Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Grounded by fatherhood, Foles ready to let fly
PHILADELPHIA » Nothing, not even the day Eagles quarterback Nick Foles tied the NFL record with seven touchdown passes, compares to June 16.
That was the date Foles received the 8-pound, 4-ounce handoff from wife Tori. They named their first-born Lily James Foles.
“The most amazing moment of my life was when Lily was born,” Foles said Monday. “I’m just getting pictures every day and throughout the day I’ll check my phone and see the updates. It’s the greatest thing in the world. I can’t explain it. Being a father is the coolest thing in the world.”
Being the backup to Carson Wentz has its moments, too. The Eagles had their reasons for bringing Foles in rather than such available backups as Colin Kaepernick.
First and foremost, Foles knows Doug Pederson’s offense and has proven capable of leading a team to the playoffs. Foles took the Eagles to the postseason in 2013, throwing 27 TDs and just two interceptions. That was the year he dropped seven scores on the Oakland Raiders.
Should Wentz get dinged, the Eagles still would have a fighting chance.
“As a player, you can’t step on the field if you don’t have that confidence,” said Foles, who was 15-9 in three seasons with the Eagles. “I believe if I ever do step on the field that I can execute and I can sling it around. I’m just going to go play. I’m not going to think too much. … You don’t really think about that at all because for that to happen
something bad has to happen. So I never take my mind there. But I always prepare so that if that ever happens, I’ll help my team out.”
The Eagles also turned to Foles, whom they took off the board in the third round of the 2012 draft, then traded to St. Louis for Sam Bradford, because they felt comfortable with the way he accepted his role last year with the Kansas City Chiefs. Foles led the Chiefs to two wins when Alex Smith got hurt. There was no quarterback controversy when Smith returned.
“I think it’s important
you have that veteran presence, veteran quarterback as a backup,” Pederson said. “Obviously I was there at one point in my career. I think it’s just a valuable guy. Even Matt McGloin, who is a veteran quarterback and who has played in this league. Nick is very familiar with our offense having come from Kansas City, so a lot of the terminology is the same. He’s — I mean, just like Chase last year, Nick has the right personality. He’s got the right demeanor for Carson. He’s a teacher and a leader on the field that way. He’s a motivator. He’s a great example
for Carson to look to for a lot of answers.”
Foles, Wentz, Matt McGloin and Dane Evans all took turns practicing Monday, McGloin and Evans getting the bulk of the snaps.
Wentz will get the majority of snaps with the firstteam receivers once the veterans report Thursday.
While Foles missed the minicamp to be with his then-expectant wife, his rapport with the new Philly receiving corps isn’t much less extensive than that of Wentz. Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, who are 1-2 on the depth chart, are in their first year with the
Birds.
Foles thinks his familiarity with the offense will enable him to make the most of the mental reps, when Wentz is slinging the ball at practice.
“When Carson’s throwing to them, you just try to visualize their routes, see how they run,” Foles said. “There’s a baseline to what the route should look like but everyone runs it a little bit differently. I think it’s important when you’re not up, to watch. I love watching other quarterbacks’ footwork and I love watching the receivers’ routes because it just continues
to build a database in your brain where if you’ve got to throw it to him, you know what that route is and where they’re going to be.”
Foles, 28, hasn’t played for a team where the quarterback started all 16 games in his entire five-year NFL career. Wentz last year became the first Eagles quarterback since Donovan McNabb in 2008 to start every game.
“If I ever do have to play, I want to go out there and help the team,” Foles said. “But Carson is going to stay healthy for 16 games, he’s going to ball-out and we’re all going to do it together.”