Who Is Nick Foles?

wv wrote:

Laram dont think Foles is the answer.

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Laram
My hope is that Foles does extremely well, but I have some serious concerns.

… the answer in my mind is if you’re getting rid of Bradford, upgrade.

They got a player that’s healthy, now…but is he better?

I don’t think so.
…
The Rams apparently had options, for their were other team(s) that had interest in Bradford.

The Rams chose Nick Foles as the catalyst for the trade.

I think they chose the wrong catalyst.

The Rams need a franchise qb. They still don’t have one.
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Laram

Well considering my views of Nick Foles and what he brings to the table, I would have to consider several other options.

Let’s say Cleveland was one of the other teams with interest. They have two 1st rd picks, 12 and 19th.

Could the Rams have traded Bradford to them for their 12th pick, 19th?

Could they have then traded their 10th and 12th or 19th to move up for Winston?

Or how about IF as you say the 2016 qb class is better than 2015, stockpile picks for next year and play the season with your boy Keenum?

Or how about Bradford to Cleveland for Hoyer and one of their 1st rd picks?

How about making some calls around the league being proactive, instead of waiting for somebody to call you.

That’s what most teams do when they actually want to move a player.

I’m spit balling here but with some reasonable options IMO.

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well ok. if the rams could have gotten 2 first round picks or even 1 first round pick. then shame on the rams.

i know kelly said he was offered a first rounder for bradford. but if that’s true. then i’d say kelly was dumb for turning that down.

from off the net

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jrry32

Nick Foles – Film Review

I spent some time today going back and watching every pass Foles threw in 2014. Planning to go back through 2013 when I have the chance as well. Here are my general observations:

Foles doesn’t have Bradford’s arm strength. He doesn’t get the same amount of velocity on the passes outside the hashes(they can hang a bit at times). His arm is middle of the pack but it’s definitely adequate. It won’t hinder our offense. We just won’t have the deep out, deep comeback, and throws like that be as much a part of the offense with Foles as they were with Bradford.

Foles needs to be more consistent with his timing on routes. Shows great anticipation at times and at other times, he holds the ball too long and forces passes late.

Foles’s decision making needs work. He’s definitely got a gunslinger mentality out there. There are too many plays where he should just live to play another day but tries to make something out of nothing. It works on occasion but he also risks a lot of turnovers doing it. Honestly, if he continues to struggle with it and I were Weinke, I might have him at the start of every practice do a drill where he rolls out and throws the ball away just to prove a point. Because he needs to play smarter.

Foles needs to do a better job with his post-snap reads and coming off his first progression. Made some dangerous throws when he tried to force it to his first progression based on what he read pre-snap.

Foles’s feet should be the Rams’ #1 priority in developing his game. I don’t think he was a good fit for the Eagles system simply because of how often they had him play-action it out of the gun and then try to transition into a quick pass. And Foles just was not good at resetting his feet quickly after the play-action fake which led to a lot of inaccurate throws. He definitely seemed a lot more comfortable under center. His drops, while methodical, allowed him to be a lot more controlled with his feet. The Rams coaching staff really needs to stress setting and resetting his feet as well as driving the ball with authority. He just is very inconsistent with his lower half and it adversely affects his accuracy.

His deep accuracy is definitely scatter-shot. Some of it is related to the previous issues with his feet but that’s certainly not all of it. He made some beautiful throws including dropping a ball into the bucket from 60+ yards away to Maclin against Arizona(the play linked here: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000418116/Wk-8-Can-t-Miss-Play-Magical-Maclin ). However, he also overthrew open WRs and TEs quite a bit on deeper throws. It’s an area where he needs to really improve because you can’t squander opportunities like that in the NFL.

Foles needs to show better composure under pressure. The Eagles OL was Rams OL bad in some games this year. They just were a sieve. But Foles needs to do a better job of hanging in the pocket and creating space within the pocket. He flashes that ability but I swear the guy thinks he’s Michael Vick with how often he tries to scramble towards the sidelines to buy time. He’s not athletic enough to outrun most DEs in this league but certainly tries to. The Rams really need to fix the interior and get it to a point that Foles is comfortable with it so he’ll step up in the pocket rather than looking to scramble.

I have a feeling some might be concerned that Foles will be hesitant to test tight windows coming out of Kelly’s offense…don’t be. He showed no fear when it came to putting the ball into very tight spaces and generally did an effective job of it…especially when he was sound in the lower half.

Foles is surprisingly hard to sack. He’s a big guy and while he looks skinny(especially in the arms), he’s surprisingly strong and difficult to get off his feet. He broke quite a few tackles in 2014 and extended plays by refusing to go down. Although, he also coughed up the ball on a few plays when he did that. He was also able to throw out of some sacks due to his ability to stay on his feet with guys holding onto him.

Definitely not afraid to take off and run for yardage if there’s a lane. That was an issue that I had with Sam. He’d have a running lane to an easy first down and he’d refuse to take it. Foles will definitely take off if there’s a lane there. But he’ll also keep his eyes up until he passes the LOS the majority of the time in case something comes open.

Verdict

My personal opinion is that Foles is much better suited for an offense like ours than Chip Kelly’s. As I stated above, he seemed a lot more comfortable under center than he did in the gun…especially when it came to play-action fakes. I think our quick passing offense will be something that he’s more comfortable with as he seemed at his best when the Eagles let him get into a rhythm with quick passes although he’s not a guy to shy away from deep shots. I also think that our coaching staff will give him a bit more freedom than Kelly did. But that’s just an assumption I’m making. It seemed like Kelly might have been a bit too controlling with their offense. I think Foles would do better with more pre-snap responsibility and freedom.

Foles is tough, competitive, and is definitely capable of making some wow plays. Those of you hoping for an Alex Smith like game manager are going to have to adjust your expectations because that just isn’t how Foles plays the game. But those of you who wanted more aggressiveness and risk taking out of our QB position when compared to Bradford will likely be happy in that regard.

How good do I think he can be for us? Realistically, I think he’ll offer us 2012/2013 Andy Dalton level play. Some of you might be unhappy to hear that but I think that’s about the level he’s at right now. He certainly has potential to improve and be more than that, though. But he has to clean up some glaring issues in his game. Ultimately, though, I think that level of play is more than enough for us to win with. And keep in mind that Foles doesn’t have Dalton’s biggest issue…the tendency to fall apart in high pressure moments and games.

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Brady’s got more zip on his throws. Foles can get it down the field but those sideline throws in the intermediate and deep range aren’t easy for him. Just doesn’t have the same sort of natural arm strength that Sam had. Then again, Brady didn’t use to either. He perfected his mechanics and really dedicated himself to building his core and lower body strength. Both those things would help Foles out. He’s not weak armed but he’s not strong armed either. Ultimately, it doesn’t make that much of a difference when he’s getting the ball out on time but there were a few plays last year that he got picked off on because he was late with it and didn’t have the arm to compensate.

I think a guy like Tavon would probably work for Foles as a deep threat because Foles really isn’t much of a 50/50 guy on his deep balls. He has a tendency to try to put it out in front of his guy which leads to some overthrows. But for a guy like Tavon that can run under it, I can certainly see it being an effective combination. But Tavon’s gotta do some improving this off-season. I think that’ll be on Tavon. If Tavon improves his route running and understanding of the offense, I don’t see why not. The only mild concern I have is that Foles had some issues with missing wide open drag routes(i.e. not seeing the WR or pulling the trigger too late). Which is something that should be Austin’s bread and butter here. Hopefully, he’ll do a better job of spotting it with the Rams.

Mayock’s Slant–After Week 3

Mayock: ” I Would Bang the Table for Foles As A Franchise QB”

http://www.nfl.com/videos/mayocks-slant/0ap3000000400716/Mayock-s-Slant-Nick-Foles-analysis

Mayock’s Slant: The Good and Bad of Nick Foles: Oct. 29, 2014

http://www.nfl.com/videos/mayocks-slant/0ap3000000419594/Mayock-s-Slant-The-good-and-bad-of-Nick-Foles

zn wrote:

Just some opinions. What Mayock’s partial about-face here suggests to me is, you can’t mess with Foles’s mechanics too much. Better just to build around what he does already. That is, the effort to correct him in 2014 may have made him worse. Just a theory.

In terms of his fate as a qb. It will IMO go the normal path. To win, it won’t be just Foles. They will need a run threat, a relatively healthy OL, and defense. If they win with that 4-way combination (Foles + etc.) then he will get all the credit. If they lose, many people will turn against him. Just the normal stuff.

What would I draft to help them win? Another RB.

Why another RB? Just wondering…

Winnbrad wrote:

Just some opinions. What Mayock’s partial about-face here suggests to me is, you can’t mess with Foles’s mechanics too much. Better just to build around what he does already. That is, the effort to correct him in 2014 may have made him worse. Just a theory.

In terms of his fate as a qb. It will IMO go the normal path. To win, it won’t be just Foles. They will need a run threat, a relatively healthy OL, and defense. If they win with that 4-way combination (Foles + etc.) then he will get all the credit. If they lose, many people will turn against him. Just the normal stuff.

What would I draft to help them win? Another RB.

Why another RB? Just wondering…

Prime reason: there must always be a running game. Not necessarily more runs than passes, but balanced. 55 P – 45 R. I don’t think Foles carries this team passing. I think he’s better as a qb with a running threat. Plus it’s the NFC west. Got to be able to pound it when you have to.

So when I think about that…

I am wondering about Stacy. He didn’t look right last year.

I am wondering about BC. Is he a third down back or an every down back.

I am wondering about Mason. How much can he shoulder.

If there’s just one injury, the running game could be less effective.

So…adding a back makes sure there’s a running game.

Plus it’s a very deep draft for RBs. One of the deepeest in recent memory. So you can do it at bargain rates.

from off the net

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moklerman

IMO, Fisher wants to get back to what was successful for him in Tennessee and IMO, Foles is a younger Collins. Collins was winding down his career when he was with the Titans but I think that’s how Fisher wants to build the Rams. A strong overall team with a solid but not spectacular QB. Obviously, you want as good of a QB as possible but it is my impression that the Rams want to try the more affordable approach now.

Collins was listed at 6’5″, 248. Foles is listed at 6’5″, 244. They’re virtually identical in size and I don’t think the production will be too far different under Fisher. Collins was an 80+ rating passer, around 60% and threw more TD’s than interceptions as a regular starter for Fisher. Which is very similar to what Foles has done two of his three years in the league. Moving forward, I think that’s where he’s going to be for the Rams. Which is what I think the Rams are planning around.

Watching some old video of Collins with the Titans I was reminded that he wore #5. Just as Foles will be wearing for the Rams. Serendipity.

Collins and Foles share some bad traits too IMO. Delivery on the slow side. Inconsistent mechanics/throwing off back foot. Not the best accuracy. Both suffer from turnovers at times.

They share some good traits too. I think both work the middle of the field well enough. Both can stand tall in the pocket. Both can launch rainbows down the field.

Collins had the stronger arm but Foles is more accurate and probably a little safer with the ball.

from off the net

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A.J. Hicks

I’ve gone back and watched almost every Nick Foles throw from the Eagles (I’m getting close and still working at it). There are a lot of things I like and a lot of things to gripe about. . .

I’m really pretty optimistic that Foles will fit well with our team.

PROS:
Will Throw Deep
Play Action (Not Bradford but can be dangerous)
Shows strong in comeback situations
Strong in the Pocket – Like Ben and has shown ability to move around
Seems to fit a Run First Team
Knows when to throw it away

CONS:
Doesn’t always set feet (Innaccuracy)
Poor out of Pistol Play Action
Not good against NFC West
System guy?
Key–SET FEET (I think this could change his career)

.

I am not arguing Sanchez is better than Foles, cause, ugh what an idea, but this bit just has some info about Foles in 2014. From this article: Mark Sanchez has been more effective than Nick Foles

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pattisonave/Mark-Sanchez-has-been-more-effective.html

ESPN hypothesizes that Sanchez’s success may be the result of a quicker release. From ESPN:

“Sanchez’s passes have been thrown an average of 2.45 seconds after the snap this season, quicker than Foles’ 2.73-second average. The difference might seem minimal, but of the 39 quarterbacks with 100 passes this season, Sanchez’s time from snap to release ranks as the 11th-quickest. Foles’ ranks 33rd.”

Less looks downfield may also play a part in Sanchez’s statistical superiority over Foles. Again from ESPN:

“One of Foles’ biggest faults this season was his deep passing. Foles threw the ball at least 30 yards past the line of scrimmage 22 times this season. He hasn’t played since Week 9, and that’s still within three of the league lead. Foles completed four of those passes (18.2 percent), and although three of those were touchdowns, he also had four interceptions deep. Sanchez has done a better job of picking his spots, going 3-of-6 on passes thrown at least 330 yards downfield with no interceptions.”

Agamemnon wrote:

I wish they would also include any defensive penalties called, although then it wouldn’t even be included in the attempts column in this data. I would also like to know what down the attempts were made. I give some credit for passes that could be viewed a punting the ball. Hail Mary’s too. The deep pass brings more into the equation than just completions. imo

I think the issue is that Foles wasn’t as good throwing deep in 2014 as in 2013.

That’s not to disagree with your basic point that throwing long has value above and beyond completions.

Agamemnon wrote:

zn wrote:

I think the issue is that Foles wasn’t as good throwing deep in 2014 as in 2013.

That’s not to disagree with your basic point that throwing long has value above and beyond completions.

I haven’t done some the huge amounts of homework that many poster have. It seems to me the Foles does not possess Bradford’s “center-of-target” accuracy. Foles does better on touch passes and has almost zero passes knocked down. That is pretty limited, but it is what I think.

I think Bradford, with that strong arm and quick release and pretty good long accuracy, was just a pretty as chocolate cake long thrower. Foles isn’t that. But you are right IMO about the 2 Foles’s advantages you list there.

To me a big thing is whether a qb is clutch. Bradford wasn’t in his first 2 years and then became that. Foles was that last year (without having as many comeback situations the year before). That counts a lot in my book.