Kelly: Foles Confirmed What I Thought

It’s sometimes easy to forget, but Nick Foles has only started three games under Chip Kelly.

The coach saw the very good against the Bucs, the very bad against the Cowboys and the spectacular in Oakland. So what did Kelly learn about the second-year QB on Sunday?

“I think maybe it just confirmed. I’ve seen him practice. I’ve seen him getting better and better,” Kelly said. “But it’s going out on the field and doing it. That’s why I think what happened in the Cowboys game was such a surprise to everybody, because that’s not what Nick expects out of himself, not what we expected out of Nick. Just really happy for him.”

On film, Kelly said Foles’ early throws on third down really stood out. He praised the QB for his preparation, but stopped short of naming him the starter the rest of the way.

“He just needs to continue to play, just like everybody else on this team,” Kelly said.

Who’s taking the first-team reps tomorrow?

“Nick will tomorrow because I don’t know if Mike [Vick] will be ready to go in practice,” Kelly said. “So we’ll keep monitoring that situation just like every other situation.”

Kelly said Vick’s leg is sore, but he did not have a timetable on the hamstring injury. Given that he was inactive Sunday and won’t practice tomorrow, Vick may still have a ways to go.

“They tell me when he can go and when he can’t go,” Kelly said. “I cross my fingers and I can be hopeful and I can be wishful, but when they say he can go, he can go.”

As for his overall impressions of Foles, Kelly took a trip down memory lane to when Oregon played Arizona.

“It’s what I knew about Nick,” he said. “I thought what happened in the Cowboys game was, as I said the other day, the exception, not the rule. That’s not the Nick Foles I know. I think he’s extremely resilient. I think he’s got a toughness to him.

“Take the film out of when we [Oregon] played them. We hit the crap out of that kid every single day. He completed a pass against us left-handed for 13 yards and had his helmet turned around sideways and got up and took the next snap. I’ve always been a big fan of his because I’ve seen him play and I’ve seen him play in critical games, and he always seemed to have great games against us. So really what happened in the Cowboys game was the first time I’ve ever seen that from him. And let’s knock on wood. Hopefully it’s the last time we ever see it from him.”

INJURIES

Kelly said Jason Peters might not practice tomorrow, but should be back later in the week. It’s wait-and-see with Bradley Fletcher. Both players suffered pectoral injuries.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
Become a fan of Birds 24/7 on Facebook.