Arizona Football Alumni: Nick Foles Rams Debut Silences Doubters

Chip Kelly, are you doubting your decision yet? You let quarterback Nick Foles go, and he just beat last season’s Super Bowl contender, the Seattle Seahawks, in Week One of the NFL season!

Sep 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) celebrates after running the ball in for a one-yard touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Seahawks 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Former Arizona Football quarterback and Wildcat Nick Foles took the trade in stride and celebrated his role on his new team in St. Louis Missouri.  You never heard his head coach being asked if Nick was going to be his starting quarterback; Head Coach Jeff Fisher never doubted Foles was his QB.

In contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles reporters and sports broadcasters everywhere are constantly asking about Sam Bradford’s status and if he is ready to be the Eagles starting quarterback.  Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly has to be rethinking his choice and if he made the wrong decision because everyone else is.

For quite awhile most assumed Kelly traded Foles so he could take Marcus Mariota away  from the Tennessee Titans in the draft or in a trade somehow. But that never happened.

Foles led multiple 80 plus yard runs on the day racking up 297 total yards on 18 of 27 passing to shock the Seahawks and their fans, 34-31 in overtime. On top of that, he passed for a touchdown, and he rushed for a touchdown.

YES, WILDCATS FANS, NICK FOLES RUSHED FOR A TOUCHDOWN! I don’t know if it was Head Coach Mike Stoops or Foles himself making the call to just pass, but we rarely if ever saw Nick run with the ball at Arizona let alone rush for a touchdown.

Sep 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) celebrates as he runs off the field after defeating the Seattle Seahawks 34-31 in overtime at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Nick led a drive to try to tie the Seahawks, the Rams were down 31-24. Foles was hit from behind so hard, he hobbled off the field holding his arm.

There were only five minutes to play in the game at that point.  In true Foles form, he came right back onto the field on the Rams next possession.

In the next series and pushed through his pain. Foles lead the Rams on an 84-yard drive ending with a 37-yard pass to tight end Lance Kendricks to tie the game at 31.  The Seahawks outscored the Rams 18-0 at in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, Nick got the team in field goal range, this Greg Zuerlein hit the 37-yard field goal, and the Rams were up 34-31.

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The Seahawks had one last play to move the ball down the field; it was fourth and one. Seattle Head Coach Pete Carroll called a Marshawn Lynch run play, something he didn’t do at the end of the 2015 Superbowl. As his bad luck would have it, Lynch was stuffed by the Defense and suffered a loss of yards. GAME OVER THE RAMS WIN!

A resilient Nick Foles was in the catalyst that brought the team together. Nick took hard hits and got back up, he kept cool and didn’t give up, and he stood tall in the pocket and made things happen. The Rams organization and fans needed a boost like this; they’ve been waiting a long time.

Head Coach Jeff Fisher couldn’t hold back his joy at the press conference, “That was Great!” Then Fisher reminded us that his team is currently the youngest in the league, again.

Remember, the Rams were not just playing any team. The Rams were playing against the Seattle Seahawks. This was a huge game, also the first game of the season against a rival!

Foles could be moving to Los Angeles and will be closer to Tucson, which is music to the ears of Wildcats fans living in Los Angeles as well.

The Rams are rumored to be coming back to Los Angeles to play in a brand new facility next to the Los Angeles Forum on a piece of land in Inglewood owned by the Rams head honcho and owner Stan Kroenke. Whether or not the move will happen and Los Angeles will finally have an NFL team to call their own is yet to be seen, but we can hope, can’t we? Anyone remember the L.A. Rams?

Here’re some more insights on the Seahawks vs. Rams game from John Depetro and Chris Burke:

Beardown Nick!

Next: Meet Arizona Commit J.J. Taylor, class of 2016