Philadelphia Eagles: Keep it Multiple With Carson Wentz
The Philadelphia Eagles hired Doug Pedersen because of his background in a multiple offense and to make Carson Wentz a star.
Current Philadelphia Eagles had coach Doug Pedersen learned at the feet of former Eagles coach Andy Reid as a player and as an assistant. It stands to reason then that Pedersen will use the same principles as Reid did with him when tutoring Carson Wentz.
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Pedersen will also employ the same multiple West Coast offense as Reid employed in Philadelphia. That’s why the trade up to acquire the number two overall pick last month made so much for the Eagles. They wanted to position themselves to acquire Wentz and they did.
Wentz has prototypical size and all of the physical tools necessary to thrive in Pedersen’s offense. At 6’5″ and 237 pounds, Wentz is big, strong and athletic. He can make plays in and out of the pocket. He is a dual threat quarterback who can beat with his feet and his arm.
The Eagles will take their time developing Wentz but when they finally get to the point where they feel he’s ready to start, they need to use many of the same multiple principles that North Dakota State used with Wentz. North Dakota State employed a variety of personnel groupings to create match-ups and opportunities for Wentz to make plays.
When you watch North Dakota State play, it was impressive from a coaching standpoint to see how many formations and personnel groupings they used. I’ve been coaching college and high football for 21 years. I’ve never seen a team at the college level be so diverse in terms of the way they use their players. The formation usage and variance based on down and distance is impressive. Here are some examples (photos/video courtesy of DraftBreakdown.com):
Empty (10 personnel: 4 WR’s, 1 RB)
The Eagles will utilize a fair amount of ten personnel this season and they’ll get into a variety of empty formations. Empty is a great way to teach a young quarterback to get the ball out quick and to help them adjust protection to potential pressure looks, especially pressure off of the edge.
One-Back, Two-Tight Ends (12 personnel: 2 WR’s, 2 TE’s, 1 RB)
The Eagles will be in 12 personnel a lot this season with Brent Celek and Zach Ertz. Both tight ends are above average blockers and both create match ups against linebackers, safeties and nickel corners in the passing game.
On this play, North Dakota State is in what we call Flankers Right. It is a balance formation that allows an offense to run and throw the football effectively. What makes this formation so tough to defend is the fact that there are four eligible receivers that could release at any point. Because he is a dual threat, Wentz could thrive in this formation both under center, in shotgun or pistol.
One Back, Three Receivers (11 personnel: 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR’s)
The Eagles will be in 11 personnel a lot this season because Pedersen wants to get wideouts Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholar and Josh Huff on the field as much as possible. North Dakota State is in an Ace formation here. Its another balanced formation that would allow the Eagles to run and throw the ball. Wentz can also be a run threat out of this formation.
21 Personnel (2 RB’s 2 WR’s, 1 TE)
Pedersen is a West Coast offense disciple so the Eagles will get back under center and run the football football more in 2016. Eagles fans will see many of the same principles out of 21 personnel that Reid employed when he coached the Eagles. Running the football down hill out of a two back formation is an easy way to run the ball and its a great way to protect a young quarterback.
23 Personnel (2 RB’s, 3 TE’s)
North Dakota State did a great job of using this personnel grouping in non short yardage situations last season. I don’t think you’ll see the Eagles utilize this personnel grouping or the formations out of it unless the situation calls for it but its a great way to play-action or boot leg the quarterback out on short yardage situations.
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Carson Wentz is the ideal pro-style quarterback. He played in a multiple offense in college that prepared him to play in the NFL. If the Eagles take their time with him and coach him up, he has the potential to be a pro bowl quarterback and could lead them to a Super Bowl.