Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Foles the perfect teammate
The Philadelphia Eagles won a Super Bowl last year with Nick Foles leading the way, but now he’s being what they need again: a perfect teammate.
As it became clearer throughout the 2017 NFL season that the Philadelphia Eagles were for real, the talk of the league was Carson Wentz. In just his second year in the league, he looked the part of not just a franchise quarterback, but an MVP candidate. Of course, it wasn’t Wentz that eventually led the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl victory; it was his backup, the ever-familiar Nick Foles.
When Wentz suffered a torn ACL late in the regular season, Foles stepped in and, in immediate action, showed some rust. However, when the postseason came rolling, the backup quarterback stepped up and delivered in a big way. How big? He was named Super Bowl MVP of Philadelphia’s victory over the Patriots, and deservedly so.
As things stand now heading into 2018 though, Wentz’s recovery is on track and he should be able to start come Week 1 of the regular season. With Foles still on the roster — and almost sure to remain there — that means that the reigning Super Bowl MVP will have to take a backseat to the starter upon his return.
And if you ask him, he’s okay with that. As he had this to say on FS1’s First Things First:
“I want [Carson Wentz] to have a great career, even at the expense of me not playing. That's where I gotta put my ego aside.” — @NickFolespic.twitter.com/i9oJUFjHEU
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 27, 2018
Admittedly, saying that he’s going to put his ego aside and the rest of that could just be talk. However, we’ve seen nothing that would make us think that’s the case to this point.
What we have seen is that Foles is the ultimate teammate and perhaps the perfect backup quarterback. He’s well aware that the talent and upside of Wentz exceed his own merits. Thus, he knows that his team has the best chance of overall success with the North Dakota State product starting. But if called upon, he’ll be there. If needed as a mentor, he’ll be there. If he just needs to wear a headset and clap, he’ll do that too.
Next: NFL 2018: Each team's best offseason move
Foles is the embodiment of the intangible factor that led the Eagles to a title last season. There is a distinct brotherhood that is palpable when you hear these Philly teammates talk about one another — and they back it up as well. This is another example of that.