Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood found plenty of daylight against the New York Giants Sunday, piling up several meaty runs to finish with 71 yards on just 12 carries. He said this week that the holes he got to run through were some of the biggest he's seen since being drafted by the Eagles last year, and revealed that most of those gashers were plays that quarterback Carson Wentz checked into.

"He picked the plays out. He saw a favorable box or he saw a scheme that would work for us -- some of the schemes we haven't done in a while -- and he checked to them. And they looked pretty good," Smallwood said.

One in particular stood out to coach Doug Pederson. It was a first down from the Eagles' 28-yard line in the latter stages of the second quarter. Operating from the shotgun, Wentz audibled out of a pass play after scanning the New York defense.

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"It was a shell coverage or a two-deep look by the Giants, and he checked to a run, which is great, because it's usually a six-man box," said Pederson. "He pulled [TE Zach] Ertz down in there and pulled the guard and just a gap scheme, and nice little gain [14 yards] right up the middle."

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Sunday highlighted the significant freedoms Wentz has in operating this offense. Pederson explained that there is a "take-it system" that the coach can shift into at any point in the game where he just gives Wentz the formation and has the quarterback take it from there, the restriction being that the plays are to be pulled from that week's game plan. The playbook is loaded with run-pass options (RPOs), allowing Wentz to make a judgement call at the line of scrimmage based on how he reads the defense.

Center Jason Kelce believes Wentz -- just 19 games into his professional career -- has more pre-snap authority than any quarterback he's worked with in his seven years in the pros.

"Under Chip [Kelly] we weren't switching in and out of things. I thought Sam [Bradford] was a guy that probably could do something like this, but he just didn't get to do that. [Michael] Vick certainly had the ability to change the play and do certain things like that. We just probably do a little more of it with Carson," he said.

"If you have a guy who can do it and you have a guy that's good at it, obviously being in a conducive play is huge for the offense. Having the numbers be correct on a run play, you still have to block it up when the play is called, but it definitely sets you off the right foot. You're not running uphill, you're running downhill at that point."

Wentz is also given a voice during the week and between series on the sideline. He advocates for what he likes, and Pederson welcomes the dialogue, believing the only way to be successful is to listen to your players.

"I think it's rare [for a young quarterback to take that kind of command]. I don't think it's the case everywhere," said Pederson. "I can't speak for every team that has a rookie quarterback or a young quarterback that's playing. I just know what Carson does here and what works and what we feel comfortable with."

Offensive coordinator Frank Reich cited Wentz's ability to process information quickly as the key to his aptitude pre-snap, and noted that his experience commanding an offense in this capacity dates back to his college days. It's likely that Wentz's responsibilities will only grow from here.

"I think it puts a lot of stress on teams," Wentz said of the offense's flexibility. "Am I going to be right every time with those decisions? No. But I think it can definitely create some big plays and some opportunities.

"There are certain play calls that from the beginning, it's, 'We're going to call this play, but if you see something get us out of it,' and then there's other times where I just see something in the defense," he said. "I think they have a lot of confidence in me to get us in and out of the right plays, so that's something we utilized a little bit on Sunday and I thought it was effective."