For the second straight season, the Philadelphia Eagles ended their run with Nick Foles starting behind center.
This time, it didn't include a Lombardi Trophy.
Foles and the Eagles fell to the Saints in heartbreaking fashion Sunday, losing 20-14 in New Orleans. As things are these days with the NFL, the Eagles' future began at 12:01 a.m. Monday, and that future is centered on Carson Wentz.
Wentz spoke on the concerns surrounding his health, his contract and the impact of Foles' success on his own psyche. The first concern is growing into something legitimate after Wentz suffered a back fracture that ended his season prematurely, and this was after he'd already experienced some struggles in his first season following an ACL tear.
Two seasons, two significant injuries. Might he be injury-prone? His confident answer: No.
"I look forward to putting that to rest over the next couple of years," Wentz told reporters Monday.
Moving from health to the current conversation of the Eagles' situation at quarterback, which lost some steam after Philadelphia's untimely playoff exit, Wentz was less certain.
"I try not to think about all those things," Wentz said. "There's lots of he said-she said things out there. But at the end of the day, I can't control some of those things. But what I can control is getting my body right, getting healthy and then getting myself back on the field to prove the player I can be."
The player he can be is a potential MVP candidate. He sure looked like one until the knee injury ended his 2017 season. But he's also sharing a meeting room with a quarterback who won an even more presitigious MVP award: Super Bowl MVP.
Might Foles' success turn up the heat on Wentz?
"It could, without a doubt," Wentz said. "You look at that and you could say, it could put more pressure. You could say coming into the season there was more pressure. But I do everything I can to block that stuff out. Right now, going forward, my focus is getting my body right, and to play this game freely the way I did last year before the injury, just cut it loose and get rid of all that pressure and anxiety and just play the game freely, and then that's where I'm going to get to."
Wentz didn't look like himself for a lot of 2018, which isn't entirely unusual for a player coming off a knee injury, especially one who thrives on his athleticism. A jump in production can be expected in 2019 -- and Foles' departure could be coming, too.
If Foles is still around, though, the debate will build as July approaches: Should the backup, buoyed by his late-season success, start over Wentz?
"I'm confident, A) that the team is going to do what's best for the team, and I'm going to support that," Wentz said in reference to such a debate. "I know a couple things: I love Nick, I love that we're like brothers in there, me, Nick and Nate [Sudfeld], and the support we have for each other. Whatever happens is meant to happen and I think we're all going to be successful in our own rights."
Where that takes place is yet to be seen. But first, Wentz must focus on recovery and rehab. His health is understandably the No. 1 priority. Come spring, we'll surely revisit this topic.
