Eagles Wake-Up Call: Window Closing For Foles?

The only thing that is certain for Nick Foles is that he will be starting against the Cowboys, in his home state of Texas, on Sunday night.

Beyond that, cloudiness.

Michael Vick “has hit a plateau” in his recovery from a concussion but the team’s medical staff believes they know why the quarterback has stalled and, having adjusted the rehab accordingly, are optimistic that the imPACT test on Monday will show improvement. From what I can gather, the higher-ups are eager to finish this season strong, and will play whomever they feel gives them the best chance to scratch out some wins down the stretch. You would have to imagine that they view Vick as the better option at quarterback.

That means that Foles could be heading back to a reserve role in the near future.

“I really zone all that out. I’m focused right now on playing this game. I’m ready to go out there,” said Foles. “We’ve had a great week of practice. I’m ready to go out there and play. I really don’t think about anything else. I’m fortunate to play this game. I’m fortunate to go out and play with my guys again and with the guys out here. I’m so excited to just play football and be able to play at this level.”

The honeymoon period was short-lived for Foles. The excitement level stemming from a strong preseason showing has been replaced by skepticism after a bumpy 2 1/2 games of regular-season action. It is all  knee-jerk, of course. But it can at least be said that he has not done enough to convince anyone that he is the present or the future. And in the  fickle world of the NFL, it’s impossible to tell when the next opportunity will come. Maybe it’s next week, maybe it’s next season, maybe he’ll be boxed in indefinitely. You just never know.

“I just stick to what I know. I stick to the people close to me and I just stay the same. I’m going to keep working hard no matter what,” said Foles. “I’ve haven’t played as well as I’d like to but I’m going to keep working at it. I’m going to work as hard as I can to be the best player I can. No matter what, win or lose, I’m going to treat it the same when I look at the film [and] try to get better no matter what. It’s a day-to-day thing. I just have to keep working. There’s going to be highs, there’s going to be lows. [I] just have to get to a steady thing and get solid all around. It’s a never-ending process [and I] always have to be working.”

WHAT YOU MISSED

Sheil provides his cheat sheet for the Eagles’ defense and gives an update on draft positioning.

A look at the  injury report reveals that the Eagles aren’t the only team that is banged up.

Kapadia gave you five draft prospects to watch. Check to see how they did.

For the latest coaching buzz, click here.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Bill Simmons gives his Eagles-Cowboys prediction, in Bill Simmons-like fashion.

The Cowboys shouldn’t be favored by seven points over anyone; 10 points is so idiotic that I can’t even see straight. Ten points? Have you watched the Cowboys???? Plus, the Eagles are 1-9-1 against the spread right now … you really think they’re going 1-14-1? Come on. Grab the 10 and thank me later.

Speaking of the Eagles, roughly 10,000 readers e-mailed me during last week’s Packers-Giants game wondering if a now-mustachioed and seemingly heavier Mike McCarthy had finally completed his transformation into Andy Reid, pointing to their physical similarities, Green Bay’s lack of a running game and shoddy offensive line, Green Bay’s erratic season and the clock management issues that plagued Reid over the years. There’s a scene in The World According to Garp (on my all-time “most underrated movie” list) when Garp tells his mother (played by Glenn Close) that they’re naming his new child “Jenny” after her, and she smiles and blesses it by saying, “I’ve been Jenny long enough.” That’s where we are during the final days of Andy Reid, right? He’s been Andy Reid long enough. We needed a new one. I fully support McCarthy’s creepy transformation into Andy.

RGIII is feeling confident about his team’s chances. From Dan Graziano.

At the end of this interview with Robert Griffin III, he is asked to answer this question: TheWashington Redskins are going to the Super Bowl in how many years?

Griffin, nonplussed, offers this answer:

“This year. I mean, it doesn’t matter. Our season’s not over. We’re not out of the playoff hunt. If we win this game Monday, we control our own destiny. So it’s every year, until we don’t win it.”

No pretense, no bluster, just the same, matter-of-fact tone he uses earlier in the interview when he honestly offers up John Elway, Michael Vick and Randall Cunningham among his influences and says Ray Lewis is the player whose autograph he would most like to get. Griffin doesn’t suffer mundane convention or consensus protocol. He doesn’t seek the sound bite. He gets a question, he rolls it over in his brain and offers his honest answer. Why wouldn’t every player believe he could win this season’s Super Bowl until his team is mathematically eliminated?

COMING UP

Eagles at Cowboys at 8:20. We will be live chatting during the game so make sure you stop in.