Message to Eagles QB Nick Foles: Tom Brady was a backup too
Here’s a message to Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. Tom Brady’s first run to his first Super Bowl began as a backup as well.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the most accomplished quarterback in postseason history. With a win in Super Bowl LII, he would have helped lead his team to six Lombardi Trophies, but it doesn’t end there though. When his career is over, he’ll be a surefire first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, on the other hand, will be starting in his fourth postseason game when February 4th rolls around.
What gets forgotten about, in all of that, is when Tom Brady made his first postseason run, he was a rookie signal caller who had taken over for a Patriots legend, quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
Here’s a couple of stories you’ve heard several times.
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All anyone could talk about when Carson Wentz went down with an injury was whether or not the Eagles’ season was over. Those that would consider themselves ‘football historians’ sometimes brought up what happened with the New York Giants. In 1990, their starting quarterback, Phil Simms, was injured before ‘Hoss’ led his team to wins in the final two weeks of the season, two playoff wins and a win in Super Bowl XXV
For Brady, it was different. No one will ever forget the Mo Lewis hit on Drew Bledsoe, and that was the moment Brady stepped in. from there, a team that started 0-2 in that season would eventually learn to win, catch fire and win Super Bowl XXXVI, and the rest, as they say, is history.
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For Foles, it’s all laid out.
Foles has heard why he can’t win Super Bowl LII. He’s heard all of the talk that about his inexperience, and he’s heard about the mighty Patriots dynasty. Still, even though there have been ups and downs, Foles has grown. He’s learned how to win again, and he’s developed a familiarity and chemistry with his teammates.
Eagles fans thought, if they reached a Super Bowl, that it would be Carson Wentz who would have led them there. That isn’t how things have worked out. Now, a team that seems like they’ve been underdogs every week since they played the Seattle Seahawks, are the underdogs again. Foles, one of the biggest individual underdogs on the team, has a chance to help deliver a first-ever Lombardi Trophy for the Eagles, their city and their fans.
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He’ll be fine. He just needs to remember something. For Brady it was the same thing. He too was the underdog. His team had to beat the team that was supposed to win it all. He was the guy who came off of the bench. Let’s hope Foles’ story sees a similar outcome, everything except him replacing the starter of course.