Brett Favre and Eagles coach Doug Pederson were teammates with the Packers and are close friends. That did not stop Favre from saying he believes Pederson and the Eagles made a crucial mistake in their selection of who to keep and who to jettison at quarterback.
“I actually thought that they should have kept Nick Foles rather than Carson Wentz just based off production and where they got to,” Favre said on ESPN.
The Eagles watched Foles win a Super Bowl for them after the 2017 season and leave in free agency after the 2018 season to sign with the Bears. The Eagles then committed to Wentz with a four-year contract extension worth $128 million.
“I respect Brett’s opinion,’’ Pederson said Wednesday. “Yeah, we are friends, but I haven’t talked to him and he’s entitled to that and that’s about it.’’
The Giants (2-7) get the Eagles (3-4-1) Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Three weeks ago, Wentz struggled in the first half before throwing two touchdown passes in the final 4:38 to beat the Giants, 22-21.
Brett Favre (left); Carson Wentz (center left) and Nick Foles; Doug Pederson (right)Getty Images (3)“Carson’s our guy,’’ Pederson said. “Carson was our draft pick. Carson is the guy that is going to carry us and lead this football team. All I know is Carson Wentz is our guy, and it’s my job to get Carson Wentz to play better, to do better, to help this football team win.’’
Rookie LB Tae Crowder, on injured reserve since Oct. 20, was designated to return and began practicing on Wednesday. This starts the 21-day window for the Giants to return Crowder to the active roster. He was a starting inside linebacker when he went down with a hamstring injury — in the Week 6 game when he returned a fumble for a touchdown against Washington. Getting him on the field now means there is a good chance Crowder will be able to play Sunday against the Eagles.
The window could open for two other players on injured reserve, rookie S Xavier McKinney (foot) and LB Oshane Ximines (shoulder), but it looks as if the Giants will wait until after the bye to start the clock on their returns.
“We’ll actually take a look at these guys with the trainers [Wednesday] and see how much strides they’ve made, if we think it’s realistic to get them in the game this week,’’ coach Joe Judge said.
DT Leonard Williams and S Logan Ryan were excused from the one-hour walk-through for personal reasons. Both took part in team meetings and are expected back at Thursday’s full practice. … RB Devonta Freeman (ankle), WR Sterling Shepard (toe/hip) and TE Kaden Smith (concussion/non-contact) were all listed as limited participants.
Graham Gano’s excellence this season was recognized when he was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Gano went 3-for-3 on his field-goal attempts — hitting from 38, 48 and 42 yards in the Giants’ 23-20 victory over Washington.
