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Bernie: Foles could be the answer for Rams — or not
• By Bernie Miklasz
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_6c7c730a-3af6-5cf3-beeb-a2ecfef03075.html
Here’s one of the worst things about the constant huffing and puffing over the Rams, St. Louis, Stan Kroenke, Los Angeles, Gov. Nixon, the Edward Jones Dome, the STL stadium task force, NFL relocation guidelines, the proposed stadium on the north riverfront, Peacock & Blitz, Roger Goodell, the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders, Carson, and Inglewood (always up to no good) ...
I don’t talk about Rams football anymore.
You know: the game on the field.
Not the game of Monopoly.
I’ve been so hopelessly distracted by STL vs. LA and the Battle for Los Angeles, I’ve struggled to keep up with the football stuff.
So let’s talk about the Rams’ 2015 training camp, shall we?
Hey, I know you’ve heard me say this before, but I’m confident this is the year that quarterback Sam Bradford finally puts it all together for the Rams.
The Rams just needed to surround Bradford with more talent. And the free-agent signing of left offensive tackle Jake Long should keep Bradford upright and healthy.
Plus, this will be Bradford’s fourth season working with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, and the continuity will make a positive difference.
Know what I mean?
What’s that?
Bradford was traded to Philadelphia for quarterback Nick Foles, and “Schotty” no longer works for the Rams? Jake Long was released in a salary-cap move?
Oh.
Let’s talk about Foles, then. I’ll stop kidding around.
On a serious note, the Rams open camp Friday. And there’s so much to keep an eye on this summer, including the surgically repaired left knee of rookie running back Todd Gurley. And watch out for that herd of mammoth rookie offensive linemen.
But Foles is the most intriguing player in camp.
Since the Rams’ last winning season (2003), they’ve used 14 starting quarterbacks: Marc Bulger, Bradford, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Jamie Martin, Chris Chandler, Kyle Boller, Keith Null, A.J. Feeley, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Gus Frerotte, Brock Berlin and Trent Green.
Foles is next in line.
What will become of him?
Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, Foles could be passing through town, one and done. Or he could take the job, own it, and provide the long-term stability that’s been missing since Bulger started 80 of a possible 96 regular-season games between 2002 and 2008.
No doubt, the constant churn at a critically important position is a factor in the Rams’ .327 winning percentage over the past 11 seasons.
With many NFL franchises, the big quarterback question at this time of the year pertains to quality: Can the talented QB lead the team to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl?
In St. Louis, with so many quarterback injuries, benchings, recycling jobs and coaching changes, the key question is much different: Do the Rams even have a QB?
In evaluating Foles, you can pretty much see what you want to see.
Hey, this is the quarterback who threw 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions for Philadelphia in 2013. Foles was voted to the Pro Bowl, the dazzling Eagles averaged 28 points per game, went 10-6, and made the NFC playoffs.
Wow, 27 touchdowns and two pickoffs? And average of 9.1 yards per passing attempt? A passer rating of 119.2? When Kurt Warner was the pride of St. Louis, orchestrating the Greatest Show on Turf, he never had a passer rating higher than 109.2 in a season. Foles is no Warner, but he could be the best quarterback here since Bulger went to the Pro Bowl after passing for 4,301 yards in 2006.
No, no, no. Foles is a one-year wonder who crashed in 2014. Foles passed for only 13 touchdowns, lobbed too many interceptions (10), held the ball too long, took too many hits, suffered a fractured collarbone, and was abruptly cast aside by Eagles coach Chip Kelly.
Given Kelly’s obsession with offense, and his quarterback-friendly attack, why did he give up on Foles so quickly? What does that tell us? Not only that, but Kelly flipped Foles to St. Louis to gamble on Bradford. Yeah, the iron-man Bradford that missed 25 of the Rams’ previous 32 games because of two knee surgeries.
Hold on, now. Why the negativity? Foles made a great impression right away. His new teammates rave about him. The Rams have embraced Nick as the leader they’ve been waiting for.
“The chemistry has been great since day one,” wide receiver Kenny Britt told reporters. “He’s the guy that comes in the locker room and pumps people up ready to go. If you’re down, he’s the first one (saying) ‘Hey come on, we’ve gotta go right now.’ To tell you the truth, it’s kind of exciting to see him in there.”
Tight end Jared Cook co-signed the endorsement. “I’m so glad that he’s here. I love that he’s here,” Cook told the team’s web site. “I love what he brings to us, and I love the fact that he’s just an up-tempo, positive guy.”
Love was definitely in the air at Rams Park.
“Great deep ball,” Britt said. “He puts it on the money every time. He can throw every pass in the book.”
That’s nice.
As you might imagine, the opinions in Philadelphia aren’t so nice.
In a recent interview with a Philadelphia radio station, former Eagles scout Louis Riddick described an alternative version of Foles.
“I’ve talked with people directly that were with him every day and coached him, and he was the kind of guy who behind the scenes didn’t necessarily like being criticized, didn’t necessarily like maybe being coached hard, being gotten on in the way that some quarterbacks and some players can take,” Riddick said.
“So is it surprising that maybe he would fit in a little bit better in a town like St. Louis where, not necessarily that they don’t have high expectations, but it’s not the same kind of scrutiny he’ll face here in Philadelphia? Yeah, that doesn’t shock me. That doesn’t shock me that he would feel more comfortable there.”
Speaking to ESPN’s Mike Sando, one anonymous NFL head coach said he’d be delighted to have Foles … at No. 2 on the depth chart.
“You wish he was your backup because he could go win some games for you,” the coach said. “But I wouldn’t want him to be my starter.”
This is confusing, yes?
Foles is either (1) a natural-born leader of men who puts every throw on the money; or (2) he’s thin-skinned, can’t take the heat, couldn’t wait to duck behind the low expectations in St. Louis and is no better than a good backup.
I’m neutral for now. I like Foles’ potential, but he could go either way.
Foles could be the answer, the solution, the missing piece. Or he could go missing, like the many Rams quarterbacks that have come and gone.
• By Bernie Miklasz
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_6c7c730a-3af6-5cf3-beeb-a2ecfef03075.html
Here’s one of the worst things about the constant huffing and puffing over the Rams, St. Louis, Stan Kroenke, Los Angeles, Gov. Nixon, the Edward Jones Dome, the STL stadium task force, NFL relocation guidelines, the proposed stadium on the north riverfront, Peacock & Blitz, Roger Goodell, the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders, Carson, and Inglewood (always up to no good) ...
I don’t talk about Rams football anymore.
You know: the game on the field.
Not the game of Monopoly.
I’ve been so hopelessly distracted by STL vs. LA and the Battle for Los Angeles, I’ve struggled to keep up with the football stuff.
So let’s talk about the Rams’ 2015 training camp, shall we?
Hey, I know you’ve heard me say this before, but I’m confident this is the year that quarterback Sam Bradford finally puts it all together for the Rams.
The Rams just needed to surround Bradford with more talent. And the free-agent signing of left offensive tackle Jake Long should keep Bradford upright and healthy.
Plus, this will be Bradford’s fourth season working with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, and the continuity will make a positive difference.
Know what I mean?
What’s that?
Bradford was traded to Philadelphia for quarterback Nick Foles, and “Schotty” no longer works for the Rams? Jake Long was released in a salary-cap move?
Oh.
Let’s talk about Foles, then. I’ll stop kidding around.
On a serious note, the Rams open camp Friday. And there’s so much to keep an eye on this summer, including the surgically repaired left knee of rookie running back Todd Gurley. And watch out for that herd of mammoth rookie offensive linemen.
But Foles is the most intriguing player in camp.
Since the Rams’ last winning season (2003), they’ve used 14 starting quarterbacks: Marc Bulger, Bradford, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Jamie Martin, Chris Chandler, Kyle Boller, Keith Null, A.J. Feeley, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Gus Frerotte, Brock Berlin and Trent Green.
Foles is next in line.
What will become of him?
Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, Foles could be passing through town, one and done. Or he could take the job, own it, and provide the long-term stability that’s been missing since Bulger started 80 of a possible 96 regular-season games between 2002 and 2008.
No doubt, the constant churn at a critically important position is a factor in the Rams’ .327 winning percentage over the past 11 seasons.
With many NFL franchises, the big quarterback question at this time of the year pertains to quality: Can the talented QB lead the team to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl?
In St. Louis, with so many quarterback injuries, benchings, recycling jobs and coaching changes, the key question is much different: Do the Rams even have a QB?
In evaluating Foles, you can pretty much see what you want to see.
Hey, this is the quarterback who threw 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions for Philadelphia in 2013. Foles was voted to the Pro Bowl, the dazzling Eagles averaged 28 points per game, went 10-6, and made the NFC playoffs.
Wow, 27 touchdowns and two pickoffs? And average of 9.1 yards per passing attempt? A passer rating of 119.2? When Kurt Warner was the pride of St. Louis, orchestrating the Greatest Show on Turf, he never had a passer rating higher than 109.2 in a season. Foles is no Warner, but he could be the best quarterback here since Bulger went to the Pro Bowl after passing for 4,301 yards in 2006.
No, no, no. Foles is a one-year wonder who crashed in 2014. Foles passed for only 13 touchdowns, lobbed too many interceptions (10), held the ball too long, took too many hits, suffered a fractured collarbone, and was abruptly cast aside by Eagles coach Chip Kelly.
Given Kelly’s obsession with offense, and his quarterback-friendly attack, why did he give up on Foles so quickly? What does that tell us? Not only that, but Kelly flipped Foles to St. Louis to gamble on Bradford. Yeah, the iron-man Bradford that missed 25 of the Rams’ previous 32 games because of two knee surgeries.
Hold on, now. Why the negativity? Foles made a great impression right away. His new teammates rave about him. The Rams have embraced Nick as the leader they’ve been waiting for.
“The chemistry has been great since day one,” wide receiver Kenny Britt told reporters. “He’s the guy that comes in the locker room and pumps people up ready to go. If you’re down, he’s the first one (saying) ‘Hey come on, we’ve gotta go right now.’ To tell you the truth, it’s kind of exciting to see him in there.”
Tight end Jared Cook co-signed the endorsement. “I’m so glad that he’s here. I love that he’s here,” Cook told the team’s web site. “I love what he brings to us, and I love the fact that he’s just an up-tempo, positive guy.”
Love was definitely in the air at Rams Park.
“Great deep ball,” Britt said. “He puts it on the money every time. He can throw every pass in the book.”
That’s nice.
As you might imagine, the opinions in Philadelphia aren’t so nice.
In a recent interview with a Philadelphia radio station, former Eagles scout Louis Riddick described an alternative version of Foles.
“I’ve talked with people directly that were with him every day and coached him, and he was the kind of guy who behind the scenes didn’t necessarily like being criticized, didn’t necessarily like maybe being coached hard, being gotten on in the way that some quarterbacks and some players can take,” Riddick said.
“So is it surprising that maybe he would fit in a little bit better in a town like St. Louis where, not necessarily that they don’t have high expectations, but it’s not the same kind of scrutiny he’ll face here in Philadelphia? Yeah, that doesn’t shock me. That doesn’t shock me that he would feel more comfortable there.”
Speaking to ESPN’s Mike Sando, one anonymous NFL head coach said he’d be delighted to have Foles … at No. 2 on the depth chart.
“You wish he was your backup because he could go win some games for you,” the coach said. “But I wouldn’t want him to be my starter.”
This is confusing, yes?
Foles is either (1) a natural-born leader of men who puts every throw on the money; or (2) he’s thin-skinned, can’t take the heat, couldn’t wait to duck behind the low expectations in St. Louis and is no better than a good backup.
I’m neutral for now. I like Foles’ potential, but he could go either way.
Foles could be the answer, the solution, the missing piece. Or he could go missing, like the many Rams quarterbacks that have come and gone.
.
