EAGLE AT THE TOP
THE Eagles are squarely behind Nick Foles and his magical run from backup quarterback to Super Bowl starter. He can complete a rare feat on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis by taking over a team during the season and winning the Lombardi Trophy.
Doug Williams, Kurt Warner, and Tom Brady walked the same path and became their team’s starting quarterback the following season. But Foles won’t lead the Eagles in 2018. It’s still Carson Wentz’s team. He made that clear on Friday.
In his first chat with the media since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 14, Wentz said all the right things in support of Foles. He talked about what a “good job” Foles has done earning playoff wins against the Falcons and Vikings that has the Eagles in their third Super Bowl with a chance to win their first as a franchise.
“He’s playing confidently and getting the reps is big,” Wentz said of Foles. “It’s not easy to just step in there, having no reps throughout the season. This position is such a timing thing. He’s always been a playmaker and can throw the ball deep. It’s cool to see him come into his own.”
But Wentz also said he expects to be ready to play when the Eagles open their 2018 season and he isn’t planning on watching from the sidelines.
“My goal is to be ready for Week 1 and I’m going to push and do everything I can to be ready,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. There’s no timetable. It’s such a fluid process, we’ll see what happens.
“I’m going to be back stronger than ever, better than ever with no looking back.”
Foles, who is 4-1 since replacing Wentz, will be a free agent at the end of the Super Bowl and certainly will draw interest in teams looking for a veteran quarterback. The Eagles will hope Wentz is ready to resume his role as the franchise quarterback. The secondover all pick in the 2016 draft had passed for 3,296 yards and an Eagles single-season record 33 touchdowns before tearing his ACL and LCL in a Week 14 game against the Rams in Los Angeles. It appeared to be a devastating loss for the Eagles and a huge setback for Wentz.
“It was tough,” he said. “I knew the season was over for me personally. I had to fight those feelings of self-pity. But I got through it pretty quick. My teammates and my faith have gotten me through it and that’s been great.”
Wentz said rehab on his surgically repaired knee is going right on schedule with no complications. And he has tried to remain as involved with the team as possible, watching video with the other quarterbacks and attending practices. But it’s not the same.
“I’m trying to be involved in what I can,” he said. “I voice my opinion in small pieces. Nick’s the guy and I’m trying to help him anyway I can.”
There are dark moments, though.
“There’s the human element that wants to be out there,” he said. “I started with a goal in mind to get here and win this thing. Obviously, it looks different for me, but I couldn’t be happier.”
He takes a measure of pride in getting the Eagles to 13-3 before getting injured and vows to continue his same style of play when he returns next season. “I am who I am,” he said. “Injuries happen. As far as playing aggressive and being the player that I am, I won’t change.”
Wentz said he believes this is just the beginning of a long run for the Eagles as Super Bowl contenders.
“We have something special here,” he said. “It starts with the owners on down. We have a culture and a brotherhood that we’re wired for success for a long time.”