Carson Wentz defends Vikings' decision to keep him in game despite injured shoulder

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz said Wednesday he participated in, and approved of, the team’s decision to play him for 2 1/2 games after an Oct. 5 hit that led to a dislocation, fractured socket and torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Wentz also said he wanted to stay in Thursday night’s loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, saying he thinks public backlash to the team keeping him in the game is “kind of crazy.”

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” he said. “I‘m not an idiot. I knew what I was signing up for going out there. Nobody was forcing me, pressuring me, any of those things.

“Everybody’s handled this tremendously. Communication has been phenomenal, from coaches, trainers, all the things. We knew what we were doing.”

The Vikings put Wentz on injured reserve Monday with J.J. McCarthy ready to return as the starting quarterback, and the 32-year-old Wentz will have season-ending surgery to repair the injuries he suffered from the second-quarter hit he took from Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger on Oct. 5.

An MRI exam during the Vikings’ bye week showed the extent of the injury, and Wentz played the team’s next two games against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chargers with a shoulder harnesses, opting for a more extensive brace Thursday at Los Angeles four days after the Eagles game.

The short turnaround between the Eagles and Chargers games meant Wentz didn’t have as much recovery time as in a normal week and made the pain harder to manage in a game in which he took five sacks and eight quarterback hits. He came off the field multiple times in visible pain during the nationally televised loss.

The Vikings played without right tackle Brian O’Neill, who sat out because of left knee soreness after playing the Eagles game with a sprained right MCL, and left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who tore his left ACL a year ago, came out after nine snaps because of concerns about how his knee felt.

But Wentz, who said he knew after the bye-week diagnosis that it “was only a matter of time” before he would need season-ending surgery, wanted to play as long as he could and was willing to tolerate the pain to do so.

“Playing with it, did it become more uncomfortable? Probably,” he said. “I mean, that was pretty evident to me. But did it become worse that it can’t be fixed? No. I wouldn’t have been out there.

“Truthfully, that was the No. 1 question I had for everybody: ‘Can this get worse? What’s the concern?’ It was kind of a resounding, ‘It’s going to be uncomfortable, but it’s up to you.’ And I said, ‘Well, in that case, let’s roll and see how long we can go.’”

‘It’s never fun’ to have surgery

In addition to the Vikings’ medical staff, Wentz consulted with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Los Angeles-based orthopedic surgeon who has operated on numerous NFL players. He told Wentz there was no risk of further injury if he played and the decision would come down to the quarterback’s pain tolerance.

The Vikings removed Wentz before their last series of Thursday’s 37-10 loss to the Chargers, and the quarterback threw his helmet into the team’s bench as he left the field. On Wednesday, Wentz said, the outburst was spurred by a combination of pain and the realization his season was likely over.

“It’s never fun [to have surgery]. I’ve had more than I care to have in my career,” said the Bismarck, N.D., native, who grew up cheering for the Vikings. “Obviously, the Eagles game, it was bothering me a little bit, but it was bearable. It was doable. The short week made it way harder — I’m not gonna lie — and the game was just icing on the cake for me to know [it was time for surgery].

“The frustration you saw on the sideline was me knowing, ‘Yeah, I’m probably not playing again this year.’ There’s a lot of emotion there, mixed with the pain. We knew what was coming. We just didn’t know when.”

Wentz said he was “talking the whole time“ with Vikings trainers and coaches about whether he should stay in the game Thursday. During those conversations, he said, he acknowledged he was in pain, but “I didn’t want to remove myself” from the game.

“I was a backup the last couple years, so just being back in the role of starting meaningful football games, it’s fun,” Wentz said. “It’s what I grew up dreaming of doing. And when you lose it for a little bit, it’s hard to want to give it up. So even with the pain and all the things I knew were going to come with it, I wanted to play. I want to be out there, and I want to be helping the team.”

Comfortable decision

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said the team’s medical staff led the discussions with Wentz, with O’Connell weighing the decision of whether to keep Wentz in the game from a football perspective. Even with the Vikings down 24 points after Caleb Dicker’s field goal with 7:01 to play, the coach kept Wentz in the game for one more series, hoping the Vikings could start a drive to turn things around as Wentz said he wanted to stay in the game.

“We wanted to make sure we did right by him late in the game,” O’Connell said. “The way we operate, where we believe we’re out of reach might be a little different than how the folks watching the game might believe it to be. We’ve had some games where, thank goodness we had that mindset, because we’ve found a way to win some of those.

“When you’ve got a guy that’s committed to play through something, as long as the medical staff doesn’t give me any new information to [contradict] that, that’s kind of how it took place.”

O’Connell acknowledged “there’s an absolute level there” where a coach should take a player out of a game because of pain, even if the player wants to stay in.

“Ultimately,” he said, “that’s not a decision you make on your own. It comes from people with a lot more expertise. And then when you ask a player, ‘Can you still go out there and play,’ and they said, ‘Absolutely; nothing’s changed,’ you have to make the decision. As the head coach, that’s my responsibility.”

NFL players frequently play through shoulder injuries like dislocations and torn labrums. Running back Dalvin Cook did in each of his final two years with the Vikings. One league source estimated there is a player on nearly every team currently playing with the injury this season.

Wentz did so for 10 quarters before opting for surgery that should still have him healthy in time for next season after a four-month rehab. His wife will give birth to the couple’s fourth child in the next few days, and he will return after shoulder rehab to a locker room where brutal injuries are commonplace in a violent sport.

“That’s where the line might be different for some folks, compared to the guy competing on the field or the team,” O’Connell said. “There’s absolutely a time for [taking a player out], and I think you guys know I know that. … From a standpoint of managing injuries, I feel very good about our protocols, our people in place. Over the time I’ve been the head coach here, that’s stood up pretty well.”

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