Eagles show how to roll dice on free agents
Tisn’t an award in the NFL for Organization of the Year, but if there were, send the trophy to the Philadelphia Eagles, who will meet the New England Patriots on Feb. 4 in Super LII.
Let’s start with the most important offseason acquisition — quarterback Nick Foles. His relief effort in place of injured Carson Wentz has put him one win from having his statue next to Rocky’s.
But it’s not just Foles. All of Philadelphia’s 38 points against Minnesota on Sunday in the NFC championship game were scored by someone who wasn’t on the Eagles’ roster at this time last year.
Patrick Robinson, who tied the score with an interception return for a touchdown, is a former first-round draft choice of the Indianapolis Colts whom the Eagles signed in free agency.
Alshon Jeffery, who caught two touchdown passes from Foles, is a tremendous wide receiver who established himself with the Chicago Bears. He signed as a free agent, and led the Eagles in the regular season with nine touchdown catches.
Torrey Smith, formerly with the San Francisco 49ers, also scored on a throw from Foles. He caught 36 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season.
Legarrette Blount, who had a TD run, and defensive end Chris Long came to Philadelphia after getting Super Bowl rings from the Patriots last year. They will be a big factor in helping the younger Eagles get familiar with the pressure cooker that they will face in Minneapolis.
Kicker Jake Elliott, signed off the Bengals’ practice squad in Week 2 after Caleb Sturgis got hurt, has made 26 of 31 field-goal tries, including a 61-yarder that beat the Giants in Week 3.
The Eagles also used free agency to add offensive-line depth with former Tennessee Titan Chance Warmack. They used the draft to get defensive end Derek Barnett, who contributed an important strip sack that led to a touchdown last week. And they used trades to get defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from Baltimore and running back Jay Ajayi from Miami.
Still, after the injury to Wentz, it all comes back to Foles. By bringing back him back to Philadelphia, general manager Howie Roseman added an adequate, experienced backup who had started 36 games with the Eagles, Rams and Chiefs.
Although he passed for 28 touchdowns against 22 interceptions in the past four years, Foles also had that magical 2013 season in his first stint in Philadelphia when he accounted for 27 TDS and two interceptions. He certainly looked like the 2013 version Sunday.
The Eagles have established the model that losing teams in the NFL should consider. Spend wisely on free agents and really check that market out. That formula saved the team this season, and big bettors in Las Vegas have been paying attention, with a multimillion-dollar bet on the Eagles at MGM Resorts and a $500,000 wager on them at the South Point.
Brent Musburger’s betting column appears Saturday in the Las Vegas Review-journal. His show on the
Vegas Stats & Information Network can be heard on Siriusxm 204 and livestreamed at reviewjournal.com/ vegas-stats-information-network.