Philadelphia Eagles: Regardless of the Super Bowl, this is still Wentz’s team

Regardless of how current Philadelphia Eagles starter Nick Foles performs in the Super Bowl, this is still Carson Wentz’ team in 2018.

Is there a quarterback controversy brewing in South Philly?

No, there is not.

While some may say that a massive performance in the Super Bowl by Nick Foles should afford the once backup QB a shot to compete for the Philadelphia Eagles starting role this summer, that simply isn’t the case.

Unlike Carson Wentz, the future of the quarterback position in the NFL, who’s magical performances helped to vault the team into one of the best teams on the entire league, the Eagles have won in spight of Foles, not because of him.

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Where Wentz would pull a Houdini move on a would-be sack and somehow end up turning it a huge play, Foles either throws the ball away or takes the sack deep in the offensive backfield.

Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as many the best quarterbacks in NFL history, be they Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or John Elway were essentially statues in the pocket, but having a quarterback who can not only make plays with his legs as a runner, but also extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield can be incredibly hard to cover, and give an offensive play caller, like Doug Pederson, an immense advantage over his defensive counterpart.

Just look at how much extra attention players like Russell Wilson and Cam Newton get on a nightly basis, even if they have no intention of running the ball.

Furthermore, even if Foles does play the game of his life in Super Bowl LII, becoming an absolute legend in Philadelphia in the process, the Eagles have simply invested too much in Wentz to move on so quickly.

After trading up twice in the 2016 NFL Draft to selection the former North Dakota State Bison, giving up multiple draft picks in the process, the team has essentially crafted their entire offense, from play calling, to offensive schemes, to personnel decisions like signing Alshon Jeffery and retaining John DeFilippo, around making the face of their franchise comfortable in his new home, and developing him the right way.

While the team could easily transition to a more Foles centric playbook full time, eliminating designed run plays and bootlegs for an RPO centric attack, it would shrink Pederson’s playbook, and take away some of the mystery that made the Eagles arguably the most entertaining team to watch in the entire league when Wentz was under center.

The best case scenario for all parties involved would be for Foles to put on a show in the Super Bowl, finally bring the Lombardi Trophy to Philly, in arguably the most exciting parade the world of sports has ever seen, and then move on to a new team in 2018, with the Eagles being handsomely compensated for his services.

Now I know some people will gawk at the idea of the Eagles trading away their first ever in-house Super Bowl winning quarterback, but honestly, it has a higher chance of happening then Foles unseating Wentz moving forward.

While the NFL is all about “what have you done for me lately” and Foles has been the Eagles starting quarterback for almost two months at this point, some may forget that at one point Wentz was almost an even money bet to win the 2017 NFL MVP Award, and still finished the season with the second most touchdown passes of any quarterback in the league in only 13 games.

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Watching him leave town may be hard, but Foles has an expiration date in the City of Brotherly Love, and if some team believes in him enough to trade one or more high draft picks for his services next season, the Eagles should allow the former Arizona Wildcat to go become the face of another franchise, and hopefully have a long, prosperous career in a starting role.

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