Nick Foles looks forward to fresh start
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17128/nick-foles-looks-forward-to-fresh-start
EARTH CITY, Mo. — In what would turn out to be one of the last four games quarterback Nick Foles would play for the Philadelphia Eagles before being traded to the St. Louis Rams, Foles’ Eagles jumped out to a commanding 34-7 lead late in the third quarter.
Foles had played a minor role in establishing that lead as the Eagles scored a defensive and special-teams touchdown but he had tossed a pair of touchdown passes to push the lead further. After hitting receiver Jeremy Maclin for a 24-yard touchdown to take a 34-7 lead, Foles watched as the Rams forged a furious fourth-quarter comeback.
The Rams scored three straight touchdowns to narrow the margin to 34-28 and had a possession with a chance to win the game before coming up short. Foles wasn’t too familiar with the Rams before that meeting, but the Rams’ comeback attempt left an impression.
“I remember playing this team and thinking this is a talented team, the defense is scrappy, all over the place, really tough to go against,” Foles said. “The thing I really noticed, though, was the fight. I admire teams that continue to fight. Philadelphia had gotten up by several [scores] and the Rams kept fighting back, fighting back. That’s when you know that team is together as one, the coaching staff is working together, the players are fighting together. And they were in the game at the end. I really admired that and I looked back and said, ‘That is a team that is going to be reckoned with.’”
Now, after the headline-making deal that sent Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick to the Rams in exchange for quarterback Sam Bradford and a 2015 fifth-round choice, Foles will have his chance to play with that team.
As Rams coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead introduced Foles late last week, Fisher quickly endorsed Foles as his starting quarterback. Fisher and Snead both made mention of the fact that they wouldn’t have done the trade were it not for Foles’ inclusion. It’s even been said that the Rams turned down a first-round pick for Bradford because of their excitement about Foles.
Of course, it’s worth taking all of that praise with a grain of salt given that Bradford was receiving similar plaudits from Rams leadership just a few weeks ago, and this is the time of year when true plans are only revealed by action or a lack thereof. But to hear Fisher tell it, Foles is a fit for what the Rams want to do offensively.
“It’s what he did in college, what he was able to accomplish there, the system he was in,” Fisher said. “We went back and watched his first year with Andy [Reid], watched him finish up the year. Then ’13 was just so impressive what he was able to do, all the throws. We really feel like he fits into our style of offense, the mobility, the athleticism and he loves to put it down the field. He’ll be the first to tell you he likes to put it down the field. And we’ve got guys who can do that.”
To put a finer point on it, Foles’ role in the offense won’t be drastically different from what Bradford would have been asked to do. Fisher is committed to having a run-first offense that spins any ground success into taking shots via play-action. That’s an area where Foles has excelled.
According to Pro Football Focus, Foles is 121-of-210 for 1,924 yards with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions over the past two seasons when throwing off of play-action. That could bode well for Foles in St. Louis though he doesn’t have guys like Maclin and DeSean Jackson on his side as he did when he was piling up those numbers.
On the flip side, Foles has had injury issues, including a broken collarbone that ended his 2014 season halfway through. Although Foles says he’s at “180 percent” right now, that might not be a permanent condition if the Rams can’t find some offensive linemen to protect him. And Foles has struggled when coming under pressure.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Foles has completed just 40 percent of his passes for 1,209 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions for a passer rating of 57.4 and a 6.7 QBR when under pressure in his three seasons. In Philadelphia, that wasn’t too detrimental because he wasn’t under pressure that much, but the Rams still have to prove they can run the ball well enough to open things up and protect Foles well enough to give him chances to push the ball down the field.
Either way, Foles is pleased to have a chance to prove himself outside the realm of Chip Kelly’s offense.
“It’s definitely a new start but I’m going to continue to be me,” Foles said. “I think being the best quarterback you can be is just being who you are, so I’m excited to just get to know my teammates and get to know the locker room because that’s what it’s about. … But sticking together like I said, which I admired of the Rams last season, that’s what I love about it and I just want to help add to it.”
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