Get to Work, Mr Foles

Posted: January 12th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 63 Comments »

Nick Foles just had a breakout season, leading the NFL in passer rating. He’s now going to get to play in the Pro Bowl. That’s all nice, but he didn’t win the Super Bowl. Heck, he didn’t win even one playoff game. So congratulations on the season, but get back to work.

The good news is that Foles is already ahead of us. Instead of being satisfied with 2013, he’s hungrier than ever. Zach Berman wrote a good piece on Foles.

“Everybody wants to label this after a good season, but I need to get better,” Foles said. “I don’t look at this season as, I did good. I got a lot of stuff to work on. I got to do a lot better. We didn’t win the last game, and a lot of that goes onto the quarterback.”

So what will Foles work on?

“Every little thing I can think of,” Foles said. “I will break it up into segments.”

One positive of the season is that Foles showed he could run more than his reputation suggested. Foles rushed for 221 yards and 15 first downs. He said defenses must at least respect him when he holds onto the ball in the Eagles offense. During the offseason, Foles wants to work on his speed.

“Maybe last year, it was 5 to 10 yards,” he said. “Maybe next year, it’s 15 to 20.”

Go read the article to find out what areas Trent Dilfer, who is Foles biggest fan, thinks he can work on.

* * * * *

I wrote a piece for BGN about Foles having good timing. I’m really just saying he’s lucky in regard to the time he came along and the team he ended up on.

Foles doesn’t have the same pressure on him that some other QBs have. He has the right coach. He’s got the right pieces around him. And he’s with an organization that has had good QB play in recent years. If the Buffalo Bills had a QB that led the league in passer rating and went 8-2 as a starter, they’d name buildings after the guy and give him the key to the city. Foles is getting plenty of support and praise here, but no one is worshiping him. That will help keep him humble and focused. It has to be tough for a young guy who gets universal praise to keep a level head. Right, RG3?

* * * * *

Domo posted his weekly notes column the other day. He wrote about Trent Dilfer praising Foles at the beginning. He then had a lot of interesting items. Here are a few.

* The Eagles turned the ball over just three times in the red zone this season. It was their fewest red-zone giveaways since 2010, when they had two. They had six last season, nine in 2011.

* For the moment at least, Nick Foles has the best interception percentage in NFL history. He’s thrown just seven picks in 582 career regular-season attempts (1.2 percent). Aaron Rodgers is second at 1.8 percent (52 interceptions in 2,955 attempts) and Tom Brady is third at 2.0 percent (134 in 6,586).

* DeMeco Ryans played 1,189 snaps this season, which was more than any other linebacker in the league. The main reason Ryans was on the field so much was because the Eagles’ lack of depth at cornerback and safety effectively prevented defensive coordinator Bill Davis from using a dime package (six defensive backs). Assuming the Eagles are able to improve their depth on the back end in the offseason, Davis almost certainly will play more dime next season and Ryans will get a few more breathers.

It will be interesting to see if Ryans appeared to wear down late in the year.

_

63 Comments on “Get to Work, Mr Foles”

  1. 1 Scott said at 4:35 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Lazor leaving for an OC job is a big blow to Foles, right?

  2. 2 TommyLawlor said at 5:24 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    I’ve not heard that he got a job.

    If he does leave, that will hurt, but Shurmur and Kelly are excellent coaches. And Kelly would hopefully hire a good replacement.

  3. 3 anon said at 8:33 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    is Lazor a QB whisperer?

  4. 4 A_T_G said at 8:47 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    He produces a nearly parallel, nearly monochromatic, and coherent focus between himself and his QBs, resulting in a highly focused, accurate, and potentially devastating attack.

    So, yes.

  5. 5 TommyLawlor said at 10:15 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Sounds totally made up.

  6. 6 A_T_G said at 10:50 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Maybe. Or maybe I Googled Laser, paraphrased, and applied it totally out of context.

    Either way, seems pretty definitive to me.

  7. 7 Media Mike said at 4:43 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    I can’t wait to see how dynamic and unstoppable Foles to Jackson is going to be next year now that they have a full off-season to train together as starter and #1 WR. Foles to Ertz is going to be another vast improvement next year.

  8. 8 nopain23 said at 4:57 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Man watching Earl Thomas flying around the field last night just making play after play should be painful for ALL eagles’ fans. Just imagine that guy in OUR backfield. . Passing on him will go down as one of the biggest blunders in eagles history.
    Hope we can find an impact defensive back this offseason.be it in FA or the draft.

  9. 9 Media Mike said at 5:04 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Somebody on Twitter made the point that McDermott would have screwed up Thomas as well. And wide-9 would have made it worse.

  10. 10 SteveH said at 5:10 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    I can’t wait until the day when I don’t have to hear about how we missed on Earl Thomas.

  11. 11 Guest said at 6:28 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    ……..

  12. 12 anon said at 8:32 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Hopefully another Earl will make us feel better about that.

  13. 13 Phyxius said at 5:15 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    The sooner you get over it, the better.

  14. 14 nopain23 said at 5:19 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    I was over it…..until last night……

  15. 15 xeynon said at 5:36 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    And the Eagles could’ve had Osi Umenyiora and Jason Witten instead of Jerome McDougle and L.J. Smith. On the other hand, they could’ve just as easily drafted Glen Coffee instead of LeSean McCoy. Every team hits on some of its picks and misses on others, and every team bypasses guys who become great players, every year. Get over it.

  16. 16 iceberg584 said at 10:17 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    I think it’s worse because on draft day in 2010, most of us were screaming for them to do it. I know that when I heard the Eagles traded up, I was so excited because the Eagles were going to get Earl Thomas, only for them to select Graham.

  17. 17 BlindChow said at 5:49 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    (Stole this from Adam.)

    http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/754/1323/original.jpg

  18. 18 xeynon said at 5:42 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Foles appears to have the intelligence, mental toughness, work ethic, and love for the game that are necessary to become a great NFL quarterback. That’s good because a guy with his physical limitations won’t achieve greatness without them. Hopefully he can improve as much this offseason as he did last offseason.

  19. 19 Sean said at 5:43 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    How is he realistically going to improve his speed?

  20. 20 BlindChow said at 5:48 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    We have the technology.

  21. 21 TommyLawlor said at 5:50 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Sports science.

  22. 22 Sean said at 5:54 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Science and magic are only one and the same on Asgard

  23. 23 SteveH said at 5:55 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Hopefully he’s not going to ask Rich Eisen.

  24. 24 Phyxius said at 6:11 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    He improved from last year, so it’s not impossible for him to gain some speed

  25. 25 theycallmerob said at 6:30 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    tie a cheetah to his back

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3R-rtWPyJY

  26. 26 shah8 said at 6:48 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Actually, I wouldn’t try to improve his speed. I would try for agility. He sucks at getting 2-4 yards, when he doesn’t need to suck. Again, not wide open run lanes, but bailouts and short yardage RO in critical moments. Just be a bit harder to bring down, and a bit faster to accelerate.

  27. 27 mksp said at 7:05 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Agreed. I think Nick actually has a good feel for the pocket, he’s just betrayed by his own lack of agility and strength. He has good, light, feet, just needs to get a bit quicker and stronger.

    Experience will be big for Nick. I actually agree with Trent Dilfer – he *is* too methodical at times – he needs to speed up every element of quarterbacking. The good news is I think he can. His best game (Chicago IMO) was also where he seemed most decisive.

  28. 28 anon said at 8:30 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    All correct but just be glad that we have a qb that doesn’t rest on his laurels.

  29. 29 xeynon said at 12:48 AM on January 13th, 2014:

    Right. Unlike a guy like Matthew Stafford who upon completing a season in which he got his team intercepted right out of the playoffs said “nah, I’m good” when asked if he thought additional work on his QB skills might help him improve.

    Foles may or may not become a top echelon starting QB but if he doesn’t lack of work ethic won’t be the reason not.

  30. 30 Jack Waggoner said at 12:04 AM on January 13th, 2014:

    I wouldn’t worry about his speed for the most part either. Dilfer nailed it, he needs to work on core strength, and footwork. That will put a little more zip on his throws.

  31. 31 kajomo said at 7:09 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    It is actually a common thing for athketes to work on speed. It is the same as a QB working on arm strength. They improve their form. They work with weights, resistence training, etc. in order to develope the muscles in an optimal way for speed.

    He will also likely improve his agility and flexibilty. He’s not being to turn into Mike Vick, but he can have noticibke gains. Especially since he is less likely to have soent much time improving his speed over the years the way a WR or RB might.

  32. 32 Mitchell said at 9:46 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Totally agree, so many people view speed a finite quality. There is no reason you cannot improve on it a considerable amount. You’re right, he won’t be Mike but there will be improvement.

  33. 33 BobSmith77 said at 10:18 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Brawndo. Its got electrolytes and stuff.

  34. 34 BobSmith77 said at 10:19 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Footwork. I wouldn’t say his raw speed but his initial burst (first 2-3 steps) and agility in the pocket & while on rollouts are something he can improve.

  35. 35 Maggie said at 11:18 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    How do Olympics-style sprinters improve speed? They run really a lot. And practice short bursts from the starting blocks. QB’s really only have to run 5 to 10 yards most of the time.

  36. 36 D3FB said at 12:01 AM on January 13th, 2014:

    Every college, and damn near every high school team has some form of speed training to supplement their work in the weight room. It tends to focus on mechanics and explosive movements. It’s why alot of non-skill position players can put on 30lbs during their college careers and drop a few tenths off their forty times.

  37. 37 Sean said at 12:15 AM on January 13th, 2014:

    Alright, everyone. I am well aware there are ways for athletes to work on their foot speed. I just meant that we’re not going to see a significant difference. Foles is not going to spend all offseason working on his for a minor improvement, nor should he. There are more feasible goals he could accomplish that will bear more fruit.

  38. 38 Insomniac said at 6:28 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    So about that Alex Henery streak of 9 FG made in a row. Matt Prater has 22. Pfft.

  39. 39 SteveH said at 6:39 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Well it feels pretty safe to say the AFC championship game will be the Denver Peyton Manning’s against the Pats. I don’t feel like the Denver D really matches up well against the NE running game, I guess we’ll wait and see if NE can get their pass D together.

  40. 40 Maggie said at 11:20 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Just can’t get excited about the same old, same old in the AFC.

  41. 41 shah8 said at 6:44 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Damned straight Foles has a lot of work to do.

  42. 42 shah8 said at 6:45 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Reading that Berman story, sounds like Foles knows exactly what his story’s gonna be if he doesn’t get better.

  43. 43 mksp said at 7:09 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    He’s no dummy. Nick knows Chip’s system is a big reason for his success, and host shortcomings this year were obvious to everyone.

    The upside of all this is if he improves next year and proves to be the man in Philly, we might be able to lock him in at a reduced price (say $12 – $13mm per) since we’d be buying him out of a year of rookie salary and he’s self aware enough to know he wouldn’t be as successful in another offense.

  44. 44 anon said at 8:29 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    It’d be nice if he didn’t demand Joe Flacco money but can’t blame him or his agent if he does.

  45. 45 BobSmith77 said at 10:17 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    He won’t get that kind of money given this track record. He would have to get close to duplicating his numbers from this year, stay healthy all year, and win at least 1-2 playoff games to get close.

  46. 46 SteveH said at 6:46 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Maybe Foles should incorporate Omaha into his snap count… its gotten Peyton Manning 5 offsides tonight.

  47. 47 Insomniac said at 6:59 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Doesn’t Eli use Omaha too?

  48. 48 UKEagle99 said at 8:22 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Yup, I’m guessing they both overheard it as children, it being mommys ‘safe’ word.

  49. 49 Insomniac said at 8:28 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    The wonders of the internet.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsAKFIbpC1A

  50. 50 SteveH said at 4:10 AM on January 13th, 2014:

    Fascinating. So Omaha could mean opposite or just be a dummy call. I’ll have to listen for the key sound thing and see if I notice whether they follow the pattern or not.

  51. 51 UKEagle99 said at 10:00 AM on January 13th, 2014:

    Good watch, thanks! I could listen to Randy Moss all day on that!

  52. 52 SteveH said at 7:03 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    In the spirit of “Fucking Julius!” I present: “GODDAMNIT DONALD!”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DttfyOeU3vw

  53. 53 SteveH said at 7:09 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Refs clusterfucking the Broncos game, way bogus PI and then trouble spotting the ball.

  54. 54 SteveH said at 7:12 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    6 dropped passes by Denver today, gonna have to play a lot better to beat New England.

  55. 55 theycallmerob said at 7:24 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    this actually made me LOL…..Brandon Lee Gowton (BGN) brought it back up

    Knowshon sucks RT @RealSkipBayless: Peyton is doing what Peyton always does. But Knowshon is KILLING the Cowboys.— Lesean McCoy (@CutonDime25) October 6, 2013

  56. 56 SteveH said at 7:41 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Because the Broncos deciding covering Keenan Allen was a bad strategy I went from 12th to 107 in my fanduel tourney. It’s cool I didn’t want all that money anyhow.

  57. 57 anon said at 8:27 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Hopefully we’ll be so lucky in the third round of the draft this year.

  58. 58 D3FB said at 11:48 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    WR is incredibly deep this year. Basically every underclassman who had any kind of decent season declared.

  59. 59 BobSmith77 said at 11:13 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Manning didn’t look happy to be playing in the cold today but next week it is supposed to be in the low 50s and sunny in Denver. Should make him a pretty happy guy.

  60. 60 Maggie said at 11:23 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    There is something wrong with low 50’s and sunny in Denver in January!

  61. 61 Maggie said at 11:27 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    “The Eagles turned the ball over just 3 times in the Red Zone all season”! Most important statement in the whole piece!

  62. 62 Jack Waggoner said at 11:55 PM on January 12th, 2014:

    Core strength and footwork are two areas that Dilfer identified. (I think Dilfer is correct).

  63. 63 eagleyankfan said at 4:32 PM on January 14th, 2014:

    Not sure anybody cares what Dilfer has to say….