Nick Foles is about to start his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a four-year, $88 million contract, the pressure is definitely going to be on. But Foles has faced pressure before. In fact, he’s one of only six quarterbacks currently in the league that are Super Bowl MVPs. Besides Foles; Tom Brady, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers are all Super Bowl MVPs. That’s pretty good company to be in. Foles is finally getting another chance to be a franchise quarterback. Not only is Foles a good quarterback, but he’s also a good leader. He’s already had the chance to start becoming familiar with his teammates at voluntary OTAs and people are impressed.
Calais Campbell on @RapSheet & Friends podcast: Jaguars' season 'really comes down to Nick Foles'https://t.co/yAtHtENBts pic.twitter.com/So7kHLpw6Q
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) June 5, 2019
Nick Foles Has the Chance to Take the Jaguars to the Next Level
Foles the Leader
On any football team, the quarterback is the de facto leader just by virtue of the position. But not all quarterbacks have the intangible qualities that allow them to lead their team when they’re in tough spots. It’s great if you can throw a lot of touchdowns, but can you rally your team and inspire them when things look bleak?
As you can see in the above tweet, Calais Campbell, one of the veteran leaders of the Jaguars, sat down with Ian Rapoport about a week ago on his podcast, Rapsheet and Friends. Campbell had a lot of praise for Foles. He described Foles as a “natural leader” and “genuine”. It’s still the off-season, but Foles has gained the respect of his teammates and the veteran leaders on the team. If the team sees the postseason this year, he’s the right man to lead them into February.
The Situation
The Jaguars offense was pretty bad in 2018. It wasn’t just Blake Bortles either. The offensive line had numerous injuries, the young Leonard Fournette missed a lot of time, and the receivers were up and down. The team was painful to watch for much of the season. So how does everything change with Foles?
To be clear, one man cannot change the entire trajectory of an NFL offense. The players around him also have to do well in order to succeed. The Jags picked up a new offensive lineman in Jawaan Taylor in the 2019 NFL Draft. The offensive line will need to stay healthy this year and Taylor should look to impress early. They also gained two new tight ends: Geoff Swaim through free agency and Josh Oliver in the draft. But a big question mark is the receiving corps.
The receivers are a ragtag group with no true number one wideout. You have Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole, Chris Conley, DJ Chark, and Terrelle Pryor. It’s an intriguing group for sure, but also one that leaves many questions. Lee may be the top receiver to start, but will he stay healthy? Westbrook seems to have the best chance for a breakout year. Will Cole stop dropping the ball? Can Conley step up his game after having a smaller role out west? Will Chark take a step forward and live up to his second-round expectations? Now that Pryor is healthy, can he have another 1,000-yard season as he did with the Cleveland Browns?
Fournette is still going to be a big factor in the offense and will need to stay on the field this year. If he can gel with Foles along with the rest of the offense, the team will be dangerous.
The Man
Foles has his work cut out for him on the field with the Jags. But who is he as a man outside of football? He’s a man of faith and talks often about his relationship with Christ. Foles has faced many ups and downs in his career and also in his personal life. Recently, he had to miss some time from the team due to personal reasons. His wife, Tori, was about 15 weeks pregnant when she had a miscarriage. Foles and his wife’s faith helped them through this tragedy as she explained in a post he shared. He may be a football player, but family comes first for Foles.
The Last Word on Nick Foles
Foles has yet to play a game for the Jags. But if the past is any indication, he’s going to put everything he can into winning and helping his team. He’s a leader and will be great with his teammates. The AFC South is becoming a tough division, but Foles and the Jaguars should be up for the challenge in September.
