MVP Foles: Wasn’t afraid to fail
They had gone 7-9 the previous year with rookie Wentz as the starter. He improved meteorically this season and was a leading MVP contender before tearing up his knee in Week 14.
That was one of many key injuries the Eagles had to deal with on the way to their first Super Bowl title and the Lombardi Trophy — their first NFL crown since 1960, when they beat coach Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. Veteran tackle Jason Peters, versatile running back Darren Sproles, specials teams ace Chris Maragos and starting linebacker Jordan Hicks were lost for the season. Adversity. “It’s tough,” said Pederson, whose willingness to stay aggressive was a major reason the Eagles won the NFC East Division at 13-3, then won three more times in the postseason. “It’s something you spend a lot of time thinking about how you want to talk to the team. Part of it was entrusting the players a little bit, allow them to sort of embrace it and the ‘next man up’ mentality.”
Foles, of course, was the next man behind center. He hardly was a stopgap, though, and Pederson recognized that.
Pederson went back to tapes of Foles’ work with the Eagles under Chip Kelly, and then to his games with the Rams and Chiefs. Pederson made some adjustments to fit what made Foles most comfortable — the wheel route to backs and tight ends was particularly effective for Foles — and then turned lose his No. 2 quarterback.
“It was just a matter of him spending time with the guys, take a lot of repetitions in practice,” Pederson said. “We knew in the building we’d be OK with him.”
OK? Doug, you and the Eagles are NFL champions.
“I think this team is full of great character men,” said Pederson, who was a player and coach for Andy Reid, his mentor, and now, perhaps ironically, has the trophy Reid hadn’t been able to hoist. “The leadership in the locker room — part of the message was putting it back on the players and the players own it.
“Not having selfish coaches and players gives you a chance to win this game.”
Philadelphia is a young team. Indeed, it might have arrived at the top ahead of schedule. It definitely arrived in a different manner than it expected.
That leaves the question of Foles’ future. He’s under contract for one more year and the Eagles can afford to keep him. Wentz clearly is the franchise quaterback, though his rehabilitation could make him unavailable for much of the preseason.
“I knew I couldn’t get off the stage” without being asked about the quarterback situation, Pederson joked Monday morning. “We’ll just enjoy this moment, celebrate it with our fans in Philly. It’s not about one guy, it’s about the team.”