In Foles They Don’t Trust
Nick Foles has played in 21 games and started 17 of those games in the NFL. 1.5 of those games have been bad (Dallas, Jacksonville). He has 35 TDs and 8 INTs. His Quarterback Rating is in the mid 90s. He says all the right things whenever he’s interviewed, always owning his poor plays. He doesn’t get in trouble off the field.
There aren’t many claiming that he’s the next Joe Montana, even though his first 21 games may be better than Montana’s without Hall of Fame wide receivers. There are, however, a vocal group of people claiming to know already that he’s a stiff, a bust, another Kevin Kolb or a “game manager” at best. They express this via twitter and sportstalk radio. Some of them clamored for Mark Sanchez because they saw him play well against second-team defenses in the pre-season. The same Mark Sanchez who has started 62 games in the NFL with a career passer rating of 71.7 and 68 TDs with 69 INTs.
On Sunday against the Jaguars, Foles’ critics took to twitter after his horrendous first half. People all over my twitter timeline were calling for the benching of Foles at halftime. Benching the starting QB at halftime in the first game of the season?
Why? Why are these people in such a hurry to judge Foles and eager to take point out his mistakes? Is it so they can pound their chests and say “I told you so” when they made a completely premature judgment? What was that judgment made on? His play? His stats would say otherwise.
Is it because Nick doesn’t look athletic and he’s not mobile? If so, these people should just say it. Own it. Let us know you can tell franchise QBs based on their mobility. You must’ve loved Christian Ponder and Akili Smith and hated Brady, Manning and Flacco.
Is it because he doesn’t have a Favre like cannon of an arm? Few do and all who do haven’t won a Super Bowl i.e. Jeff George. I think Foles had more pass plays of over 20 yards than any other team last year so his arm strength is sufficient. Granted, he doesn’t have the zip of a Brady, but neither did Brady in his first couple of years. Here’s an excerpt from Brady’s pre-draft scouting report:
Lacks mobility and ability to avoid the rush. Lacks a really strong arm. Can’t drive the ball down the field and does not throw a really tight spiral. System-type player who can get exposed if he must ad-lib and do things on his own
That kind of sounds identical to what all the skeptics say about Foles.
Is it because Foles wasn’t a first round pick? Again, not a necessity to win a Super Bowl and definitely not a guarantee i.e. Carr, Couch, Leaf.
I dunno. I don’t get it. Is Foles a franchise QB? Who the hell knows?! It’s too early in his career to figure that out. I kind of like Foles, but I’m not ready to invest in a jersey yet. It’s too early for me to make that kind of an investment.
How about we just wait and see how this year goes and decide afterwards? Is it that important to be part of a small group of people who could say I TOLD YOU SO if Foles is a flop?
It’s not like Ruben Amaro, Jr has made the decision to have Foles be the starting QB. Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman made that call and they may know a little more than us. Now, if they put teams on the field like Amaro has for three straight years, then doubt away.
In the meantime, just enjoy the season! God knows we all need it after the Phillies season.
E-A-G-L-E-S!