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Now, Eagles face offseason questions at quarterback

By The Sports Xchange
Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks Nick Foles, left, and Carson Wentz celebrate after winning the NFC Championship at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21 in Philadelphia, Pa. Photo by Derik Hamilton/UPI
Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks Nick Foles, left, and Carson Wentz celebrate after winning the NFC Championship at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21 in Philadelphia, Pa. Photo by Derik Hamilton/UPI | License Photo

The Philadelphia Eagles find themselves with an abundance of riches at quarterback.

Carson Wentz, who might have been the league MVP if he hadn't injured his knee in Week 14, is confident he will be ready to go next September for the start of the 2018 season.

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And Nick Foles was down at Disney World Monday with his wife, Tori, and eight-month-old daughter Lily, enjoying the spoils of being named the Super Bowl MVP in the Eagles' 41-33 win over the New England Patriots.

Foles, who considered quitting football just two years ago, threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns and caught a fourth touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton in the impressive win.

In three postseason games, Foles had a 115.7 passer rating. He was magical on third down with a 158.1 passer rating. He completed 81.3 percent of his third-down attempts, averaged 12.4 yards per attempt and threw four of his six postseason touchdown passes on third down.

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Which begs the question: now what? There won't be a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. Wentz will be the starter whenever he is cleared to play.

But what do they do with Foles, who still has another year left on his contract? Considering there is no guarantee - despite what he says - that Wentz will be ready to go by September, it seems likely they will keep him around.

But what if another quarterback-desperate team approaches them and makes an offer they can't refuse? The Eagles don't have a second- or third-round pick in the 2018 draft. If somebody were to offer them a second-round pick for Foles, would they take it? Could they afford not to?

And then there's Foles. Would he be content to return to being a backup after what he just did?

"I haven't even thought about it," Foles said Monday. "I'm not going to let my mind go there. It's about the journey. It's about the people. I'm not worried about my future as a player.

"I was going to retire two years ago. So I'm not going to sit here and think about that now. We just won the championship. I'm going to embrace this with my family and teammates.

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"I love the city of Philadelphia. I was fortunate to come back and sign with them. I have no idea what my future holds. But I'm not worried about it. I'm just going to live in the present."

REPORT CARD VS. PATRIOTS

--PASSING OFFENSE: A-plus -- Nick Foles continued his playoff magic. He threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns. He caught another one from tight end Trey Burton on some second-quarter trickeration. He was 11-for-14 for 169 yards and two touchdowns on third down. Nine of those 11 completions went for first downs, including four to tight end Zach Ertz.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: A -- LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi combined for 147 yards on 23 carries. Blount had a 36-yard run late in the second quarter that set up Nick Foles' first touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. He also had a 21-yard touchdown run with the help of a terrific block from tight end Brent Celek.

--PASS DEFENSE: B -- After completing just 12-of-23 passes in the first half, Tom Brady was 16-for-25 for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. He was sacked just once, but it was a huge one - a strip-sack by Brandon Graham on a second-and-2 play that was recovered by Derek Barnett.

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--RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus -- The Eagles gave up a 26-yard touchdown run to James White late in the second quarter. It was the only double-digit-yard run the Eagles gave up. The Patriots had just four rushing first downs.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A -- Jake Elliott was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts, including a huge 46-yarder with 65 seconds left that extended the Eagles' lead to eight points. The Eagles' kickoff coverage unit pinned the Patriots at their own 9 on their last possession. Donnie Jones punted just once the entire game.

--COACHING: A - Nine years ago, Doug Pederson was coaching high school ball. On Sunday night, he outcoached one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. He kept Bill Belichick and the Patriots off-balance all night with RPOs and aggressive play-calling, including two successful fourth-and-1s.

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