If you want to crown Nick Foles now, then crown him. But he is not who you think he is. Not yet anyhow.
Foles was revealed as the No. 70 player on Wednesday's episode of NFL Network's "The Top 100 Players of 2014." That's ahead of Tony Romo, Colin Kaepernick and Matthew Stafford. Only 10 quarterbacks are ahead of Foles.
Putting Foles at the same level as those quarterbacks is premature at best. (It's also early to say Foles is at the same level as veterans like DeSean Jackson, Jason Peters and Cameron Wake, who were revealed on the list this week.) Those guys have arrived. We are still figuring out how good Foles can be, and whether he's even a quarterback Chip Kelly will build around for years to come.
After 11 starts, we know that Foles has great numbers. But he often doesn't play to his box score when you turn on Game Rewind. Foles benefited from fantastic pass protection and a quarterback-friendly scheme around him. He took advantage of his surroundings with good decision-making and a surprisingly accurate deep ball. He avoided big mistakes, even if he held on to the ball too long at times.
Foles was usually not the primary reason Philadelphia won games. One typical example: The Eagles beat a very good Arizona team despite Foles not being sharp. (Carson Palmer was mostly better that day.) Foles was a cog in the bigger Eagles offensive machine, which is a sign of good coaching. The Eagles tried not to ask him to do too much.
This isn't to diminish Foles' season. But even Kelly would privately admit Foles isn't a top 10 quarterback. He's a promising young option who has a lot more to do before the Eagles even commit to him long-term. We don't know yet what Foles is.
Here are five more takeaways from Wednesday's show:
- Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake remains vastly underrated. We wrote about this a year ago and he moved up from No. 89 to No. 66, so that's progress.
- Chicago Bears pass rusher Jared Allen, ranked No. 68, got a boost from his name value. He was a solid starter for much of last season, but he no longer consistently impacted games. His slow-forming free-agent market indicated how teams felt about him.
- Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus made his first career appearance on the list at No. 62. The scary part is that the No. 3 pick of the 2011 draft just seems to be scratching the surface of what he can do as a pro.
- Washington Redskins receiver DeSean Jackson moved up 37 spots to No. 63, which sounds about right. He is more consistent now catching the ball on a variety of routes while remaining one of the best vertical threats in the league.
- Troy Polamalu moved up 30 spots this year to No. 61, a recognition of his improved 2013 season. It's rare to see a 32-year-old have an "improved" anything, but Polamalu legitimately had a bounceback season for the Steelers before signing a contract extension this offseason.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks down the news and discusses players who could be summertime trade targets.
