Nick Foles has been hot and cold for most of the NFL season so far. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback entered 2014 after a successful stint as the starting quarterback. Many expected Foles to be one of the next-best players in the league with the way his debut went. However, despite sitting at 4-1, the Eagles are shaky and the offense is to blame. Coming off a two-touchdown loss, some are questioning just how committed Philadelphia should be to Foles.
According to offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Foles just needs time to develop. The quarterback came into the 2014 season with expectations that were likely too high. Considering his 27-2 touchdown-to-interception rate of last season, the idea that he would come back even more successful was not crazy to think. However, it has not exactly happened that way through five weeks of the season, leaving the coaching staff to defend the quarterback's talents.
"I think what's happening is, everybody jumped the gun and said, 'Is this guy our franchise quarterback?' Those are after-the-fact evaluations," Shurmur said, via Philly.com. "Nick's fighting through the year like a lot of our players. He's only, really, a second-year player. That's what you've got to think about. He's had limited number of starts in this offense. He's made some good throws that helped us win games. Everybody's still hung up on 27 and two. We're a different team. We have different players in there. We're playing different opponents, who are playing us differently."
Shumur is right saying the Eagles are a different team. Philadelphia has been dealing with a number of offensive line issues plaguing the offense. They no longer has DeSean Jackson running down the field and the run game has been inconsistent at best. Foles has come back to earth in a sense, something that was bound to happen. Head coach Chip Kelly says that the issues plaguing Foles are easily fixable and not a long-term concern.
"I think it is fixable," Kelly said, via ESPN.com. "It's just a matter of drill work, fundamentals. Do a lot of movement drills. Bill does a really nice job with that. We just have to get him to where he's real comfortable there."
Foles is not the only Eagles' player seeing his share of struggles this season. LeSean McCoy is not exactly impressed to start the season off. After declaring that he would lead the league in rushing this season, McCoy is still in need of a breakout game to prove he stands a chance at meeting expectations. Riley Cooper is another player in need of a breakout season. He earned a contract extension after displaying strong chemistry with Foles last season. However, the two have yet to pick up where they left off. Everyone could be poised for a big game against the Giants if improvement is made.
