I found the greatest Carson Wentz stat ever and it doesn\u2019t even have anything to do with him throwing passes.<\/p>\n
So while we cover a lot of ground in this week\u2019s Roob\u2019s 10 Random Eagles Offseason Observations \u2013 how long will Nick Sirianni coach \u2026 a look at Kyle McCord\u2019s spring \u2026 who\u2019s the most obscure running back ever to rush for 100 yards against the Eagles \u2013 this one is really all about Wentz\u2019s longest career touchdown runs.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
1. Nick Sirianni is going into his fifth year as Eagles head coach, and the only coaches in franchise history to last longer are Greasy Neale, Dick Vermeil and Andy Reid. Neale coached 10 years from 1941 through 1950, Vermeil seven years from 1976 through 1982 and Reid 14 years from 1999 through 2012. And I wonder how long Sirianni will do this. We saw Vermeil burn out by his seventh season, but it took Big Red 13 years until he started showing signs of needing a change of scenary. Sirianni is an interesting one because he seems to understand the importance of work-life balance and often emphasizes the value of spending time with his kids and family and getting away from football during the offseason. But he also pushes himself 100 miles per hour 24\/7 from before training camp until after the postseason, and these days for the Eagles that\u2019s eight months. We\u2019ve all seen Nick at times looking like he hasn\u2019t slept for days, and going non-stop like that year after year after year can take its toll. Sirianni has jammed a lot of success into his first four years. One more Super Bowl and Sirianni will be only the 13th head coach in NFL history to coach take three teams to the Big Game, and honestly it would be surprising if it doesn\u2019t happen in the next year or two. And with this G.M.? And this roster? And this owner? And this quarterback? They\u2019re not going to stop winning. He\u2019s got a realistic chance to become an all-timer if he wants to keep coaching. Which goes back to the original question. And honestly, I don\u2019t see Sirianni walking away for a long time. He\u2019s constantly looking for ways to improve as a coach and communicator and talent evaluator and offensive mind, and I think that\u2019s a positive sign of someone who\u2019s got a really healthy approach to his job. He\u2019s always looking to get better. And if you\u2019re feeling burned out or frustrated or exhausted, you don\u2019t do that. He\u2019s got tremendous enthusiasm and energy and passion. How long? It\u2019s hard to imagine anybody doing this with the same team for 14 years like Andy but who knows? Mike Tomlin is going into his 19th season, John Harbaugh is going into his 18th and Sean McDermott, Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are going into Year 9. This year puts Nick halfway to 10 and he sure as heck is showing no signs of slowing down. Winning makes it fun, and as long as the Eagles keep winning and he keeps having fun, he\u2019s not stopping.<\/p>\n
2. Even the best ever have bad days, and in a game against the Browns at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Steve Van Buren had 10 rushing attempts for \u2026 minus two yards. His rushing average \u2013 minus 7.2 inches per carry \u2013 is worst in Eagles history by a running back with a minimum of 10 carries. But it\u2019s not even close to the worst in NFL history. Byron \u201cWhizzer\u201d White is credited for 15 carries for minus-50 yards for the Lions in a 1940 scoreless tie played in a torrential downpour against the Cards at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo. Twenty-two years later, White became the Supreme Court justice with the lowest career rushing average.<\/p>\n
3A. With only his 10 longest runs of 2024, Saquon Barkley would have ranked 21st in the NFC in rushing with 541 rushing yards.<\/p>\n
3B. Barkley had seven TD runs of at least 60 yards last year. Everybody else in the NFL combined had 10. Only Jonathan Taylor also had more than one.<\/p>\n
3C. Barkley had as many 60-yard TD runs last year as the Eagles had combined in 385 games from Week 13 of 1986 through Week 6 of 2009.<\/p>\n
3D. Only seven running backs have had as many 60-yard TD runs in their entire career as Barkley had last year (Adrian Peterson 15, Jim Brown 9, Derrick Henry 9, Chris Johnson 8, Barry Sanders 8, Ahman Green 7, Fred Taylor 7).<\/p>\n
3E. Barkley had more 60-yard TDs last year than 23 of 25 Hall of Fame running backs had in their career.<\/p>\n
4A. Kyle McCord was impressive in the spring practices that were open to the media, and that shouldn\u2019t be too surprising considering his history. The dude threw for an ACC-record 4,779 yards last year and his 590 attempts were most by an ACC quarterback since Matt Ryan threw 654 times for Boston College in 2007 (in one more game). You\u2019re looking at a quarterback who\u2019s a rookie but threw more passes than any quarterback in college last year, so he\u2019s seen it all. There\u2019s no better way to prepare for NFL defenses than playing in an NFL-style offense and throwing nearly 600 passes: \u201cWe saw pretty much every single coverage you could think of at the collegiate level and ran a bunch of different concepts,\u201d the Mount Laurel native said during spring practices. \u201cAnd that’s what the NFL is. Obviously, you’re not going to be throwing the volume that we did necessarily, but you’re going to see a lot of different coverages, and it’s going to force you to make good reads and be smart with the ball. And so that was a really good experience last year going through that.\u201d McCord didn\u2019t just throw a lot, he completed 66 percent of his passes, led the BCS with 4,779 yards and threw 34 touchdowns. So he was sharp, accurate and got the ball down the field, and we saw all those things when he had a chance to take reps at OTAs.<\/p>\n
4B. Tanner McKee\u2019s contract is up after the 2026 season and would it surprise anybody if he signs with a team that wants competition at quarterback and McCord becomes QB2 here? It’s a long way off, but I\u2019d be surprised if that doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
5A. Carson Wentz had 297 rushing attempts in his career that weren\u2019t kneel downs, and his longest career touchdown run came on the last one. On the final day of the 2023 season, Wentz made his only start as a Ram in a game against the 49ers in Santa Clara. With the 49ers up 20-13 and 4:56 left in the game, Wentz ran 12 yards for a TD. He then threw a successful two-point conversion pass to Tutu Atwell for a 21-20 Rams win. Wentz had six more career rushing attempts \u2013 three in that game, three for the Chiefs in a win over the Browns last year \u2013 and all six were kneel-downs.<\/p>\n
5B. Wentz\u2019s 2nd-longest career rushing touchdown also came against the 49ers and was also at Levi\u2019s Stadium. It was an 11-yarder in the first quarter of the Eagles\u2019 25-20 win in 2020. That was also the first game of Travis Fulgham\u2019s brief existence as the greatest receiver in the history of the world.<\/p>\n
5C. Only Deebo Samuel and Kyler Murray have more double-digit touchdown runs in Levi\u2019s Stadium history than Wentz. Christian McCaffrey and Mecole Hardman also have two each.<\/p>\n
5D. Those were the only TDs of Wentz\u2019s career of 10 or more yards.<\/p>\n
6. DeVonta Smith is already the only wide receiver in Eagles history with two 1,000-yard seasons in which he didn\u2019t make a Pro Bowl, and his 4,011 yards are by far the most by an Eagle in his first four years without a Pro Bowl. He actually has the 5th-most receiving yards by any WR in NFL history in his first four seasons without a Pro Bowl (behind D.J. Moore, Jaylen Waddle, Joey Galloway and Marques Colston). Being one of the best non-Pro Bowl WRs isn\u2019t a designation anybody wants, but it\u2019s going to be tough for Smith to make one simply because playing alongside A.J. Brown it\u2019s going to be hard for him to ever get enough targets to have the sort of 1,300- or 1,400-yard season that gets you Pro Bowl consideration. If you watch DeVonta every Sunday you understand just what a special player he is. His ability to make contested catches in traffic is unmatched, and his speed and toughness are a dangerous combination. Big-time player in big moments. But in his four years with the Eagles he\u2019s not even in the top 20 receivers in the NFL in targets. He\u2019s 22nd in targets but 15th in yards and 14th in touchdowns, which just goes to show you that he\u2019s making the most out of the targets he does get. Really superb player and I\u2019m not sure the rest of the country realizes just how good he is.<\/p>\n
7A. Fun trivia question: Only two players who had 100 career sacks recorded their final sack while playing for the Eagles. Both played from 1983 through 1997 and both won Super Bowls early in their career. Who are they? One is fairly easy: Former Super Bowl MVP Richard Dent had the final 4 \u00bd sacks of his 137 \u00bd with the Eagles in his final season in 1997. The other one is a little tougher. It was Greg Townsend, who joined the Eagles in 1994 after spending 12 years with the Raiders. He had 109 \u00bd sacks with the Raiders and the final 2.0 of his career in 1994 with the Eagles (but he last played in 1997). Townsend\u2019s final sack was Jay Schroeder. Dent\u2019s was Chris Chandler.<\/p>\n
7B. Other former Eagles who had at least 100 career sacks: Regge White, Clyde Simmons, Robert Quinn and William Fuller. Quinn finished his career with the Eagles but didn\u2019t have any sacks.<\/p>\n
8A. Washington has allowed 55 points only three times since 1962 and two of those were against the Eagles. Obviously, one of those two games was the NFC Championship Game in January at the Linc, which the Eagles won 55-23. But 15 years earlier, the Eagles went into FedEx Field and scored 59 points, the most points Washington has allowed at home since a 73-0 loss to the Bears at Griffith Stadium in 1940. How good was Michael Vick that day? He threw only 28 passes but passed for 333 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Vick\u2019s 88-yard TD to DeSean Jackson on the first play of the game is one of the most spine-tingling plays in Eagles history. The press box at FedEx is in the end zone, and that\u2019s usually a terrible place to see a game, but that ball from Vick was flying straight at us and having that angle of D-Jack racing down the field and the ball spiraling downward into his arms without him breaking stride was breathtaking. Vick also threw TD passes to LeSean McCoy, Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin. Backup running back Jerome Harrison rushed for 109 yards and a 50-yard TD, and Dimitri Patterson picked off Donovan McNabb twice, returning one 40 yards for a touchdown.<\/p>\n
8B. McNabb never recovered from that beatdown at the hands of his former team. His downfall was so sudden. He had a really good regular season in 2009, going 10-4 and making his first Pro Bowl since 2004. Then came the Dallas playoff catastrophe, and he was 6-14 the rest of his career, with 19 TD passes and 18 interceptions. He was named to the NFC Pro Bowl team on Jan. 19, 2010, and played his final NFL snap on Oct. 16, 2011.<\/p>\n
9. JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE WEEK: The only 2nd-round picks to win more playoff games than Jalen Hurts in their entire career are Brett Favre (13), Drew Brees (9) and Ken Stabler (7). Only Hurts has won at least six playoff games before his 27th birthday among 2nd-round picks. Matter of fact, no player taken after the first round has won more playoff game before his 27th birthday. Tom Brady and Russell Wilson also won six. And only eight total QBs taken after the first round have won more playoff games than Hurts in their entire career: Brady (35), Joe Montana (16), Favre (13), Roger Staubach (12), Brees (9), Wilson (9), Bart Starr (9) and Ken Stabler (7).<\/p>\n
10. Who is the most obscure running back to rush for 100 yards against the Eagles? I wonder about this stuff. Keeps me up nights. So I figured I\u2019d find the running back who had the highest percentage of his career yards in one 100-yard game vs. the Eagles. Because it\u2019s June and why not? Here\u2019s what I found: In 1964, Bill Thornton of the Cards rushed for 128 yards \u2013 more than twice his total in any other career game \u2013 in a 38-13 win over the Eagles at Franklin Field. Thornton finished his career with 544 yards, so 24 percent came in that game against the Eagles. But that\u2019s not the record! James Mungro of the Colts rushed for 114 yards against the Eagles at the Vet in 2002 in his second career game, and that\u2019s 26 percent of his career total of 430 yards. But that\u2019s not the record either! Washington\u2019s Evan Royster from Penn State ran for 113 yards on the final day of the 2011 season, which accounted for 27 percent of his career total of 416 rushing yards. And late in the 1936 season, Bobby Wilson of the Brooklyn Dodgers ran for 162 yards on just 16 carries in a 13-7 win over the Eagles. He finished his career with 505 yards in his brief 12-game NFL career. So he had 32 percent in his big game against the Eagles. But the record belongs to a guy named Randy Clay. Late in 1950, rookie Clay ran for 101 yards against the Eagles in a 7-3 win at the Polo Grounds. Clay finished his career with 287 rushing yards in 19 career games. So he had 35 percent of his career yards in one game against the Eagles. Now you know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I found the greatest Carson Wentz stat ever and it doesn\u2019t even have anything to do with him…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,6,14851],"class_list":{"0":"post-150184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-nfl","10":"tag-roobs-observations"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114727744167556442","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}