Eagles Wake-Up Call: Too Early To Rule On Foles
It was dangerous to make any sweeping judgments about Nick Foles after a few preseason games. It is equally dangerous to label him following six-plus quarters of regular-season play.
That hasn’t stopped a whole slew of fans and pundits alike from jumping right off the Foles train, of course. From Chosen One to just another bum, in 90 minutes flat.
Before you write him off completely, take a look at how the other rookie quarterbacks performed in their first starts this season:
| Result | Completion Percentage | TD | INT | QB Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Luck | Lost to Bears, 41-21 | 51.1 | 1 | 3 | 52.9 |
| RGIII | Defeated Saints, 40-32 | 73.1 | 2 | 0 | 139.9 |
| Ryan Tannehill | Lost to Texans, 30-10 | 55.6 | 0 | 3 | 39.0 |
| Brandon Weeden | Lost to Eagles, 17-16 | 34.3 | 0 | 4 | 5.1 |
| Russell Wilson | Lost to Cardinals, 20-16 | 52.9 | 1 | 1 | 62.5 |
| Nick Foles | Lost to Redskins, 31-6 | 45.7 | 0 | 2 | 40.5 |
As you can see, RGIII is the outlier. Every other QB lost. Not only that, but the rest of the signal-callers combined for just two touchdowns while chucking up 13 interceptions.
As the season has progressed, each of the quarterbacks not named Griffin have seen their numbers and quarterback rating jump up.
It is very possibile that Foles follows suit.
“He learned an awful lot. I will say I am excited about this ballgame coming up because not always but normally that second start for a quarterback is normally a little better. So I’m excited about that,” said Marty Mornhinweg. “Now we’ve got to help him. I’ve got to help him, the line [has] got to help him, [and] the receivers have to help him. We dropped a host of balls [against Washington] so we’ve got to cumulatively get it to the next level so Nick can have some success.”
Foles’ challenge is all the greater playing behind a patchwork offensive line and for a team in a total tailspin. For that reason, it may be tough to get a real gauge of his potential even if he does start the rest of the season.
For now, the goal is to see gradual improvement, starting Monday against Carolina.
“I thought this week’s practices were better than last week’s. I thought he was just more comfortable in there playing,” said Andy Reid. “He doesn’t have any problems spitting all that stuff out and knowing it. Just knowing how to take your drops and make your drops work with the coverages and then the players that you’re playing with, making sure you have a good feel for them.”
Added Foles: “I feel more comfortable. I definitely feel like this week I’ve improved a lot. Just have to take it into the game.”
WHAT YOU MISSED
Sheil unveils his cheat sheet for the Eagles’ defense, which explores the big questions facing this team in the secondary.
The Eagles may be lacking in some key areas, but they are doing just fine in the confidence department. From “Dream Team” to “dynasty,” a look at some of the memorable quotes this group has put out there.
Bryce Brown will start in a meaningful game for the first time since high school.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Michael Vick has taken another step forward in his recovery from a concussion. From the team’s website.
Quarterback Michael Vick threw Sunday at the NovaCare Complex, another critical step forward in his recovery from the concussion he suffered two weeks earlier against the Dallas Cowboys. Vick remains on the schedule head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder set forth on Saturday, and the next step as Vick reaches Phase 4 of his recovery is that he takes another ImPACT test on Monday to see if he has recovered to his baseline measurements.
The Nnamdi Asomugha signing contributed to the Eagles’ downfall, according to Pro Football Focus. Via ESPN.com:
Asomugha’s reputation was inflated by being somewhat sheltered in Oakland. He played almost exclusively man coverage for the Raiders and rarely played anywhere other than the right side of the defense, the blind side for right-handed quarterbacks. While top corners move around to shadow top receivers, Asomugha played 82 percent of his snaps at right corner over his past two seasons in Oakland. Quarterbacks naturally target their open side more frequently, and given the other players in the Raiders’ secondary, Asomugha was simply avoided for the most part.
Over his last three seasons for the Raiders he averaged just 29 targets a season, fewer than two per game. In the past three fully-healthy seasons Darrelle Revis has played, he has averaged 93 targets per season, three times more than Asomugha.
In his first season with the Eagles, Asomugha’s targets rose to 47, and he allowed 61.7 percent of those passes to be caught, coughing up four touchdowns in the process. This season things are even worse: He has already been thrown at 41 times and given up three scores, while being beaten for an average of 17 yards per catch as he struggles badly to adjust to life playing zone coverage.
COMING UP
Eagles host the Panthers under the lights. Make sure you join us for our live chat beginning at kickoff. (Hey, you’ll need to vent somewhere.)