Getty Nick Foles beat Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFC Wild Card game.
Will it be former second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky or Super Bowl winner Nick Foles? After their team acquired Foles via trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, Chicago Bears fans and media alike are split as to which quarterback will be the guy moving forward.
Some feel as though the position is Trubisky’s to lose, and most agree Mitch will be on a short leash. Others, like The Athletic’s Adan Jahns, think Foles may already be the team’s favorite for potential starter.
Interesting. @MikeGarafolo just said on NFL Network that Mitch Trubisky has the “upper hand” right now for the starting spot. But he did mention the leash is short.
@MoveTheSticks also talked about the situation between Trubisky and Foles being a competition.
Interesting.
This is Trubisky’s last chance to claim ownership of this team. While few have doubted his character, Trubisky’s inability to be consistent and accurate in the passing game coupled with his frequent difficulty reading defenses has been a problem, and it’s not one that can continue.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace said in February that his team planned on bringing in competition at quarterback, and it arrived this week in the form of Foles. But just how much competition will there be? A few former members of the team think that the competition is already over.
On the Under Center podcast, former Bears Lance Briggs and Alex Brown discussed the addition of Foles with co-host Laurence Holmes. Both former Chicago defenders think Foles will be the player to win Matt Nagy’s trust.
Lance Briggs and Alex Brown See Foles as a Better Fit in Matt Nagy’s System
Upon hearing the news that the Bears were trading for Foles, former Bears linebacker Lance Briggs tweeted in support of Foles. “Anything is better than a lone Trubisky starting Bears squad. Foles is my Arizona brother, he can get hot. we’ve seen before. He will read his coverages and make his throws,” Briggs tweeted. He and former teammate Alex Brown doubled down on that sentiment on the recent podcast.
Anyone is better than a lone Trubisky starting Bears squad. Foles is my Arizona brother, he can get hot, we’ve seen before. He will read his coverages and make his throws.
Briggs said Foles was “a better quarterback than Mitch Trubisky,” and Brown concurred. “I don’t think there’s any question that he’s a better fit for this type of offense,” he said about Foles. When Holmes asked if they wanted to see a competition between Trubisky and Foles, Briggs got candid. “They can compete all they want. Foles is gonna end up beating him out.” Brown concurred. “There can be a competition … Foles is gonna win it, assuming they make it a competition,” Brown said, suggesting the Bears may ride with Trubisky initially to start the season.
“If it’s a competition, Foles is gonna win it, absolutely, without a doubt” Briggs said, before adding: “Now, if they don’t make it a competition, it’s only a matter of time.”
Both Briggs and Brown noted the Bears had to fix their offensive line issues regardless of who is under center, but they also noted Nagy’s history with Foles. They spent time together in Philadelphia in Foles’ rookie season, and again in Kansas City in 2016. Foles also has connections to Bears’ OC Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.
In addition to being with Foles in KC, Nagy was the Eagles’ offensive quality control coach in 2012 when Foles was a rookie.
“Jobs are on the line now,” Briggs said about Nagy feeling compelled to go with Foles. “Matt Nagy likes him,” Brown added, referring to Foles. “I think we’re starting to see how he truly feels about Mitchell Trubisky.”
Trubisky has 41 NFL starts. He lost to Foles the only time they ever played against each other, in a 15-16 Wild Card game that was underwhelming at best from an offensive standpoint.
Foles has 48 starts at quarterback. He has a career record of 26-22-0, with the majority of his success coming while he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. Foles is 21-11 with the Eagles and a combined 5-11 everywhere else. He is 22-11 in Matt Nagy-style offenses, however, and one benefit to having him on the roster is his firm grasp of how to run it.
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