Eagles News: Nick Foles trade buzz has already begun

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Carson Wentz’s projected timetable for return may allow Eagles to trade Nick Foles - PhillyVoice
It’s also worth noting that Foles is slated to become more expensive in 2018, when he will count for $7.6 million on the salary cap, $5.2 million of which the Eagles would save if they traded him. For a team that is tight against the cap, that money could go toward other important matters, like re-signing free agent-to-be LB Nigel Bradham, or helping get a contract extension done with players whose contracts are set to expire after the 2018 season, like DE Brandon Graham, LB Jordan Hicks, CB Ronald Darby, or RB Jay Ajayi.

Will Nick Foles start in 2018? Ranking top 10 post-Super Bowl possibilities - CBS Sports
If Foles pieces together another dominant outing, the Eagles could decide to sell Foles while his value is at its highest and acquire a decent draft pick in exchange for his services, which could then be used to bolster the team around Wentz. Having two starting-caliber quarterbacks is a luxury most teams can’t afford. It might make financial sense for the Eagles to keep him in the event Wentz needs longer than expected to recover from his torn ACL, but it probably makes more sense to sell high on him if some quarterback-needy team offers them a moderately high draft pick.

Super Bowl Preview: Tra Thomas talks about the battle in the trenches - BGN
A special bonus episode of BGN Radio featuring former Eagles All-Pro left tackle Tra Thomas.

High Variance - Iggles Blitz
He is getting ready to square off against Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Normally this would be seen as a complete mismatch. Brady and the Pats are favored, but there are more than a few people picking the Eagles. Most people see this as a close game. Just a few weeks back, the idea of Foles vs Brady would have been seen as a total joke. After Foles carved up the Vikings and their top-rated defense, the perception has changed. There wasn’t a ton of Super Bowl talk down in Mobile, but there is a lot of genuine curiosity in regard to Foles and the Eagles offense. It really is crazy how quickly the perception has changed with Foles. Seeing that one great game made all the difference in the world.

Lawlor: Great Moves Paved Way For A Super Season - PE.com
I have given out a lot of credit for the Eagles’ amazing season. Carson Wentz and the Eagles’ offense got most of the attention. I’ve offered a fair amount of praise to the defense for its great play. I have written a lot about Doug Pederson and his coaching staff. They have been absolutely brilliant this year. One group that definitely deserves a lot of credit is the personnel department.

Ranking the Patriots teams of the Brady-Belichick era, from 1-16 - ESPN
6th out of 16 — We ranked the 2017 Patriots sixth based on giving them half-credit for winning Super Bowl LII. A win moves them up to No. 5, while a loss drops them to No. 8. All of Belichick’s defenses have been known as “bend but don’t break” defenses, but the 2017 Patriots have taken this to an absurd level. The Patriots ranked 32nd this year in yards allowed per drive but sixth in points allowed per drive. Our drive stats go back to 1993, and no defense that finished last in yards per drive had ever finished better than 21st in points allowed per drive. No team that finished in the top 10 for points per drive had ever finished worse than 25th in yards per drive. And it’s not like any other Belichick defense even comes close to this year’s defense. The 2014 Patriots are the only other Patriots defense to rank in the bottom 10 of yards per drive (23rd) and the top 10 of points per drive (eighth).

Five Team-Building Lessons From the 2017 NFL Season - The Ringer
What can we take from a campaign that saw the Eagles rule the NFC and Blake Bortles reach the doorstep of the Super Bowl? Head coaches who call plays are in style—and so is emulating Howie Roseman.

The formula for postseason dominance by Eagles’ D - NBC Sports Philadelphia
The first half is for figuring a team out. The second half is for battering them into submission. That’s been the formula down the stretch for the Eagles’ defense, which hasn’t allowed a second-half point in its two playoff wins and has given up only 15 second-half points in its last five games. ”I really think it’s a testament to our entire team of just staying on our pace and our tempo, controlling the line of scrimmage, running the ball on offense, just kind of wearing teams down so in the second half we’ve kind of got them right where we want them,” defensive tackle Beau Allen said. ”It’s conditioning. It’s will. Call it whatever you want. We just kind of turn it on as much as we can later in games. That’s when games are won or lost.”

Eagles’ Alshon Jeffery still has hoop dreams as Super Bowl nears - DelawareOnline
Alshon Jeffery will come right out and tell you that he would rather be playing basketball. That was true at Calhoun County High School in St. Matthews, South Carolina. It was true in college at South Carolina. And it’s still true now that Jeffery is a star wide receiver with the Eagles, a week away from playing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. ”I’m pretty sure if you cut him open and reach inside, you’ll find a basketball in there,” said Jeffery’s high school basketball coach Zam Fredrick. “That boy loves basketball. And he was very, very good. He used to just dominate games. Even if he only scored eight or nine points in a game, he dominated. ”He was like what Ben Simmons is now [with the 76ers], a point forward, a guy who could play any position.”

All-22: Foles, Eagles must beat Patriots’ man coverage and identify the ‘rats’ - The Athletic
The Patriots are the epitome of a “bend but don’t break” defense. In the regular season, they were 29th in total yards allowed but fifth in points allowed. They are most effective in the red zone where space is compressed and they can play man coverage without having to worry about getting beaten deep. In the red zone, they are free to blitz more and also can use double coverage to take away the Eagles’ favorite weapons. Belichick likes to double bigger bodies in the red zone. In the clip above, the defense doubles Thomas with free safety Duron Harmon over the top. On the other side, linebacker Elandon Roberts and safety Devin McCourty double tight end Matt LaCosse (83). It’s a curious decision to give extra attention to LaCosse and leave Sanders one-on-one, but Belichick often leaves cornerback Malcolm Butler on an island. Foles’ acumen for identifying the double team, and the Eagles’ ability to win their one-on-one matchups in the red zone will go a long way in determining their offensive success in the Super Bowl.

Was Nick Foles always destined to return and lead the Eagles to the promised land? - Daily News
“I really felt like he would be back with the Eagles. I felt that all along,” Larry Foles said. “I felt like Jeffrey [Lurie] thought the world of Nick, and I thought [Howie] Roseman did, and I know [Doug] Pederson did, ‘cause Pederson was the one who came down here [to Austin, Texas, before the 2012 draft] and tried him out on Westlake [High]’s field, with 40 to 50-mph winds Nick was throwing in, so Pederson knew what Nick was.” Larry Foles said this feeling grew stronger when his son signed with the Chiefs and former Eagles coach Andy Reid in 2016; Foles knew Reid and Pederson, who was the Reid’s Eagles QB coach when Nick was drafted, remained close. But Larry didn’t necessarily see Nick leading the Birds to the Super Bowl. “I just felt like there would be an opportunity where he could get back there and do whatever, you know? “ he said.”Thank goodness it was, and he’s a happy boy about it.”

Breaking down the Super Bowl LII matchups: Patriots offense vs Eagles defense - Pats Pulpit
The key to the Eagles defensive game plan is to get pressure on Tom Brady in two seconds or less. Short of that, I believe that Brady will be able to move the ball against this defense with ease. He has extensive experience and success against the man and zone concepts that Schwartz plays. In the next few days I’ll be breaking down the Patriot’s defensive game plan, and my final score prediction. Patriots offensive prediction: 31 points.

Tom Brady, Nick Foles took polar opposite paths to a meeting in Super Bowl 52 - SB Nation
One quarterback is arguably the greatest NFL player ever. The other started December on the sideline.

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