Nick Foles Loves Playing In Philly, Says He 'Couldn't Be Happier'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Nick Foles, 25, was born and raised in Austin, Texas and graduated from Westlake High School in 2007. Foles was a two-year starting QB in high school, throwing for 5,658 yards and 56 touchdowns, breaking Drew Brees' previously held school records. Foles originally committed to Arizona State, then later decided to attend Michigan State, before ultimately transferring to the University of Arizona.
In 2012, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted the six-foot, six-inch right-handed quarterback in round three with their 88th pick.
"It's fun man," Foles told Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis on WIP Afternoons on Thursday. "I love playing here, I love living here. It really is a blessing. I look back at the last couple years, playing college and how everything worked out, and I couldn't be happier. It's an honor to put on this jersey, to be in this facility, to be with these people, to play for this city. It's a blast."
LISTEN: Nick Foles On The WIP Afternoon Show
Foles played seven games his rookie season, completing 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,699 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. In his second season, Foles took over for an injured Mike Vick in week 3 and led the Eagles to a 10-6 record and an NFC East division title under first year head coach Chip Kelly, throwing 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions, while posting an NFL best 119.2 passer rating.
Foles heads into his third NFL season as the Eagles starting quarterback for the first time in his career and looks to build off of his 2013 success, a season where the Eagles were eliminated by Brees' New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round of the playoffs, losing 26-24 at home.
"I definitely feel more comfortable [than last season], just because I've been able to play football, we've been able to win as a team, and we know what it takes to win," said Foles. "We know that every day we have to push it where we get home at night and we're just worn out and exhausted. It's fun in that sense and it's exciting to be here, but I also know it's a lot of hard work ahead if we are going to be successful this season."
Foles and Kelly burst onto the NFL scene together last year, as Foles was at the helm of Kelly's polarizing fast-paced offense, which ranked second in the NFL in yards per game. Foles explains why players love playing for Kelly.
"When you have a coach call the plays and then you're like, alright," Foles explained. "I know this situation, we've talked about it. I know what he's looking for and you practice all week and you can go out and execute is something special. Off the field, he's [Kelly] just a fun guy to play for. He's just a guy's guy. He's just a good old dude and he loves the game of football and guys really love him as a head coach and enjoy playing for him, and I'm one of him."
Foles said him and Kelly both have aggressive offensive mind sets and the two work very well together.
"We have a great relationship," Foles said of Kelly. "I think we both have similar mindsets when it comes to playing football. He's an aggressive coach with the offense, he likes to go fast. He lets me play the game. He gives me freedom to go out there and play, you know obviously to stay within the guidelines of why he is calling the play. I think when he calls a play, I know why he's calling the play, which helps me a lot."