The Loop
Nick Foles was absolutely GEEKED out during his postgame press conference
Because of their elite defense, the Chicago Bears' 5-1 start to the 2020 NFL season shouldn't be all that surprising. But when you consider their crazy quarterback situation, it's a bit of a shocker.
In Weeks 1 and 2, the Bears narrowly escaped with victories over the Detroit Lions and New York Giants, both games featuring a so-so performance from quarterback Mitch Trubisky. After another mediocre start to the Atlanta game the following coach, Chicago head coach Matt Nagy called on backup Nick Foles, who famously led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win as the backup to an injured Carson Wentz in 2018.
Foles was brilliant against the Falcons, bringing the Bears back from a 16-point deficit to win 30-26. He's since been fine, compiling a 2-1 record as the starter with three touchdowns and three picks in those three games. He's simply doing the job they need to be done. Whether or not that will be enough to get them to a Super Bowl is a vaild question, however.
Sunday's 23-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers, which ended up putting them in first place in the NFC North after the Green Bay Packers' loss to Tampa Bay, was Foles' worst day as a Bear. He went 23-for-39 (59.0 completion percentage) for just 198 yards, with one passing touchdown and a pick. Not great, but a win is a win is a win is a win. Can't complain when you're 5-1, right?
Of course you can! Foles knew the questions, complaints and concerns were coming in the victory press conference, and he was ready for them. And by ready we mean he absolutely geeked the hell out, delivering a mini pump-up speech to himself and everyone watching that he definitely was praciticing in the mirror before sitting down for the virtual questioning:
That was ... something. Some of the more electric moments are below, in no particular order:
-"And that's what's exciting, because we don't have to have y'all saying like 'hey, you're doing this.' WE KNOW."
-"I'm excited about our offense, I'm excited about the guys that are there. I like the communication that's happening on the sideline. I LOVE the passion of the players, most importantly, THEY CARE."
-"Great teams find a way to win. Bad teams win with ... 'prettiness.' Great teams win, with... no matter how it takes."
To all the high school seniors out there, don't be afraid to mark that down as your yearbook quote: "Great teams win, with... no matter how it takes." Straight out of the Michael Scott playbook. Great stuff Nick, but maybe dial it back. Lot of season left. And hey, maybe at the end of this, this Foles' speech will get the Tim Tebow "God Bless" speech statue treatment. Crazier things have happened.