolis Colts at Lincoln Financial Field.
