Doug Pederson responds to Brett Favre’s criticism of Carson Wentz

After Brett Favre’s criticism, the Philadelphia Eagles head coach is out to defend his quarterback

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was a teammate of Brett Favre for eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and the two are good friends. But, during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday, Favre said that the Eagles should have kept Nick Foles instead of holding onto Carson Wentz. Wentz’s play has been under heavy scrutiny this season, as the Eagles barely hold onto the NFC East lead with a 3-4-1 record.

On Wednesday, Pederson made it clear that while he respects Favre’s opinion, Wentz is still a crucial part of the Eagles team.

Wentz’s play under scrutiny

Philadelphia’s quarterback controversy began in the 2017 season. Wentz went down with a season-ending knee injury after putting up MVP numbers. Nick Foles stepped up in relief and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory. The following season, Wentz went out with back injury. This  allowed Foles to start in playoff time again, where the Eagles scored a massive upset in the Wild-Card round over the Chicago Bears.

The Eagles allowed Foles to enter free agency, where he cashed in on a $88 million contract offer with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Eagles were all-in with Wentz, as they signed him to a four-year, $128 million contract prior to the 2019 campaign. That’s when the proverbial microscope zoomed in further on Wentz’s play.

In 2020, Wentz has been the most turnover-prone signal caller in the NFL. Through eight games, Wentz has thrown 12 interceptions and fumbled the ball seven times (four of which were lost). Luckily for Wentz, he plays in an abysmal NFC East division. So, his mistakes haven’t completely doomed the team. Regardless, Eagles fans would like to see better play, considering the hefty salary that he’s being paid for 2020 and beyond. That, and the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Football Team, and New York Giants are all one game behind Philadelphia for first-place.

As for Foles, he was traded to the Chicago Bears earlier this year, where he eventually replaced Mitchell Trubisky at starter. He’s played well enough to win games, but his stats are far from impressive.

As Pederson said, Favre is entitled to have his own belief on certain players, even if one of those players is his starting quarterback. Nevertheless, the head coach still has the utmost faith in Wentz leading the team into the playoffs for their fourth-consecutive season.