Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Foles is back, eager to hear another Philly-style welcome
The real Nick Foles is somewhere between the Napoleon Dynamite lookalike who thinks he can still throw 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in a season and the journeyman of four NFL cities.
Life hasn’t been easy for the retrobackup to Eagles franchise quarterback Carson Wentz. Not since that 2013 start when Foles rained seven TD passes on the Raiders, tying the NFL single-game record.
“That was just one of the games where all the stars aligned and everything flowed and every ball I threw just felt great and the plays were right,” Foles said at a news conference Thursday. “You might get one of those games in your life and I was fortunate to have it in the NFL in that situation.”
Foles, 28, hasn’t had an opportunity to share the story with Wentz, although he said he’s “messaged” the rookie phenomenon since signing a two-year pact with the Eagles worth up to $11 million.
Nor has Foles had the chance to explain to his new colleague how Phillyproud he is. Foles is glad to be back partly because he grew attached to the passion that resonated in booing.
“I have nothing but great things to say about this city, the fans,” Foles said. “I missed it. I miss running into the Linc and being part of that on game day. Crazy enough, you miss the booing from time to time. I laugh just thinking about playing and getting booed, then throwing a touchdown and hearing the eruption. It’s the only place you get something like that.
“It’s a special atmosphere here. It’s a special group of people.”
The Eagles took Foles off the board in the third round of the 2012 draft because they blew the chance to draft Russell Wilson, the guy they had rated ahead of him in the round. Foles nonetheless went 15-9 with the Eagles from 2012-14 with 46 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.
Then-head coach Chip Kelly made Foles and veteran Michael Vick compete for the starting quarterback job, gave it to Vick, and when Vick was hurt, handed it over to Foles. He had an offthe-charts 2013 season, throwing 27 TDs and just the two picks. That was due partly to the Kelly hurry-up offense the NFL hadn’t figured out.
“That player’s still capable, that player’s still here,” Foles said. “I mean, I’ve continued to grow and excel as a player and mentally gained wisdom through the years. I’m still capable of doing things like that. The thing is, sometimes you never get an opportunity to. But that’s all right.
“I am honestly content in all things and excited about being here, excited about my role for this team because I know that I can help this team with the new role I have. It’s a new role for me but at the same time I’m going to do it to the best of my ability and impact this locker room a different way than the last time I was here.”
Foles said he didn’t play well enough and didn’t win enough games to stick around with the Rams. With the Chiefs, he backed up Alex Smith last year. Since leaving the Eagles, Foles is 7-10 as a starter with 10 TD passes and 10 interceptions.
Foles sees some of himself in Wentz … Big frame, big arm and focused. He also thinks his experience can benefit Wentz.
“I want him to have success,” Foles said of Wentz. “I know what it’s like at that age. He needs me to be there to support him. When you have a guy behind you that supports you it makes it a lot easier to go out there and play. And if someone has been there and done it, it has more meaning when they give you an answer than if someone gives you an answer and has never done it. It doesn’t have as much power.”
Backups don’t sound more authentic than Foles, who barring a Wentz injury doesn’t have a real shot to start this season. Wentz became the first quarterback to start all 16 games for the Eagles since Donovan McNabb in 2008.
But for Foles, starting isn’t the only thing.
“It’s all about opportunity and at this time in my life, we’re having a baby girl and there’s a lot going on,” Foles said. “It was really like, what’s best for the family? And we have a great support system here, a great community from when we lived here. And yes, of course I want to be able to start in the NFL again. But at the same time I’m blessed to be here. So many guys who are out of the NFL would tell they’d do anything they could to be back in here and be part of that team atmosphere.”