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Tag: #CarsonWentz

  • Undesirable? Us? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    With a national narrative brewing that working for the Eagles may not be as desirable as other NFL opportunities — and after nearly three weeks of an on-going-soap-opera — like — carousel of nearly everyone being considered for Eagles Offensive Coordinator it seems (and even more people applying on LinkedIn) we finally have our man. Or men.

    The Eagles have hired former Los Angeles Rams quarterback and Nick Foles backup Sean Mannion as OC and former Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Brian Grizzard as Passing Game Coordinator.

    As deflating as the end of this Eagles season was — it’s hard to remember that only five years ago in January 2021 — the franchise’s first ever Super Bowl victory was actually three years before that. In a complete upheaval that it’s conclusion was the outcome of jettisoning the team’s only Super winning coach and leaving Philadelphia with a quarterback controversy between the Love Hurts Camps and the Carson Wentz Camp.

    Even so — Doug Pederson may never again have to pay for a meal or a drink in Philadelphia — but he will not be the Eagles new Offensive Coordinator. There will not be a reunion with the man who stands with quarterback Nick Foles in the bronze statue that resides outside of Lincoln Financial Field capturing one of one of the best moments in franchise history nor with the same man who drafted Jalen Hurts, and won a Super Bowl with Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jake Elliott.

    Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons.Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons.

    And despite last week’s listing on LinkedIn for an Offensive Coordinator — a W-2 position that was even eligible for Easy Apply! — it will not be the youthful, genius mind of Mike McDaniel. Nor will it be Brian Daboll — Jalen Hurts’ previous coach who spent the last several years devising ways to annihilate the Eagles offense while serving as Giant’s Head Coach. Nor Matt Nagy who was previously double-doinked out of the 2019 NFC Playoffs by the Eagles as the previous Head Coach of the Chicago Bears.

    He’s not coming to Philadelphia, either.

    The challenge for Mannion and Grizzard will be two-fold. The first is paramount. Taking one of the most talented offenses to every play in this City from the 24th ranked motionless, out-of-sync display of 2025 back into a Super Bowl Champion unit in 2026.

    The second will be even harder and less transparent. To transform the role of Sirianni’s second in command on the offensive side of the ball from a temporary stay on the way to greener Head Coaching pastures like Kellen Moore or Shane Steichen did — to a role with more stability to build that continuity with the Eagles Offense over the next several seasons rather than just the next season.

    Before we answer the latter — another Super Bowl appearance will do just nicely in the coming year or so.

    At least for the time being.

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    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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  • What He Gave Us. What We Didn’t Give Back – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    What He Gave Us. What We Didn’t Give Back – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    How A Kid from Texas Gave Philly What They Craved for 57 Years.

    During a December 2012 away game in Tampa Bay— on an under .500 Eagles team that was in the midst of the longest losing streak in over fourty years — rookie quarterback Nick Foles took over for an injured Michael Vick in the fourth quarter and threw the winning touchdown pass with no time remaining to secure a 23–21 victory.

    No, the story of Nick Foles is not the story of an Eagles franchise quarterback. It’s not the story of a first round draft pick, nor of a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Is this the story of how a kid from Texas gave us more than any of that.

    In fact, he gave us more than the the first round, franchise quarterback that was on the Eagles roster at the same time. 

     Photo Courtesy of Wikapedia.com

    It’s not the first time that this is happened. In 1939, quarterback Davey O’Brien was drafted by the Eagles from Dallas, Texas. Jalen Hurts is also from the Houston area. It was, however the first time that an Eagles quarterback had delivered a championship in 57 years.

    In his over 30 years of coaching in Philadelphia, Andy Reid knew quarterbacks. He had coached other position groups over the years, but his plan to build a football team from the ground up always centered around that franchise quarterback. When he drafted a tall, strong-armed kid from South Texas who had thrown the ball all over the field at the University of Arizona.

     Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    On Thursday, after an NFL Career that included stints with the Eagles, St. Louis Rams, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs — Foles announced his retirement. The Eagles have retired his number 9, and will honor him before the September 16th home game against the Atlanta Falcons.

    When Nick Foles joined the Eagles in 2012, the team was at end of an era. After a 3–1 start, the Eagles would finish the season with a 1–11 slide and end up with a 4–12 record. Andy Reid would be fired that same December.

    The next season- amid the Chip Kelly Era — Foles would beat out Michael Vick as the Eagles starter. Over the next two seasons — Foles would run the majority of Chip Kelly’s fast-paced, no-huddle offense, even tying an NFL record for touchdowns with seven against the Oakland Raiders and going on a run of 27 touchdowns to 2 interceptions.

    After two seasons — with the NFL in amazement — Chip Kelly traded Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford. After joining Andy Reid once again in Kansas City in 2016 — Doug Pederson brought him back to Philadelphia for the 2017–2018 season. The rest is history.

     Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    Taking over for an injured Carson Wentz in 2017, Foles led the Eagles on a magical run that would gain them the NFC First Seed, NFC Championship, Super Bowl victory, and Super Bowl MVP. In an offensive dual against perhaps the best ever NFL quarterback-head coach combination in Tom Brady and Bill Belichick — it was Foles who brought the Eagles out on top throwing for three touchdowns and 373 yards. The following year in the playoffs, the reins were turned over to Foles again when Wentz was injured.

    After the 2019 season — the Eagles picked up Foles’ $20 Million option — but without a commitment to be the starter, Nick declined and left in free agency. The Eagles would never return to Super Bowl form with Wentz under center. Likewise, Foles would never reach the heights that he did as an Eagle.

    In 2020, once again relegated to a backup role this time in Chicago — Foles entered the fourth quarter of a game against the Atlanta Falcons down 26–10. With 6:44 left in the fourth quarter, Foles threw three touchdown passes to win the game.

    Foles was overlooked as the kid from Texas when Philadelphia was consumed with a draft miss on Russell Wilson in 2012. The Eagles traded him away in 2015 when it was thought that he wasn’t the perfect fit for our no-huddle offense. The Eagles let him go when they couldn’t commit to him as the starter in 2019 because we had a $150 million quarterback and first round draft pick in Carson Wentz. You have to wonder what would have happened if he had led the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game in 2019 with a win in New Orleans and saved us another two years of the Carson Wentz Era?

    We’ll never know if Andy Reid’s rebuilding plan in 2012 included Nick Foles as a centerpiece. What we do know is that the homage that will be paid during a pre-game ceremony cannot begin to even out the magical championship that he gave this city — one that he had been starved from for nearly 57 years.

    The tragedy of Nick in Philly is not about Foles. Rather, it is about how we lamented not getting Russell Wilson. that we questioned Foles as the quarterback who could lead Chip Kelly’s no-huddle offense. Or that we were ready to throw in the towel when Carson Wentz was injured in 2017.

    No matter. Despite all that, Nick Foles delivered for us anyway.

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    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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