Education of Eagles' Carson Wentz resumes

CARSON WENTZ lobbed a pass to rookie wideout Marcus Johnson down the left sideline early Monday morning. Johnson slowed a bit, adjusted and caught the ball on his right hip.

As players regrouped for the next snap, Doug Pederson talked with Wentz. Pederson pantomimed Wentz's passing motion and traced the imaginary arc of the ball with his pointer finger. Wentz nodded.

Two passes later, Wentz unfurled a perfect back-shoulder throw to rookie wide receiver Xavier Rush, who caught it in stride along the right sideline.

Monday was the first day of Eagles training camp at the Nova-Care Complex. It was Wentz's first day of training camp, ever. The second overall pick made some good throws, and some that weren't good. He shared reps with starting quarterback Sam Bradford and backup Chase Daniel, and led a circle of prayer at the conclusion of practice.

The scene was everything that should have been expected, right down to the quotes.

"It was a hot day, but it was fun to get out there with some of these guys," Wentz said as he walked off the field.

The North Dakota native began his first training camp just a block away from the Democratic National Convention. A convergence of big-city sports and politics, it was a far cry from hunting trips outside his hometown of Bismarck.

Through all the coverage and eyeballs trained on South Philadelphia, though, Wentz said he slept fine Sunday night until thunderstorms rolled through the area early in the morning.

"It was cracking pretty good," Wentz said. "But really, I slept pretty good."

Pederson has publicly stated, multiple times, that Bradford will be the starting quarterback this season, and that Daniel will be the backup.

Wentz, who sat out his first year with North Dakota State, said he's treating this season, one that likely will involve sitting and watching, differently than his first year of college. The leap, he said, doesn't feel as large.

"Coming out of high school, to North Dakota State, it was a whirlwind," Wentz said. "The high school offense is pretty dumbed down, in comparison, so I feel like I have a good grasp of the offense coming in here. I feel pretty confident. So it's similar, but a little different at the same time."

Sitting and learning seems to make sense. Both Wentz and his coach admitted there are parts of his game that need improvement during camp.

Wentz said the biggest thing he worked on during the lull from early June to Monday was his footwork. On a trip to San Diego with a few teammates, including Bradford and Daniel, the rookie looked to the more experienced quarterbacks for pointers on his mechanics.

"We're still working on some things, fundamentally, with his feet, his eyes," Pederson said. "We're going to give him plenty of work, plenty of reps, not only during practice but after practice, and we'll get him where he needs to be."

While Wentz isn't expected to play much this season, Pederson said his goal is to have Wentz starter-ready in case circumstances force his hand. Bradford has played all 16 games just twice since being drafted in 2010.

If Wentz is pressed into action, his coach expects him to be ready.

@AdamWHermann