5 fantastic stops on Nick Foles’ incredible journey with the Eagles

Well… We didn’t think we’d be telling this story today, but that’s what we love about this beautiful game of football and our Philadelphia Eagles. No one knows what to expect. That’s a constant in team sports, their unpredictable nature. Nick’s entry into this team was a surprise, and it’s only natural that we were surprised by the announcement of his departure.

The only man on planet Earth who can say he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win as a starting quarterback has decided to hang up his cleats and head out the door. He announced it via his social media accounts.

We didn’t just want to write a “Nick Foles is retiring” story. You’ll see 30 of them. We thought he deserved better. It seems like it’s time to write a better story (or several).

There are so many moments we could share from Nick’s two stays in the City of Brotherly Love with the Birds. We’ve narrowed it down to five. How about we do something like that?

Yes… This is more to the point. Someone as dear and close to our hearts as “Saint” Nick Foles deserves a proper send-off.

1. The Eagles have Michael Vick on the roster and will draft Nick Foles anyway.

Remember when the Eagles had just signed Carson Wentz to a huge contract extension and decided to draft Jalen Hurts anyway? Well, that’s not the first time we’ve seen something like that happen. We’ve seen it happen on at least two other occasions, too.

Some were surprised when Philadelphia selected Kevin Kolb in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. That seemed odd because there were other needs and Donovan McNabb was firmly entrenched as the starter. We also saw Andy Reid select Foles in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft despite having Michael Vick.

The Eagles’ 2012 season would be Reid’s last in Philadelphia after a 4-12 finish. However, Big Red set up the Birds well. That year’s draft class featured Foles, Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks and Vinny Curry and would form the core of a team that won the Super Bowl just over five years later.

We’ll talk more about this in a second…

2. Andy Reid names Nick Foles as the Eagles’ starter.

After speculation about whether Nick Foles or Michael Vick would start in Week 9’s Monday Night Football Game against the New Orleans Saints, Reid opted for Vick. Mike left the following week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with concussion symptoms. Foles threw his first touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin and on Monday, December 3, 2012, after Nick’s first game as a starter in Week 11, Reid announced that Foles would be the starter for the remainder of the season.

The rest, as they say, is history.

3. Foles ties an NFL record for TD passes in a single game.

Other than his night in Super Bowl LII, there may not be another game that makes us wonder what could have been better than watching Nick throw for seven touchdowns in a game against what was then the Oakland Raiders. This was one of those moments that one simply has to witness.

Throwing for seven touchdowns meant Nick would equal an NFL record. Sid Luckman did it in 1943. Another Eagle, Adrian Burk, did it in 1954. The feat has also been matched by George Blanda (1961), Y. A. Tittle (1962), Joe Kapp (1969), Peyton Manning (2013) and Drew Brees (2015).

However, few looked better than Nick doing it.

He holds the NFL record for highest completion percentage (78.5%). He posted a perfect passer rating (158.3) and tied the record for best TD-to-interception ratio (seven TDs, zero interceptions).

4. Chip Kelly trades Nick Foles to the Rams.

You can’t tell the story of Nick’s journey without mentioning Chip Kelly’s decision to trade him for Sam Bradford in 2013. Ouch… That still stings, so we won’t dwell on it for long.

We only have to thank Howie Roseman for correcting this glaring error two years later. Foles returned home in March 2017 after contemplating retirement, and again… The rest is history.

5. Three fantastic games in 2018

We know the story well. Carson Wentz is injured. Nick Foles takes his place. The Eagles win the Super Bowl. Let’s raise our glasses in celebration. How about that three-game playoff run that helped lift the trophy?

Foles led Philadelphia to victory in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons. He followed that effort up with three touchdown passes to help defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game.

You may have heard about his day in Super Bowl LII. He led the Birds to a victory over the greatest dynasty in NFL history by throwing three touchdown passes. He also caught a touchdown pass. Hmmm. We wonder how that play was called.

6. Santa Claus survives the Texans and the Double-Doink Game.

Saint Nick’s brilliance wasn’t limited to an occasional flurry of goals here and there. He led Philadelphia to a few big wins, including during the 2018 season when Philadelphia attempted to defend its title.

Didn’t you know? Nick would replace Carson Wentz again before his return in Week 3 of the 2018 regular season and after he missed the season again following a Week 14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Nick returned to the starting lineup in Week 15 and did his part in three must-win games to send the Eagles to the NFL Playoffs. After dominating the Rams on Sunday Night Football, he led Philadelphia to a thrilling 32-30 victory over the Houston Texans before leading the Eagles to a dominant 24-0 victory during the regular season finale.

But who could forget the Double-Doink Game, another thrilling playoff game against the Chicago Bears? And even though Philadelphia was just a few plays away from making its second straight trip to the NFC Championship Game, Nick’s legacy was already assured.

It’s now set in stone… literally.

Bonus: Nick Foles receives a statue.

Foles has reached a level that is rare in a tough sports town. He is as beloved as Allen Iverson, Joe Frazier, Roy Halladay and, dare we say, Jason Kelce and Brian Dawkins. He will never have to buy a meal in Philadelphia again if he doesn’t want to, and there is a statue of him and Doug Pederson outside Lincoln Financial Field.

Wow! What was the name of that play?

Nick shows us the boot that shares the NFL record for consecutive completions with Philip Rivers and Ryan Tannehill (25). He also holds the record for playoff completion percentage (68.1%). He is a Super Bowl champion, the 2013 NFL season leader in passer rating and holds the Philadelphia record for career passer rating (92.9).

His accomplishments beyond what he achieved in Philadelphia never matched what he accomplished in Eagles green, but that’s OK. To us, he’s a Hall of Famer. His faith inspires us. He’ll always be our “Saint Nicholas.”