Eagles’ Doug Pederson won’t dwell on Jadeveon Clowney’s hit on Carson Wentz: ‘It’s part of our game’
“It’s unfortunate,” Pederson said Wedneday. "Did I feel like it was potentially an illegal hit? It’s possible. But listen, it’s part of our game. It happens. It gets missed."
Doug Pederson said Wednesday that while the hit that took Carson Wentz out of the Eagles’ wild-card round playoff loss to Seattle might have been illegal, he isn’t going to dwell on it.
“It’s unfortunate,” Pederson said when he and general manager Howie Roseman wrapped up the 2019 season at NovaCare. "Did I feel like it was potentially an illegal hit? It’s possible. But listen, it’s part of our game. It happens. It gets missed.
“It’s unfortunate for Carson. I’m disappointed for Carson that he couldn’t finish that postseason game, and it’s unfortunate for our team. But I’m not going to focus on the past. I’m moving forward now. I’m not going to dwell on one hit or one play. So that’s that.”
Wentz was flattened as he was about to land on his chest during the Eagles’ second series Sunday, Seattle’s Jadeveon Clowney putting his shoulder into Wentz’s back and his helmet into the back of Wentz’s head.
Pederson was asked if he feels Wentz gets the same type of respect from referees accorded to more established quarterbacks.
“I do. Listen, all mobile quarterbacks, they become runners at some point. That’s just kind of the give-and-take with these guys,” Pederson said. “We’ve encouraged Carson to use his legs when he can, and at that particular time, it was a broken play and he was making a play. It was unfortunate, the hit, but I do think that once they become runners, it becomes different. That’s just the way the league is.”
Pederson said that Wentz is doing well and that he thinks Wentz could have cleared the NFL concussion protocol and played this weekend, had the Eagles advanced.