Can Philadelphia Build A Franchise QB In Nick Foles?
By Kevin McGuire
As the Philadelphia Eagles rise to the top of the NFC East standings, thanks to a three-game winning streak and smart, efficient play by quarterback Nick Foles, the fate of the season and the future of the franchise has been flipped and turned upside down. Or has it been turned right side up? Is Foles proving he can, or should, be the franchise quarterback of the future for Chip Kelly's system? He is certainly making a case for it.
One of the strengths of Kelly's offenses as a head coach at Oregon was the way his quarterbacks avoided mistakes. From 2009 through 2012 Oregon never finished lower than second in the Pac 12 in interceptions lost, and the only team to do better than Oregon in the interception totals was Stanford, twice, with some guy named Andrew Luck. Ball protection is everything in the NFL, and so far the Eagles are thriving in that department. As it stands right now the Eagles have thrown the third fewest interceptions per game in the NFL, tied with the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys.
Ironically enough, if you look back at the Pac 12 numbers during Kelly's Oregon reign, you will see Arizona was always in the bottom half of the Pac 12 in interceptions lost. This is ironic because Foles was a quarterback at Arizona during that time period. So what has changed?
Not much actually. The numbers for Foles can be deceiving. In 2011 Foles threw 14 interceptions at Arizona but he also led the Pac 12 in passing attempts. Foles threw 48 more passing attempts in one fewer game than the second most pass-happy quarterback in the league, Brock Osweiler at Arizona State. Don't forget that in 2011 Foles was also second in the league in completion percentage, trailing only Stanford's Luck and tying USC's Matt Barkley, whom the Eagles drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Foles had always been a pretty smart passer and his instincts have always been admirable. This is what former head coach and noted quarterback guru Andy Reid saw in Folesand it is something Kelly was very familiar with having coached against him in the Pac 12. Now, as Kelly's offense starts to become more familiar with the Eagles, Foles is beginning to excel in it with smart decisions.
Having split some playing time with Michael Vick this season, Foles has proven to be the team's starter for the rest of the regular season after tossing 16 touchdowns without a single interception. He is most certainly not the second coming of Joe Montana, but he has shown an ability to lead the offense well. With the Eagles now moving up in playoff positioning rather than sinking for draft positioning, the need for a new franchise quarterback has diminished.
But is Foles the guy for the next five years, or just the next five weeks? If the Eagles continue to win and show some promise in the postseason, maybe Foles will be the guy under center for the next few years. The Eagles are not likely to fall in to a solid position to draft any of this year's top quarterback options, so it will be better to use draft picks to add depth in other spots on the roster. Though, there are still some situations Foles needs to master before moving in a direction that will see the Eagles build around him as a franchise quarterback.
What does Foles do with the division on the line? What does he do in the postseason? These are the unknowns about Foles right now. The evaluation of Foles may not be fair to do on one season in these situations, but success can go a long way to altering the future plans that include building around Foles on offense while a massive struggle can lead to some creative offseason roster management to try and determine if any of the 2014 quarterback options are worth a hard look.
If you want a story to follow after the bye week, the ongoing evaluation of Foles may be it for the Eagles.
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Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
