This has been passed around the interwebs a bit by now, but it's so important that I thought it important to share with as wide an audience as possible, freshness be damned.
On Monday we outlined Doug Pederson's path from an NFL journeyman quarterback to a Louisiana high school coach to Super Bowl champion. His quarterback's path is just as interesting.
Nick Foles came out of Austin Westlake, Drew Brees's high school, and originally committed to Arizona State but felt disenfranchised by Dennis Erickson's staff to sign with Michigan State. He joined a quarterback room occupied by future NFL signal callers Kirk Cousins and Brian Hoyer, so he declared himself the odd man out and transferred to Arizona.
Foles was drafted in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles and threw an NFL-best 27 touchdowns against two interceptions as a second year player in 2013. But he lasted only one more season in Philly, and a year later he was ready to quit, famously texting his friends he planned to retire before a camping trip before ultimately (and obviously) changing his mind. He spent 2016 as a backup in Kansas City, then re-joined Pederson in Philadelphia as a backup in 2017. The plan was to backup No. 2 pick Carson Wentz, but a December injury thrust him into the starting lineup, leading the club to their first Super Bowl win by hitting 72.6 percent of his throws for 9.2 yards per attempt with six touchdowns against one interception throughout Philadelphia's 3-game playoff run.
After Sunday night's win, Foles got on the podium and, with a Super Bowl MVP trophy in hand and cameras broadcasting his words across the globe, said this.
Here's a transcript of Foles's words.
With Wentz returning from injury and his contract set to expire after next season, it's impossible to forecast where Foles will be in 2018. But wherever it is, it'll be impossible not to root for him.