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Let's get to the links...
Will Foles be Eagles' franchise quarterback? - Jeff McLane, Inquirer
Is Nick Foles a franchise quarterback? It's a very simple question, but a complicated one to answer. Even Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie couldn't give an affirmative response after Foles led the league in passer rating and set an NFL record in touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Ranking the Eagles' offseason needs from most glaring to most stable - JimmyK, Philly.com
1) Edge rusher: In the first 8 games of the season, Trent Cole had 0 sacks. In the last 9 games he had 8 sacks. In the past, Cole was a guy who would start fast, and finish slow. This year he was the opposite. However, even with Cole's late rejuvenation, he's 31 years old, and the Eagles lack a true 3-4 OLB who can get after the passer with any level of consistency. They also lack depth.
Just the Beginning - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
It takes time to win a Super Bowl. Sean Payton and Drew Brees came together in 2006. They won in 2009. John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco joined the Ravens in 2008. They won in 2012. Aaron Rodgers was drafted in 2005, sat until 2008 and then won the SB in 2010. Go back to Aikman-Johnson, Montana-Walsh and other classic combos. It took time. Football is an always evolving game. I was hoping that Chip Kelly and Nick Foles might be able to buck the trend and lead us on a magical Super Bowl run right off the bat. Didn’t happen. Both guys still have growing to do. Foles must improve as a QB. Kelly must improve as a coach. And they must continue to grow together. I don’t know how all of you feel, but this playoff loss has me feeling different than in recent years. This is the beginning of something, not a step closer to the end. As the Andy Reid era moved along, the playoff losses became more frustrating. The longer a coach goes without winning the big game, the more you feel the chances are dwindling that it will ever happen.
Eagles vs. Saints: The Day After - Brent Cohen, EaglesRewind
Unfortunate ending to a really entertaining season, but can’t say it was that surprising. In fact, the only surprise is in how little blame there is to be placed (as long as you’re not a WIP lunatic). The fact is, the Eagles played a relatively good game yesterday. The problem is, so did the Saints. Clearly both teams were very evenly matched and the Saints just happened to be winning when the music stopped. Tough break, but don’t overreact.
Inside the Drive Gone Wrong - Sheil Kapadia, Birds 24/7
First-and-10 from the Saints’ 15, late in the opening quarter. Drew Brees had just thrown his first interception of the day, the crowd was smelling blood and the Eagles were threatening. It was the first chance to establish superiority. Instead, a nightmare sequence developed.
Lurie: Eagles' season 'just the tip of the iceberg' - Reuben Frank, CSN Philly
The Eagles’ 10-6 season, division title and playoff berth was only "the tip of the iceberg" for the Eagles, owner Jeff Lurie said in the team’s locker room following the franchise’s 53rd consecutive season without an NFL championship. "Oh, for sure," Lurie said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s a missed opportunity and it’s the tip of the iceberg. I think that everyone in this room knows it.
Nick Foles: ‘I’m hurting inside right now in my heart’ - Andrew Kulp, The700Level
Whether you want to admit it or not, I think all of us were quietly thinking, hoping the 2013 Philadelphia Eagles might be one of those special teams that does the unthinkable and wins a world a championship in a year when nobody was expecting it. That feeling exists largely due to Nick Foles. Statistically speaking, Foles was the best quarterback in the NFL this season. He threw for the most yards and touchdowns per pass attempt is what it boils down to. It was one for the books, as they say. Winning the Super Bowl was all that was missing.
PFT’s 2013 comeback player of the year
This year, we’ve decided to give the award to a guy who came back from a pair of Achilles tendon surgeries that wiped out his 2012 season. He responded with yet another Pro Bowl season. Jason Peters, Philadelphia Eagles. His banner year included a $2 million settlement with the company that makes a walker that failed while he was using it, forcing him to have the second surgery in 2012. Peters started every game for the first time since 2006, when he was with the Bills. He anchored the left side of a stellar offensive line, which helped create running room for LeSean McCoy and buy time for Nick Foles.
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