Hayes: Eagles will be slow and steady in grooming Wentz as their QB

THIS WILL TAKE some getting used to.

For three years, things couldn't happen quickly enough for the Eagles. They hired fast-talking Chip Kelly, who installed his Machine Gun offense and enacted a slash-and-burn roster reorganization. Kelly got instant production from Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford and even Mark Sanchez.

Now, it's all about patience and growth. Yes, the Eagles signed Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel to pricey, short-term contracts, and no, they didn't cut aging left tackle Jason Peters, so they have at least one eye on short-term success.

Still, the Eagles twice traded up in the draft to select Carson Wentz with the second overall pick last month. That makes Wentz the current the long-term focus. New coach Doug Pederson says Bradford and Daniel will occupy the first two spots this season. Bradford is under contract through 2017, so he could remain the starter for two seasons.

Certainly, the timetable for Wentz to play could accelerate. Bradford could be traded, as he wishes. The veterans might get hurt.

No matter how it unfolds, said defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Eagles fans should let Wentz develop at his own pace. Schwartz has lived through this process.

He was the head coach in Detroit when the Lions took Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick in 2009 and was quickly dubbed the next . . . Dan Marino, Drew Bledsoe, you name it. Wentz should not suffer that burden.

"Don't judge him on somebody else," Schwartz said. "Also, don't predetermine the results of him playing. Just let him go play."

Pederson, of course, has compared Wentz to Brett Favre. Both have a strong arm, a big frame and nimble feet. Favre did not start as a rookie. He struggled his first two seasons as a starter, without too many repercussions.

The Lions tried to modulate expectations for Stafford, too.

"I think that, when we drafted Stafford, we just let him play," Schwartz said. "Was he our best quarterback? Was he ready?"

Stafford's pedigree, talent and production at Georgia helped him win the job from Daunte Culpepper, though, predictably, Stafford was not an immediate success.

"Unfortunately, he got hurt both his first and second year. Holding the ball too long at times," Schwartz said. "He learned those lessons. His third year, he really took off."

Stafford threw 41 touchdown passes in 2011 and went to the Pro Bowl after 2014.

Besides their size and draft slot, the differences between Stafford and Wentz are staggering.

Stafford won a 4A state title as a high school senior in Texas, went to Georgia as the top-rated passer in his class and started as a freshman. The Bulldogs were considered the class of the SEC and were ranked No. 1 by his junior season, when he won his third straight bowl game then declared himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Wentz, by comparison, was virtually unrecruited out of high school and nearly unknown before his breakout senior season at FCS (formerly I-AA) North Dakota State.

He was much better known than Russell Wilson. The Seahawks took Wilson in the third round in 2012 out of Wisconsin and awarded him the starting job over incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson. This was alarming, since the Seahawks had a historically good defense. After the first four games, there were calls for Matt Flynn to replace Wilson.

Eagles safety Chris Maragos was there, and he watched Wilson fight through the struggles.

"Russell progressed pretty fast. As he kept doing well, they kept giving him more. It's an individual basis - how guys are adapting, how they're growing," Maragos said.

As the defense emerged, Wilson's mistakes were magnified. The chemistry coach Pete Carroll created kept the locker room firmly behind Wilson.

"That was big," Maragos said. "Having a group of guys on your team, saying, 'We're just going to keep riding through together.' It takes a lot of the pressure off. He knew he didn't have to do it all himself."

Stafford did. Favre didn't.

Wentz won't, and that's a good thing.

Wentz did a lot of good things Tuesday during OTA work, but his mechanics and his passes were clearly inferior to Bradford's. He has a long way to go before he warrants a shot with the starters.

As Schwartz said, when Wentz gets that shot, expectations should be tempered.

Because Wentz has a long, long way to go before he's Matthew Stafford.

@inkstainedretch