Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Foles an unlikely hero and fitting MVP
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. » When pre-Super Bowl LII discussions turned to Eagles MVP candidates, Nick Foles was nowhere to be found.
Fletcher Cox, check. Alshon Jeffery, check. Zach Ertz, Jay Ajayi, check and check. Not that Foles cared.
That’s what made beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 4133, and walking off with MVP honors Sunday night was such a rush for Foles. He completed 28 of 43 pass attempts for 373 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 106.1 passer rating, the fourth straight playoff game with a rating of 100 or more.
No other quarterback, not even the GOAT, has had a postseason passer rating streak like that.
More impressively, Foles, the Eagles trailing, 32-31, marched the Eagles down the field for the winning touchdown with 2:21 left. It was an 11-yard scoring pass to Zach Ertz.
“I wasn’t worrying about the scoreboard, I wasn’t worrying about the time, I was just playing ball,” Foles said. “I think sometimes when you start worrying about that so much it starts creeping into your brain. I was just playing. That was sort of our mindset going into this. We had to play a strong 60 minutes, and it took 60 minutes to win this game.”
Foles is the third quarterback to win the Super Bowl after starting less than three games, having taken over for injured starter Carson Wentz.
When Foles stepped in for Wentz, billboards sprouted up reading In Nick We Trust, St. Nick and so on. That morphed into the slogan, From Wentz We Came, In Nick We Trust. It’s coming to a T-shirt close to you along with SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!
“This whole postseason Nick has shown exactly who he is and what he can do and what he’s capable of doing,” coach Doug Pederson said of Foles, a thirdround draft pick the Eagles traded to St. Louis after the 2014 season. “He’s well deserving of the honor. But I know he would give credit where credit is due and he had a lot of playmakers tonight make plays for him on both sides of the ball.”
*** Super Bowl LII could be the last game for a handful of Eagles scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.
The list is topped by cornerback Patrick Robinson, who made himself a ton of money with four interceptions in the regular season, and a game-turning pick-six in the conference championship game.
Though the Eagles almost certainly cannot afford Robinson any longer, unless he takes a generous hometown discount, they’re set at cornerback.
Jalen Mills is a solid starter and the Eagles expect a lot out of rookie second-round pick Sidney Jones, still not all the way back from a torn Achilles’ tendon. Additionally, the Eagles selected Rasul Douglas in the third round.
Also due to become unrestricted free agents are linebackers Nigel Bradham and Najee Goode, defensive tackle Beau Allen, running backs LeGarrette Blount and Kenjon Barner, tight end Trey Burton and defensive back Corey Graham.
Bradham wants to return. He may have to check the market to see what he’s worth. Allen had a solid season and likely will be retained. Barner, Burton, Blount and Graham probably will be searching for jobs.
Running back Darren Sproles, shelved by injuries much of this season, says he wants to play another year.
*** No surprise scratches in Super Bowl LII for the Eagles, who deactivated offensive tackle Will Beatty, defensive tackles Elijah Qualls and Destiny Vaeao, defensive end Steven Means, wide receiver Marcus Johnson, running back Wendell Smallwood and Sidney Jones.
Flu didn’t sideline wide receiver Nelson Agholor or cornerback Ronald Darby.
The Patriots scratched running back Mike Gillislee, defensive lineman Alvin Branch, linebacker David Harris, offensive lineman Cole Croston, wide receivers Kenny Britt and Bernard Reedy, and tight end Jake Hollister.
*** The Eagles’ electric slide was voted celebration of the year in online balloting, besting duck, duck, goose, the toboggan run and hide and go seek, among other celebrations.
The Eagles did the slide twice in their rout over the Bears, the second time after a Corey Graham celebration. The Eagles’ offensive line was named the Built Ford Tough offensive line of the year.
*** NOTES » Among the celebrity guests attending Super Bowl LII events and the game: Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Fallon. Also here was Jim Brown.