A Bit More on Foles

Posted: March 27th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on A Bit More on Foles

Nick Foles is a complicated subject. He just led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl and that gives him a special place in team history. Heck, that arguably makes him the most important person in the history of Philadelphia, apologies to Ben Franklin, Julius Erving and Derek Landri.

Some people took yesterday’s post as an insult to Foles. I mentioned a few times that he wasn’t special in any way. That’s not an insult. That’s just reality. Foles would be the first to tell you that.

Some responded by talking about the fact he made some great throws in the NFC CG and the Super Bowl. Foles was great in those two games. That was him at his best and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Making great throws in two games doesn’t make you special. Watch Brady, Brees and Rodgers make spectacular throws, game after game, year after year. That’s on a different level.

There is a reason Foles was drafted in the 3rd round. There is a reason the Eagles traded him after 2014. And the Rams let him go. And that he didn’t have a ton of interest as a free agent prior to last season. Foles is talented, but he is flawed. The tape shows that.

There is a catch here. Scouting reports are constantly changing. The report on Foles now has to mention that he played well against the Falcons and then was lights out against the Vikings and Pats. Those were legitimately great performances. That doesn’t wipe out poor games from the past, but it does counter them to a certain extent. If Foles had played well for 10 or 12 games, then you might have a really different scouting report.

You just can’t take a small sample and turn that into definitive evidence, even with a Super Bowl win.

I’ll be fascinated to see Foles when he does get on the field next. I hope he doesn’t play important snaps for the Eagles this year, but only because I want Carson Wentz healthy.

I hope some team does give Foles a chance to start in 2019. I hope he does play really well and we can change the way we talk about him. When you scout a player, you aren’t just looking for highlights. You need to focus on what a player does on a consistent basis. Foles was great in the postseason, but had great circumstances. The O-line blocked well. His skill players made ridiculous catch after ridiculous catch. The running game was effective. Foles played with a lead for the vast majority of the 180 playoff minutes.

You can’t count on favorable circumstances like that. Assuming he is with a new team in 2019, Foles has a chance to completely change his perception. He is a playoff hero in Philly, but could become a good starting QB for some other team. Right now, teams aren’t sure what to make of him as a starter. Other teams didn’t make a stronger run at him this offseason because they are scared he would be a very different QB for them than he was for the Eagles.

Some people talked about Foles as being clutch. There is a good argument to be made for this. He has been good in tight games over the years and was in 2017. He obviously played well when things mattered the most. When it comes to intangibles, Foles is off the charts. Great teammate. Great leader. Hard worker. Focused. Gives credit, takes blame. Low maintenance. Foles the person is absolutely someone you want on your team.

I will forever be grateful to Foles for winning the Super Bowl. I will be a fan of his because of that.

That said, I’m always going to be honest about players. No team should trade a 1st round pick for Foles. He’s not suddenly one of the 10 best starting QBs in the league. I know he can succeed with the right circumstances, but I don’t know what he would do with mediocre surroundings. Maybe the great play in the postseason has changed him and he is a different QB. Maybe not.

Foles is talented. He can play at a very high level. We just don’t know what to expect from the new and improved version of Foles over the course of a 16-game season.

I hope we get a chance to find out in the future. I’ll certainly be pulling for him.

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Great news. The D-line has a chance to be outstanding this year. Long made critical plays last year and was terrific off the bench. It will be great to have him back.

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Jeff McLane has your owners meetings update.

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Les Bowen has your Michael Bennett update.

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