Foles: ‘I Expect To Be the Quarterback’

Until today, Nick Foles had not said a word publicly since injuring his collarbone against the Houston Texans in Week 9.

He tried to assist Mark Sanchez and his teammates behind the scenes the best he could, and Foles was the NovaCare Complex daily. He watched his teammates drop three in a row in December to fall out of the playoff race, but there was nothing he could do to get back on the field.

“It’s definitely been tough,” said Foles. “Any time you’re injured and you can’t be out there with your teammates, it’s difficult to grasp that with all the preparing you do in the offseason during camp and through the first eight games. But at the same time, it was the hand I was dealt, and I knew that when it happened.”

Foles had a shaky second year under Chip Kelly after opening a lot of eyes in 2013. He completed 59.8 percent of his passes and averaged 6.96 YPA. Foles threw 13 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and also lost three fumbles.

In the last 24 hours, neither Kelly nor Jeffrey Lurie has offered strong votes of confidence for Foles when given opportunities. The head coach and owner seem to like him personally. But the question of who will line up at QB in Week 1 of 2015 is very much a mystery.

Foles, however, doesn’t exactly see it the same way.

“After every single season, no matter what, even last year when I went to the Pro Bowl, they still go back and they assess the film, and they look at it and they see how you can do better,” Foles said. “And that’s the coach’s job. Chip will tell you the same thing. I expect to be back here. I expect to be the quarterback. I love my teammates, and I expect to be back out there leading them and winning some games.”

Given that no one else has come out and said they expect Foles to be the starter in 2015, where does his belief come from?

“It comes from me,” he said. “That’s what I expect. If I came in here and told y’all I didn’t expect that, what kind of player would I be? What kind of leader would I be for my teammates? I expect to be the guy to lead them and win games. It’s tough sitting on the sidelines when you want to be out there. I experienced that the last eight weeks. … So it’s coming from my heart. That’s what I really expect to be, and I’m gonna work as hard as I can this offseason to come back and be the best Nick Foles possible.”

Foles has one more year left on his deal. He offered “no comment” to contract questions, but it makes no sense for the Eagles to do anything with him right now on that front.

If Vegas set odds on the Eagles’ starter for 2015, Foles would be the favorite. He’s still under contract, and he knows the system. But it’s also true that he’s missed time due to injury in each of the past three seasons. And his play regressed in 2014.

The Eagles will likely explore other avenues to add some QB help, but there don’t appear to be a lot of obvious options. For now, giving it another go with Foles seems like a real possibility.