By: Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
After months of anticipation, the Eagles preseason opener looked exactly like a preseason opener should. Penalties, missed assignments and turnovers highlighted the Eagles win Thursday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And despite the inconsistencies that plagued the Birds, one man's performance will have the entire debut talking this morning.
Going Deep
Carson Wentz, making his NFL debut, fresh out of North Dakota State, put together a game that contained some good thing, some bad things and a whole lot of hope for a tired fan base.
A look at the stats won't tell you that Wentz played well. Completing just 12 of his 24 attempted passes for 89 yards and an interception is nothing worth writing home about. But the fact that the rookie looked so comfortable and well-adjusted in an NFL game makes it seem like he is well on his way to becoming a starting quarterback in this league.
And Wentz will be the first player to tell you, he wasn't satisfied with his performance, but an uneven performance in a game that won't matter in a few weeks isn't the end of the world.
"I thought some plays were made, I thought there were some plays that need to be made that were left on the field," Wentz said. "The interception in the red zone, that's something you never want to do. That ball sailed on me, it got away from me. But, overall, there's a lot of good things to build on and, as a team, we walked away with a win, so that's a positive."
However, Thursday night's biggest positive was that the Eagles victory was built on the backs of guys who will be starting when the games start to count, which is good news for the team's 2016 aspirations. The opening kickoff ending in a forced fumble recovered by Chris Maragos. Three plays later, Ryan Mathews plowed into the end zone.
Fletcher Cox had a strip sack, Zach Ertz had a nice 19-yard catch and Mathews had a pair of powerful runs. But as quickly as the Eagles' first units built a two-possession lead, the backups took over and mediocrity set in.
Chase Daniel came in and struggled. He was sacked four times and picked up just 15 passing yards. But poor play from his offensive line and wide receivers made it hard to put his poor performance in perspective. Still, the ups and downs of the other 70-some men who suited up for the Eagles last night were overshadowed by the rookie most of the crowd braved the heat to see.
As the sun started to set, and temperatures fell, fans grew restless. Chants of, "We want Wentz!" rang out in the Linc as Daniel and his unit struggled. And with 1:19 on the clock in the second quarter, Doug Pederson gave the fans their wish, sending out the rookie, who claimed to be oblivious to the fans' clamoring.
But there's no way he missed the Tim Tebow-esque standing ovation he received as he jogged on to the field and he admitted as much after the game.
"I know that the fans are excited," Wentz said. "I know that it's going to be a heck of a ride here and I'm looking forward to it."
And if his debut is any signal for what the Carson Wentz era could be like, it may be a bumpy ride.
Medical Report
Did Not Play: Jason Peters (quad); Malcolm Jenkins (hamstring); Mychal Kendricks (hamstring); Jordan Matthews (knee); Wendell Smallwood (quad); Marcus Smith (concussion); Mike Martin (knee); JaCorey Shepherd (hamstring); Marcus Johnson (quad); Hunter Sharp (hamstring).
Brandon Brooks (biceps): Brooks' injury announcement caught a lot of people by surprise, but after the Eagles first drive, the team said he was no longer able to play, thanks to an injury to his right biceps. The right guard never went inside to get his arm looked at, so it doesn't seem too serious and he should be back on the field after a few days of rest. After missing the start of training camp with a hamstring injury, his durability may be a concern.
Josh Andrews: The third-team center injured his leg on a run play during the third quarter. After laying on the field for a little bit, he was able to get up and walk off under his own power. He was later taken inside for x-rays on his right ankle and never returned.
Numbers Game
-4 – Daniel played seven drives in the first half and failed to register a net passing number on the positive side of zero. Fifteen passing yards, combined with 19 yards lost on sacks left Daniel with negative-four net yards on the day. Granted, the former Chief received very little help from a porous offensive line and wide receivers who struggled to get open.
Daniel's value, as we mentioned before, is as a mentor for Wentz and Sam Bradford and he really isn't getting paid for contributing on the field, but his performance yesterday certainly will make a lot of fans worry if Bradford is injured and the coaching staff doesn't deem Wentz ready to play.
44.6 – However, Bradford and Wentz may have not inspired much more confidence with their performances. Bradford threw just one pass in his short time on the field, but the top three QBs on the depth chart combined to put together a passer rating of just 44.6. With an offense built around short throws, Eagles quarterbacks will need to complete a high percentage of passes in order to put up decent numbers, but they failed to do so Thursday.
0 – Speaking of short passes, the Eagles offense failed to put together one explosive play last night. Wentz completed a pass to Ertz for 19 yards, but that was the longest play of the night for the Birds. One year after Bradford and the rest of the Eagles offense was chastised for not throwing the ball down the field, the team did little to make it look like things will change in 2016. Yes, the new offensive scheme is based around shorter passes, but they still need to stretch the field vertically.
Quotables
"Overall, it wasn't bad, it wasn't perfect, there's a lot of things to clean up, but it's only preseason [week] one."
- Carson Wentz on his preseason debut
Wentz was up-and-down during his extended time on the field, but he showed flashes of what he could be. One of his standout traits is his ability to stay level-headed, something that will help him remain confident during his transition to the NFL.
"He's a physicial specimen. You don't see guys that size, with that speed, playing that position."
– Mike Quick on Wentz after the game
The former wide receiver seemed to pretty excited about the rookie QB after the game, and he's right: not many QBs have the measurables that Wentz has. The North Dakota State product certainly needs a lot of refinement, but he has all the potential in the world.
"We've got the bodies. We've got the guys who can fill that role."
– Doug Pederson on potential replacements for Lane Johnson
Matt Tobin, Dennis Kelly, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Allen Barbre were among the names that Pederson listed when contemplating a player to replace Johnson if his suspension is upheld. Kelly and Vaitai struggled last night and didn't do much to instill confidence that they can replace the 2013 fourth-overall pick. Pederson also noted that they will start to rotate players in at right tackle in anticipation of having to play without Johnson.
Bullish
Steven Means: The guy who helped out his stock the most Thursday night was Means. Two sacks and a forced fumble showed how much of a force he can be coming off the edge. Combine his performance with Marcus Smith sitting out with an injury and it's starting to look like the 2014 first-round pick will be on the streets by the time the season starts.
Jaylen Watkins: Watkins has sort of been the forgotten man in a crowded secondary, but he still remains a versatile defensive back. He was credited with four tackles and one pass breakup, but also let a sure-fire interception slip through his hands. Still on a night where some of the DBs struggled, Watkins shined.
Chris Pantale: Pantale's good night is really based around the opportunities he got. Besides having one catch for nine yards, Pantale was the exclusive fullback for the first two offensive units. Considering how much Pederson has said he wants to have a fullback on the Eagles 53-man roster, Pantale's snap count is a good sign for his roster hopes.
Bearish
Jalen Mills: Man, what a rough game for Mills. He was exposed on the outside a few times and struggled to stay with receivers down the field. Add in a pass interference penalty and it was a forgettable night for the rookie from LSU. Luckily for Mills, the players ahead of him on the depth chart didn't do much either and he hasn't fallen too far behind. Instead, he looked a lot like a nickelback who was miscast as an outside corner.
Wide Receivers: It's hard to pick just one wide out that struggled, so their here as a group. No one was able to consistently get open, resulting in a lot of coverage sacks. In fact, Paul Turner was the only receiver who finished the game with more than 10 yards. Josh Huff fumbled, Rueben Randle had a drop and a penalty for "illegal batting" and Nelson Agholor added a drop of his own. If anything, this group's struggles made it even more apparent the Eagles offense needs to run through the tight ends and running backs.
Offensive Linemen: Like the receivers, most of the O-line struggled mightily, resulting in four sacks and numerous QB hits. Kelly and Vaitai were total liabilities with the latter having a miscommunication with center Josh Andrews which almost ended up with Wentz's head being separated from his body.
Three-Step Drop
1. It was just one game, but it was sure nice to see the shackles taken off the Eagles defensive line. Fletcher Cox and company collapsed the pocket on Jameis Winston and kept Doug Martin bottled up in the backfield. One issue with the aggressive style of play was the Eagles inability to cover the screen game which led to the Buccaneers only touchdown of the game. Still, in limited action, it looked like Jim Schwartz's squad will have some fun wrecking plays this year.
2. The limited scoring had a direct effect on the Eagles kicking competition, but Caleb Sturgis ended the night with a lead over Cody Parkey. Both guys made an extra point and looked decent on kickoffs, but Sturgis got the lone field goal attempt and knocked home a 42-yarder. Not really a night worth writing home about, but Sturgis didn't do anything to concede any ground to Parkey.
3. I loved watching the crowd's reaction to Wentz's play all night, but the Eagles kept the rookie in far too long. Yes, no one really wanted to watch McLeod Bethel-Thompson, but by the fourth quarter, Wentz's play was starting to slip and he wasn't getting much help from the rest of his unit. Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich needed to recognize this and get the rookie out of the game before he became a human tackling dummy.
Who's Next
The Eagles will travel across the Keystone State to play the Pittsburgh Steelers next Thursday in their second preseason game. The Steelers boast a big-time offense that should challenge all three levels of the Eagles defense and give the unit a good gauge on haw much further they have to go until they can be considered a proficient unit.
Offensively, Bradford and the rest of the first offensive unit will get more action, perhaps without Lane Johnson. And of course, Wentz will try to improve on his up-and-down preseason debut.
