When and if free agent quarterback Sam Bradford signs a long-term contract with the Eagles, he’s need to write a check to his Pro Bowl safety teammate, Malcolm Jenkins. Jenkins told Comcast Sportsnet that he believes Bradford can lead the Birds to a Super Bowl title.
“Hopefully we can get Sam here. Like I said, I think everybody believes that he can be the quarterback and the leader that we need to take this team to a championship”, Jenkins said while making an appearance on the Comcast Sportsnet show, “Philly Sports Talk.
Jenkins talked about how Bradford gradually took control of the team and became first the leader of the offense, then the leader off the entire squad.
“I think it was kind of a tale of two seasons for Sam,” Jenkins said. “Early, especially in the first half of the season, I don’t know how comfortable he was in the locker room or being in the role of the leader on the team when he had just gotten here.”
“He’s got new guys. Then he got hurt, and when he came back, he decided to take the team by the horns basically. He really started to be a lot more vocal, he started to break down the huddles, he started to speak to the team before every game.”
“When he did that, he gained the trust of the teammates and he started playing better. The back half of the season, he played really well for us.”
“So, from a player’s perspective, we definitely got behind Sam in that back stretch and really would like to see him back moving forward. We think he can be the leader and the quarterback that we need.”
Dec 30, 2014
Eagles Team Mates: Nick Foles is our Franchise QB
The names are out there. They’ve been making their rounds in the Eagles’ future quarterback rumor mill for weeks.
Marcus Mariota. Robert Griffin III. Brett Hundley. Colin Kaepernick.
But inside the Eagles’ locker room, there’s only one name. The quarterback of the future is also the quarterback of the past and present.
It’s Nick Foles.
“He’s a franchise quarterback,” tight end Zach Ertz said. “He’s got all the tools that you want in a quarterback. He’s a great leader. He can make any throw on the field. He’s tough. You saw in the Redskins game how he got popped and was able to come back and lead us to the victory.
“We know what we have in Nick. I think management knows what they have in Nick. He’s a franchise quarterback.”
Nobody knows what Chip Kelly plans are. Even Kelly isn’t sure. But Kelly is entering the third year of his coaching tenure and there’s no time for rebuilding.
His offensive line is getting up there in age. His star running back only has so many more top-flight seasons in him. Most of his resources this season, especially draft picks, must be used on his secondary.
Kelly is 14-4 with Foles as his starter and is extremely unlikely to maneuver high up enough in April’s draft to land Mariota or Jameis Winston.
“Nick, when he’s at his best, is really good,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “I’m confident in him. I like him. As a teammate and as a person he’s always been a good friend and a great role model.”
Some veteran quarterbacks around the league could become available this offseason. Maybe Jay Gruden dangles RG3 on the trade block. Maybe the new 49ers coach wants to start over and deems Kaepernick expendable.
Maybe Kelly thinks he can coax the talent out of Jake Locker, another mobile quarterback who’s been plagued by injuries.
But what are the odds Kelly can find another quarterback who can outperform Foles from Day 1 and lead the team deeper into the postseason?
“I don’t know,” right guard Todd Herremans said. “We were pretty damn good last year with Nick in there.”
On Sunday, after the Eagles put the finishing touches on their 34-26 win over the Giants at MetLife Stadium, owner Jeffrey Lurie only gave lukewarm praise for Foles. Kelly won’t publicly commit to anyone until he undergoes his typical evaluation process.
Foles, speaking Monday for the first time breaking his collarbone, confidently stated that he expects to start next year, his fourth year of a four-year rookie deal.
Ertz can’t see any other option.
“Obviously I don’t make those decisions but as a player that’s playing with him, we won a lot of games together,” he said. “I think that’s the ultimate key of a quarterback, to win games, put your team in a very good position to win games. At the end of the day we did that.”
Ertz, who played at Stanford with Andrew Luck, used the word “special” to describe Foles.
“I played with one of the most special guys in the league in Andrew Luck,” he added. “I don’t think Nick is necessarily on that level yet, but I think with his work ethic that he can be one day.”
Identifying the team’s long-term quarterback needs to be one of Kelly’s top offseason priorities, but his options outside of Foles are limited.
Mark Sanchez will be a free agent and went just 4-4 in place of an injured Foles. He beat only one team with a winning record, Dallas, and lost to the Cowboys in the critical home rematch.
Although he set a franchise record for completion percentage (64.1), Sanchez threw 11 picks in eight starts and posted the highest interception rate of his career (3.6), which was already high.
If the coaches believed in Matt Barkley, they would have given him a chance by now. If they were picking higher than 20th in they draft, maybe they’d have a better shot to move up for an elite prospect.
But even a top QB prospect isn’t a sure thing.
“You never know what’s going to happen in a first season,” Johnson said. “Robert Griffin had a great first year, then second and third year … this league is tough, man.”
Foles makes the most sense. He’s not only their best current quarterback but also their more cost efficient.
Foles will make just $660,000 in base salary next year, which means the Eagles can devote plenty of money this offseason to fixing their secondary and maybe draft a quarterback in the lower rounds and use the year to develop him.
The fact that Foles started just started eight games and left an incomplete picture of his potential only means the Eagles can wait another season before making a long-term, financial commitment to him or look elsewhere.
“If you’re able to get a very talented quarterback that is able to stay consistently in the system for numerous amounts of years I think that’s when you’re going to get your highest productivity,” Herremans said. “With any team that’s more what you want. You don’t want quarterbacks swapping out year after year.”
The only reason it’s even a question is because of Foles’ regression this season after his unimaginable 2014.
Before breaking his collarbone on Nov. 2 against the Texans, Foles had thrown 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
His completion percentage had dipped below 59 percent. He didn’t resemble the guy who threw 27 touchdowns, two picks and set franchise records for passer rating and completion percentage.
Foles took some big hits in the first month and injuries on the offensive line impacted the offense. He developed a tendency of backpedaling and throwing off the wrong foot.
Still, the Eagles were 6-2 with Foles as the starter.
“He maybe had happy feet in the beginning because there was pressure in his face a lot and when there wasn’t pressure he thought there maybe was pressure,” Ertz said. “I don’t know what was gong on in his head but he knew going in he wasn’t going to have 27 touchdowns and two interceptions like he had the year before.
“How he started the season, with that touchdown-interception rate, I don’t think that’s his standard. He knows he can do better and that’s what he expects out of himself.”
Team mates say these things, at the end of the day what they say have very little bearing on the move the team makes. The Dallas Cowboy players, especially Dez and Tony Romo was begging for the Cowboys to re-sign Demarco…where did he land at?! 1 Nova Care Way.
Posted on Bleeding Green Nation January 6, 2015
Jordan Matthews Thinks Nick Foles can lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl
Jordan Matthews has some free time now that Philadelphia’s season is over, so the Eagles rookie started up an Ask.fm account in order to interact with some fans. Check out the whole thing here.
Brandon Lee Gowton
As you can see, it’s a pretty long Q&A. I’ve taken the liberty of sorting through some of the most interesting questions/answer.
Q: Do you think Foles can lead this team to a super bowl?
A: Foles is more than capable … Love that dude
Q: Nick foles franchise qb?
A: Yes… He’s the real deal and an amazing human being
Once again, a team mate believing in a QB, but it had no bearing on the outcome of the situation. It’s nice that Malcolm feels the way he does about Sam, but, his input or thoughts will not determine what happens with Sam. Just like Sam’s input about wanting Shurmer had no bearing on the Eagles to let him go..he was not even brought back as a QB coach, so how much are the Eagles truly interested in Bradford when he went to bat for Shurmer? It means nothing!
ITS HAPPENING
McLeod Bethel-Thompson signs with Philadelphia Eagles
WINLESS FOR WATSON
top 3 rumors about Paulman disappearance.
1) Paulman went to San Fran for Super Bowl 50 to watch his beloved Carolina Panthers and walked into a gay bath house and hasn’t left that bath house since.
2) Paulman is stuck in the drunk tank in a Boone Jail waiting to get bailed out.
3) Paulman gave up GCobb’s website for lent.
i think #1 may be most likely, he really hates boobs