Sadly, just like a lot of things in the world of sports, the 3rd annual Carson Wentz AO1 Foundation Charity Softball Game and Home Run Derby has been canceled because of the COVID-19 health situation.
The foundation announced in late 2019 that the event would be held on May 8, 2020, at Citizens Bank Park.
“We take the health and safety of our supporters seriously, and while it’s disappointing that we can’t have the game this year, we think it is the best decision considering the health and safety of our supporters,” said Zach Wentz, executive director, Carson Wentz AO1 Foundation. “We hope that fans will be excited to know they can plan on a 2021 Charity Softball Game!”
All ticket purchases will automatically be fully refunded in 5-7 days. For questions about a ticket purchase or refund, please contact the Phillies at tickets@phillies.com.
For most of the 2019 season, the Philadelphia Eagles have dealt with a lot of adversity. Injuries have hampered this team and caused Philadelphia to struggle for most of the season.
However, after a three-game winning streak, the Eagles(8-7) are one game away from winning the NFC East. If they beat the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Philadelphia wins the division and will make the playoffs.
Even with all of the injuries, the Eagles might be peaking at the right time, which according to Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, means that Philly could make a run in the playoffs.
When asked if he believes the Eagles could make a run in the playoffs, Pederson had this to say.
“I would think so. I would hope so,” Pederson said on a conference call for the New York media on Thursday. “We do have a bunch of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s a resilient group, and I feel like they’re playing their best football down the stretch here, and that’s what it takes to make a run. Really, it’s teams that get hot at the right time, no matter what their circumstances are or what they’re faced with.”
While Pederson believes in his team, he will not overlook the Giants.
“We’ve got to focus on this week, got to get ready for a good Giants football team on the road, and we’ve got to start there,” he said.
With all the injuries that the Eagles have, making a long playoff run could be very difficult. However, this team does have experience and a quarterback who would love to prove the doubters wrong in Carson Wentz, and they will have a home playoff game in the Wild-Card round. Anything can happen, but with how depleted this team is, a long playoff run is highly unlikely for the Eagles.
On Sunday in Philadelphia, it was win or go home for the Eagles, and they rose to the challenge. Behind Carson Wentz, who threw for 319 yards and one touchdown, and a stifling Eagles’ defense, Philadelphia was able to defeat the Cowboys 17-9.
The Eagles now control their own destiny and have to beat the Giants on the road in Week 17 to win the NFC East.
“That was a big win for us,’ Wentz said after the game. ‘The crowd was electric tonight; it felt like a playoff atmosphere. Just like we said the last few weeks, our backs were against the wall. Guys made plays. Defense played great. Offensively, we definitely left some plays and some points out there, but man, it feels good to get this victory.”
Throughout this season, injuries have had an impact on this Eagles’ team, and on Sunday, it was no different. Early in the second quarter, Eagles corner Ronald Darby left the game and did not return after re-injuring his hip, and Pro Bowl TE Zach Ertz left the game with a rib injury, but he would return. However, those things did not stop Philadelphia from winning this game, and according to Wentz, this team knows what it takes to fight through adversity.
“I think just the resiliency that I’ve seen, it’s been the next-man-up mentality from really the moment I got here in Philadelphia,” Wentz said. “You see it over and over, and it’s exciting to see these guys come to work with a sense of belief and the pride they take in their work and to get it done out here on Sundays.”
This might have been the biggest win in Wentz’s career, but the Eagles still have to win one more game to make the playoffs, so they have to avoid a letdown against the Giants.
“[We have to] just get back on and prepare the same way we always do and have no letdowns,” Wentz said about playing the Giants. “It’s going to take the leaders to make sure we’re emphasizing that point. But at the same time, even just talking to a lot of the guys in the locker room, I can already feel that. I can already feel that no one’s complacent now or feels like we won anything. We have to go prove it again, and we’re excited for it.”
The Giants enter this game against Philadelphia on a two-game winning streak, including Sunday’s 41-35 victory over the Redskins in OT. The Eagles have a few days to worry about that, but for now, they get to enjoy Christmas and their win over the Cowboys.
Anytime the Cowboys and Eagles get together, it’s always big, and this Sunday in Philadelphia will be even bigger because of what is at stake. If the Cowboys win on Sunday, they win the NFC East. If the Eagles pull it off, they control their own destiny and would have to beat the Giants in Week 17 to win the NFC East.
These two teams met earlier in the season, and it was not close. The Cowboys routed the Eagles 37-10 in Dallas, and since 2016(Doug Pederson’s first year as Eagles head coach), the Cowboys are 5-2 against the Eagles, which includes four straight victories. Furthermore, when Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott is on the field, Dallas is 5-0 against Philadelphia.
It’s safe to say that the Cowboys have the Eagles’ number, something Eagles head coach Doug Pederson recognizes.
“The Cowboys have been a team we have struggled with,” Pederson said on Friday. “It’s something that we just have to continue to work and try to overcome. They have had our number here recently and really since my time here in Philly. It’s something that as we look at the tape and how I prepare the football team and get ready to play and all of that, I would look at all of that.
“At the end of the day, we’re focused on this game and one game, and then hopefully we can turn things around. We do well with the other teams. It’s just this one team that kind of has our number right now.”
The Eagles will have their work cut out for them against the Cowboys. Philadelphia is a very banged up football team. They’re missing their top two wide receivers, starting RB, their starting right tackle, and defensive end. However, Carson Wentz has carried them to victory the past two weeks, but beating the Giants and Redskins is a lot easier than beating the Cowboys. Maybe the injury to Dak Prescott’s shoulder could even things up, but we won’t know that until Sunday.
On paper, the Cowboys look like the better team, but that’s why you play the game.
The last two weeks, on paper, looked like they would be easy victories for the Philadelphia Eagles. However, that was not the case. Last week against the Giants(3-11), Philadelphia trailed 17-3 at halftime and were able to come back and defeat New York 23-17 in overtime. This week against the Redskins(3-11), with the Eagles trailing late in the contest, Carson Wentz led Philadelphia on a game-winning drive to defeat Washington 37-27.
The main reason the Eagles were able to win those two games was because of Wentz. According to NBC Sports Philly’s John Clark, in the fourth quarter of the last two games, Wentz had completed 28-35 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
“He’s doing some really nice things for us,” Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said about Wentz on Monday. “One of the things, I might have mentioned it after the game or maybe this morning on the radio is just that he’s understanding the offense and where everybody is and spreading the ball around. Of course, our running attack has helped that. The screen game has helped that, and that just comes from me calling more of those plays for him and helping him be successful there.”
According to Pederson, Wentz is growing as a quarterback, and he is carrying the Eagles on his back.
“He’s just maturing that way, and it’s really good to see,” Pederson said. “He’s understanding the game, and it takes time. With young quarterbacks and young players in this league, it takes time, and that’s where he’s headed, and it really has been good to see the last couple weeks, especially the overtime win there with New York and then this week to really put the team on his shoulders and say, “Hey, let’s go win the game.”
Wentz has the Eagles in position to win the NFC East and make the playoffs, but for that to happen, they have to defeat the Cowboys on Sunday at home, and the Giants on the road in Week 17.
Based on how the Eagles are currently constructed, Wentz will have to continue his magical ways for Philadelphia to have success in these last two games.
The Philadelphia Eagles started very slow against the New York Giants on Monday night. At halftime, the Eagles trailed 17-3 after Eli Manning threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Also, injuries had a significant impact on Philadelphia. They lost WR Alshon Jeffery, RT Lane Johnson, and RB Miles Sanders(for some of the game). In OT, the Eagles were down to just one healthy wide receiver in Greg Ward, who spent most of the 2019 season on the team’s practice squad.
With all those things working against him, Eagles QB Carson Wentz finished the game, completing 33 of 50 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns, as the Eagles defeated the Giants 23-17 in OT.
According to Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, Wentz’s performance on Monday night was the best of his four-year career.
“I think this would have to be his number one game, quite honestly,” Pederson said about Wentz’s performance on Monday. “You could ask him later this week. But I just think from the standpoint of putting the team on his back, leading this team down the field, down two scores, to tie the game, and then, of course, to win it in overtime. Some of the plays that he did make, whether it was extending it with his legs or keeping a play alive and finding receivers down the field, and then his toughness to stand in the pocket and take some shots. I would say this would be his number one game in the four years. It’s really kind of exciting for him. I think it gives him confidence moving forward…
“You think about some of the big games he’s been in. Go all the way back to the Rams game in where he was playing; he was having an MVP season that year. That was a big game obviously to help us win the NFC East. Even though he got hurt that day, that was a big game. There’s been games like that where he’s had big games.
“But this one, to be down the way we were, and to lose another receiver, to lose your right tackle, and to really step up and make the plays in those conditions, too, really to me, I feel like that’s his best he’s played. Something he can continue to grow and work on.”
This was an impressive performance by Wentz, who had been criticized at times for his play in 2019. The Eagles needed this victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. At this point, if Philadelphia wins their final three games, they win the NFC East and make the playoffs.
Considering all the issues the Eagles had last night, Pederson might be right, this might have been Wentz’s best performance, and if the Eagles want to make the playoffs, they may need more big-time performances out of Wentz in 2019.
What happened to the Philadelphia Eagles in Miami yesterday was totally unexpected and very unacceptable. The Eagles, who had an opportunity to gain a share of the top spot in the NFC East, lost to the Dolphins(3-9) 37-31.
In the third quarter, it seemed the Eagles(5-7) had full control of the contest after going up 28-14, but Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins scored 23 straight points to take control and, ultimately, win the game.
As bad as things look for the Eagles, who are on a three-game losing streak, if they win their final four games of the season, they will win the NFC East and have a home game in the wild card round of the playoffs.
While everybody may have lost confidence in this team, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has a lot of faith in his players.
“By no means are we — we’re not throwing in the towel,” Pederson said on Monday. “We have a lot of football left. We have a great opportunity. There is still a chance for us. We control our own destiny. So that’s going to be the message moving forward to this football team, and the leaders have to embrace that, and they have to also take it to the team as well.”
This was a bad loss for the Eagles; there is no way to get around it. However, the Cowboys(6-6) are not playing well either. The NFC East will probably come down to when Dallas comes to Philly to battle the Eagles in Week 16. Philly has not played well, but if they can find a way to turn things around, they could end up being NFC East champions.
On Monday, the Eagles made it official when they announced that they had brought back WR Jordan Matthews. The 27-year-old Matthews was originally drafted by the Eagles in 2014. Matthews spent the first three years of his career in Philadelphia before he was traded to Buffalo back in 2017. After being released by the Patriots, he returned to the Eagles last September and played in 14 games for the team. This season, Matthews played one game for the 49ers before getting released by San Francisco back in October.
With WR DeSean Jackson out for the year, the Eagles are hoping that Matthews can help fill the void left at the wide receiver position.
“Oh shoot, we can just pull up his highlights,” Eagles OC Mike Groh said about Matthews. “The guy has made a lot of plays for the Eagles over the years. He has excellent football intelligence. He knows our system. He has familiarity there. I think there’s great comfort with him in the huddle. There’s rapport and chemistry with he and [QB] Carson [Wentz], which is important, so certainly nice to get him back.”
For most of his career, Matthews has been a slot receiver, but according to Groh, expect Matthews to be moved around.
“I think we’ll move him around,” Groh said. “I think he showed the capability to do both.”
Obviously, Matthews won’t be the savior for this offense. Matthews is solid at best, and there was a reason he was available, but as Groh said, you get a guy who is familiar with Wentz and the offense, which should help.
Last Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles got a much-needed victory on the road against the Buffalo Bills. Behind the running of Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders, a workmanlike effort by Carson Wentz, and the play of the defense. Philadelphia was able to defeat the Bills 31-13. With the victory, the Eagles are now 4-4 at the halfway mark of the season.
Against the Bills, Wentz had to deal with a very good Bills’ defense and the weather. It was a rainy and very windy day in Buffalo, but through it all, the fourth-year quarterback was able to get it done. Wentz finished the game completing 17 of 24 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown. Also, he made some plays with his legs. Wentz rushed for 35 yards, which included two huge runs for first downs on the Eagles’ final scoring drive.
Wentz did his job, and Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh was happy with his performance.
“I think he did a great job handling the elements, number one, certainly bringing his team home a winner,” Groh said on Tuesday. “Seventeen-of-24 [passing], if I’m not mistaken, in very difficult circumstances. You saw a couple of the balls that he threw just the wind just knock it completely off target. So, the wind and not so much the rain, it wasn’t too bad from a precipitation standpoint, but he did a great job managing the game, getting us into the right plays, doing that on the road, and also handling our stuff at the line of scrimmage and getting everything communicated there.
“So, I thought he had great command of the offense both in the huddle and his decision making when to tuck it and run, get himself down, keep himself out of harm’s way, extend drives. Really productive game for him.”
The Eagles kept their season alive with this victory, and last season after eight games, the Eagles were 4-4. Philadelphia managed to go 5-3 the rest of the way to get into the playoffs. How they finish this season might be determined by how well Wentz plays the rest of the way. If Sunday was any indication, it might end well for Philadelphia.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz, who signed a four-year, $128 million extension in the offseason, will not take a snap in the preseason. The 26-year-old Wentz is coming off a back injury, which forced him to miss the final three games of the 2018 regular season and playoffs.
The good thing for Wentz and the Eagles is that he is completely healthy. Wentz will start Week 1 against the Redskins, and according to Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, Wentz being healthy is the most important thing right now.
“I think it goes all the way back to even the end of the season. Just how he approached the off-season,” Pederson said about Wentz on Tuesday. “He was determined to, No. 1, be healthy. The way he attacked his rehab. He was diligent in his rehab. He trusted the doctors. He trusted the team around him that was helping him physically get back and then just as we progressed through the OTAs with the practices and how we structure practice, just each day he kept getting stronger and stronger and on into camp.
“Training camp was set up that way with that in mind, to have all our starters prepared and ready to go for week one. I’ve seen nothing but improvement each week of training camp with him. He’s had some really good practices here as of late, and I feel comfortable that he’s ready to go.”
There will be some rust that Wentz may have to work off early in the season, but in reality, a lot of players in the NFL will be going through the same thing. Teams around the league are doing their best to keep their stars out of harm’s way. Therefore, starters are not getting a lot of snaps in the preseason anymore, so Wentz not playing in the preseason, will probably be no big deal.
