Establishing a consistent passing game at the NFL level is like creating a work of art. Its a mix of different ingredients coming together in the right way to create something special.

In the Eagles offense, timing is key when it comes to the passing game. Some have called Doug Pederson and Frank Reichs offense a West Coast hybrid, and one of the fundamental features of that offense is timing. It needs to be just right, or the finished product doesnt come out the way it was drawn up and mapped out.

How is that timing developed? According to Mike Quick, who played nine seasons with the Eagles and is in the team's Hall of Fame, it all comes down to a quarterback being able to build and improve upon a relationship with his wide receiver. Thats not something that typically happens overnight.

Theyve got to spend time together, Quick said on a recent episode of the Eagle Eye in the Sky podcast with Fran Duffy. To me, thats the bottom line because (Wentz) has to know them. ... Once he has the time to spend with those guys, then the passing game is going to be completely different. That back-shoulder throw is such a big tool now in the NFL. When a guy is taking away from you getting to the up-field shoulder and you have to make the back-shoulder throw, it comes from a lot of repetition and it comes from timing of knowing where to place the ball so your receiver can stop, adjust to the football, and make a play on it. ... All of these things come in time.

In Quicks estimation, an increase in chemistry will only help to add another dimension to the Eagles passing offense. One of the areas where the Eagles struggled in 2016 was in taking deep shots down the field. Bryce Treggs added more of a vertical threat after getting on the field around midseason and Nelson Agholor hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass in the Week 16 game against New York, but the Eagles never developed a consistent down-the-field passing game.

That could change in 2017, says Quick.

One of the areas where the Eagles need to get better at next year, Fran, is throwing the ball down the field. I was asked about Carson Wentz being a guy whos 6-foot-5 and how he gets a lot of balls batted down. Well, when youre throwing the ball 10 yards down the field the majority of the time, thats going to happen because teams understand that your trajectory is low and its not going to be as high as when youre throwing the ball down the field. They know that theyll have chances to hit the ball.

They have to throw the ball down the field, and Carson has to get used to these guys know their gait, know the timing, know how far he can lead a guy, and just how far he can put a ball out in front of a guy and how he can go and get it. Thats different for all of his guys, and the more he spends time with the guys, the more he understands them, understands how they speed up after they stop or getting off of pressure.

Quick also noted that theres not really a set amount of time that it takes for a quarterback to become adjusted to his group of receivers. For Quick, his big jump came in his second season. He was able to turn things around after catching just 10 passes his rookie year.

Theres no exact answer, Quick explained. Youll start to feel it. Its like a non-verbal communication thing. Youll start to feel it in time with your quarterback and he understands you and you understand him. For me coming into the league, it was as early as my second year working with (Ron) Jaworski. My first year was a strike-shortened year. We took a lot of time in playgrounds and high school fields in the area, just throwing it around and getting to know each other, and it started to click.

When Randall (Cunningham) came in as the quarterback, some years later, it took a little bit longer, but it starts to click at some point. That non-verbal communication sets in and you start to understand the guy. You understand just by his movements what hes going to do, and thats going to happen for these guys.

Shortly after the regular season ended, Howie Roseman expressed how the goal moving forward is to find the right pieces to build around Wentz and help him develop into an elite quarterback. The Eagles will certainly look to upgrade the wide receiver position during this offseason, as they will do with every position group, but Quick believes that the season Wentz spent with some of his returning weapons will be huge for his development moving forward.

I think Jordan (Matthews) has a good relationship with Carson already, and I think the relationship with Zach Ertz is really improving and you could really see that over the last quarter of the 2016 season, that theyre really improving in their relationship and their non-verbal communication, Quick said. Thats going to be key. As he spends more time with these guys, hell start to understand them better.

Excerpt from:
Quick: Chemistry Key To Passing Game - Philadelphia Eagles - PhiladelphiaEagles.com