Brent Vigen, from time to time inside his office at Wyoming, would turn on film of Carson Wentz, who was quietly evolving into an NFL quarterback prospect in 2014.
Vigen was Wentz’s offensive coordinator at North Dakota State, during his freshman and sophomore seasons in 2012 and 2013, before following coach Craig Bohl to Wyoming.
The quarterback Vigen would see on film wasn’t the same young player trying to grasp the game two years earlier. So last year, when Vigen connected again with Wentz, he wanted to know what had changed.
“I had asked Carson what the biggest thing going from his first year starting, which was the first year we had left, to his senior year at NDSU,” Vigen told The Denver Post in July. “And he said, ‘I was finally able to watch myself and learn from myself instead of watching someone else do it.'”
Wentz has now transformed from small-college quarterback to legitimate MVP candidate. He has led the Eagles, who host the Broncos on Sunday, to a 7-1 record while throwing 19 touchdown passes, tied for the most in the league.
The second-year quarterback, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, followed a similar formula this past offseason as he did when he prepared to take over as the starter at North Dakota State. He watched himself, taking notes of what went right and wrong during his rookie season.
It was a deep self-study — resulting in some minor mechanical changes, among other things — for a quarterback who has guided his team to a six-game winning streak, throwing 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions during that stretch.
“I can see it on film,” Wentz told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Everything, pocket movements, different things, everything’s more subtle. Everything’s quieter from my feet. And it just looks like I’m more comfortable.”
If there’s one thing the Broncos’ inconsistency at the quarterback position since retired in early 2016 has proven, it’s that there’s no easy way to predict quarterback success. But teammates saw it from Wentz in his first season, when he responded to a five-game losing streak to lead the Eagles to wins in their final two games, momentum they believe set up the impressive start in 2017.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Broncos safety said. “His maturity level is at an all-time high. He’s not turning the ball over a lot. He’s doing a good job as far as reading his targets Itap going to be a pretty good challenge for us, but a challenge we’ll be ready for.”
