Brian Baldinger discusses Eagles QB Carson Wentz. Photo by Andy Lewis / contrastphotography.com

Dear Carson,
Welcome to Philadelphia! I think it’s the single greatest sports town in America, not because of the number of Championship banners because there aren’t that many, but because of its single greatest collective asset…the FANS. Yes, passionate, knowledgeable, and not the least bit patient.
But in mid-May of 2016 you are the cities greatest treasure.
Yes, a city that houses such treasures as the Liberty Bell, the Benjamin Franklin Museum and an iconic statue of Rocky. You Carson Wentz are larger than all of that right now because you give this great American city hope. Hope that one day we can feel like the Eagles belong in the pantheon of great organizations who have won a Super Bowl.
In our surrounding vicinity from Foxborough to our Nation’s Capitol there are 20 such championships that have been earned and celebrated. Of the 50 Vincent T. Lombardi Trophies, 20 have been won in this small, populated corridor. We have hope Carson that you can engineer a championship run during your tenure that can make us feel like we belong.
As an analyst and former player in this business for 34 years — and a fan since I could throw a ball — I have never seen such a meteoric rise by a player from North Dakota State to the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.
And not just any No. 2 pick, but one that was gotten by a series of trades by Howie Roseman where much of the future was mortgaged to obtain your rights. Along the way compliments were thrown your way as easily as the confetti dropped on those 20 championships that have been won.
Please — Carson — this history should not feel like pressure to you. You should be allowed to have a honeymoon period as a 23-year old rookie who has had one of the great courtships and romances in recent history.
Ultimately it’s not how you arrive but it’s how you leave this business that matters.
We in Philadelphia have our own great history of players and coaches, many of them who you will meet along the way.
Dick Vermeil was a great coach and is a great man who won a championship in another city. His star quarterback, Ron Jaworski is a big, big fan and wants nothing better to see you succeed. Andy Reid tried for 14 years and came really, really close to a championship along with his quarterback, Donovan McNabb whose number will never be worn again by an Eagle.
Other legends are dying to meet you and also welcome you to the family.
None of them have experienced the thrill of hoisting the trophy and leading the massive parade down Broad Street in Philadelphia. I want you to experience that Carson. It will be memorialized like no other day in our long glorious history. But I think there are certain lessons that I would like to impart to you that could help you get to that blissful day.
The fans are your friends and allies despite what they echo after wins or losses, what is written by the scribes and shouted out across the airwaves.
There will be more criticisms than you could ever imagine. And sometimes it will cross over into personal jabs. The best way to handle this nonstop Eagle Talk is to embrace it. It goes without saying that winning will keep most of the chatter at arm’s length. Don’t allow the fanaticism to change the genuine North Dakotan that you always have been. We have plenty of hunting seasons and fishing holes that can allow the outdoorsman in you to enjoy.
Make your teammates your best friends, especially the most important group on your team, the offensive lineman.
Your idol in the business is Brett Favre, easily one of my top 5 favorite players and people of all time.
He roomed on the road with his starting center, Frankie Winters. He was in a duck blind on Friday mornings with your new head coach Doug Pedersen and other lineman. And take care of those guys as much as possible. Dinners, and beverages, and nights out sprinkled in with sincere gifts goes along ways to those lineman bleeding Eagle Green for you on Game Day.
Regardless of what the fans or pundits are saying about Sam Bradford right now, there is much to gleam from Sam.
He has been the number one pick and the pressure that goes with it.
He has been the face of an organization who gave them hope in the post Kurt Warner era. He has been injured and had to recover from adversity. Heck, he has even been the rookie of the year. Learn, watch and grow.
Ninety miles to the North, Eli Manning helped the Giants to win two of those 20 championships that haunt Eagle fans each and every day.
The greatest strength of Eli is that he has never changed. I saw him start his first NFL game in October of 2004. He was in a word, awful, that windy and blustery day in Baltimore.
But he has started every game since and along the way I have never heard him do anything but take most or all of the blame for every single loss.
When Jeremy Shockey ran the wrong route and his pass was intercepted it was Eli’s fault. When center Shaun O’Hara short armed a snap and the ball was fumbled it was Eli’s fault. When the Giants won he shared the credit with the coaches and players. Humility goes along ways.
I mentioned Eli above for more than humility reasons and for more reasons than how to conduct yourself because that is an area that I am not worried about with you. But in this business durability is sometimes as important as ability. Eli has been if nothing else…durable.
My biggest concern Cason with you is going to be your ability to be durable.
I have never once in your 23 starts at NDSU seen you slide or run out of bounds.
It is imperative that you learn these traits. You have been compared favorably to Andrew Luck which is high praise. Andrew Luck’s Kevlar-coated body was badly damaged this season and ultimately shut down in week 10.
He would love to pad up and cover kicks and play linebacker as much as quarterback his team to a championship. As great as he has been he is going to have to alter his style.
There is a 100 percent injury rate in this business and the fortunate ones recover quickly. The smart ones learn how to protect themselves.
While you digest the playbook and adjust to the athleticism of the NFL game I need you to also study how the great quarterbacks protect themselves.
Russell Wilson could do it better than anybody in the business right now. I think I can count the number of bone jarring hits that he has absorbed on one hand during his first 4 years in the league.
As eager as you are to get out on the field come Game Day, it will be a blessing for you to watch…study…learn…feel…the game for as long as possible. It will be a valuable learning experience. Your time will come and the fans will be intent on judging you. In the back of their fanatical minds they remind themselves that with Carson there is hope.
Once again Carson, welcome to Philadelphia. We patiently await the dawn of a new era.