From the Desk of Eagles Outsider Barry Bowe

Same Old Nick Foles I

• With the score tied 10-10 in the first quarter, Nick Foles fumbled the shotgun snap. The Seahawks recovered and, seven plays later, kicked a field goal to take 13-10 lead.
• With the score tied 24-24 late in the fourth quarter, Nick Foles fumbled again. The blitzing Cary Williams hit Foles’ arm while Foles was in the act of passing. Williams jarred the ball loose, scooped it up, and ran it in for a score that put the Seahawks in front 31-24 with less than four minutes remaining.

That gave the same old Nick Foles two costly turnovers on the day.

Same Old Nick Foles II

With just 3:46 remaining in the game – and trailing 31-24 – Nick Foles delivered at crunch time by driving the Rams 84 yards in 12 plays.

The key play came on 3rd-and-15 on the Rams 37 with just 1:50 left. That’s when Nicky Football – pardon my French – had the balls to pick on Richard Sherman. Nicky feathered a ball perfectly into the hands of Kenny Britt in between Sherman and Earl Thomas and picked 21 yards and the vital first down to keep the drive alive.

Three plays later and with just 0:59 left to play, Nicky Football culminated the drive with a 37-yard TD pass to Lance Kendricks. Touchdown video below.

Greg Zuerlein’s PAT tied the score 31-31 and, for all intent and purpose, sent the game went into overtime.

Overtime

Bonehead Carroll struck again by starting overtime with an onside kick that gave the Rams possession of the ball on the Seahawks 49-yardline.

Nicky Football moved the Rams into position for Greg Zuerlein’s 37-yard field goal which produced the 34-31 winning margin.

Same Old Nick Foles III

Despite turning the ball over twice with costly fumbles – both of which led to scores by the Seahawks – Nicky Football went 18-for-27 for 297 yards and the one TD pass to Lance Kendricks. He did not throw an interception. But he moved the Rams on a successful game-tying drive in the closing minutes of regulation time and a game-winning drive in overtime.

And no longer under Chip Kelly’s dictatorial and stifling thumb – Nicky Football also ran for a crucial touchdown. Touchdown video below. And please note the elan with which Nicky spikes the football.

Please note – and Chip Kelly, also please note – the play was run from the one-yard-line with Nicky taking the snap under center and not in shotgun formation. Chip, at least one of us knows that it’s more advantageous to run short yardage situations from under center. I’ve know it since I was nine or ten years old. Hopefully, you’ll learn it one day – soon.

But that was the same old Nick Foles out there yesterday – the same old Nick Foles who Chip Kelly failed to recognize as:

• Franchise quarterback
• Winner

Hopefully, Sam Bradford plays a kickass game tonight for the Eagles.

In addition to being an official Eagles Outsider, Barry Bowe is also the author of:

• Born to Be Wild
• 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
• 12 Best Eagles QBs
• Soon-to-be-published sexy, police procedural Caribbean Queen
• Soon-to-be-published novel Stosh Wadzinski
• Soon-to-be-published novel Polish Widow
• Soon-to-be-published novel Birth of the Birds