Nick Foles is the man in Philadelphia this week and possibly for the near future. The backup quarterback will be the starter in Week 9 against the Oakland Raiders. With Michael Vick still out after aggravating a hamstring injury, the Eagles need Foles to step up and take hold of the starting role. Chip Kelly has a lot of confidence the backup is more than capable.
Foles has been inconsistent at best during his time as a starter. Against Tampa Bay, Foles put up a 133.3 passing rating with three touchdowns. His potential was sky high until he took three steps backwards against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing for just 80 yards and looking more lost than ever out on the football field. It was the worst performance of his professional career. Now the second-year quarterback must put the struggles behind him because the door to be the long-term starter is wide open.
"I know how confident Nick is in practice, but I also think he understands how he played in the Dallas game and how he's practicing right now, he's practicing real well but we'll see," Kelly said, via Philly.com."It's a daily basis. Sometimes that position is like playing golf. Some weeks you'll have a great round be in contention and the next you'll struggle to make the cut. Nick knows the consistency we need out of him and he's working on practicing that right now."
Kelly's message to his quarterback was "grip it and rip it." He is hoping Foles can relax and not worry about expectations. The head coach is confident that the second-year pro has the arm and mind to make great plays if he just avoids over-analyzing the situation.
"In football sometimes it's difficult," Kelly said. "The quarterback gets too much praise when he's winning and two much grief when he's losing. There are a lot of time when you're like 'he's gotta throw the ball, he can't take that sack' but maybe he thought the three technique was blocked, but he wasn't and the defensive tackle came in clean. How come he doesn't know that? Because every time we run that play and when we put it in he was blocked every time."
Going up against the Raiders defense could be tough for Foles. The unit played well against the Pittsburgh Steelers and have had a week off to rest. The Eagles have not recorded an offensive touchdown since the Buccaneers game so the spotlight is on Foles to perform.
