There may have some uncertainty among analysts and fans about Eagles quarterback Nick Foles — specifically if he could successfully lead the team on a playoff run — but the team apparently did not doubt that he could guide them to victory as its signal caller.
The Eagles were the hottest team in the NFC when MVP candidate Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending ACL injury in December, which forced the team to turn to Foles. And while he took a few games to get acclimated in the offense and develop chemistry with his receivers, Foles has led the team to back-to-back playoff victories against teams that were both legitimate title contenders.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was asked about Foles’ performance for the team this season, and he gave his take to reporters at Super Bowl Opening Night.
“Our priority, as you’ve seen, is to make sure we have the very best possible other starting quarterback,” Lurie said on Monday, via ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “I won’t even call [Foles] a backup, because we had him evaluated as a very strong quarterback. He’s been 18-5 for us over the last 23 games when Nick has started a game and finished. His quarterback rating in the postseason — he’s a big-time, big-game player. That’s Nick.”
Lurie then also recalled a phone call between him and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman, when the two discussed the possibility of allocating roughly $12 million to a quarterback that could serve as a serviceable backup to Wentz. They collectively agreed on the idea, and the team ended up signing Foles to a two-year deal.
“And we both agreed this was absolutely the right thing to do,” Lurie said. “We never knew it would come to this, but we knew that Nick could win big games for us.”
That decision turned out to be the best one the Eagles made during the offseason, and is a big reason the team is set to play in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.
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