Nick Foles Is a Legend, But Eagles Still Need Carson Wentz

I've heard this a lot over the last few months: The Eagles won the Super Bowl with Nick Foles. 

It's a very true statement, but still has flaws. 

And before we get too far into this, I want to offer a disclaimer. What Foles did in last year's playoffs was incredible. He'll go down as an all-time great Eagle and deserves all the credit in the world for getting it done and becoming the Super Bowl MVP. 

But the problem with "The Eagles won the Super Bowl with Nick Foles" is two-fold. 

First, it neglects the incredible contributions Carson Wentz made to winning that Super Bowl by playing at an MVP level before going down in December. 

Second, it makes it seem like it's a real possibility the Eagles could repeat with Foles, even if Wentz doesn't return to form. 

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This is going to seem obvious, but apparently, it's not: the Eagles need Wentz. 

Let's start with the first of those two points. Because of how amazing Foles was in the playoffs, it's easy to forget just how good Wentz was in 13 starts. He wasn't just good, he was MVP-of-the-league good. A little while back, Reuben Frank dove back into some incredible Wentz stats (see story).

Now, we'll never know if Wentz would have been able to pull off the kind of magic Foles did in the playoffs the same way we'll never know if Foles would have been able to lead the Eagles to an 11-2 record through 13 games. But, at least for me, I have an easier time believing that Wentz could have lived up to Foles' level of play than Foles' playing at an MVP level through most of the regular season. 

Sure, Foles dunked in the playoffs, but Wentz provided the alley-oop. Wentz was the biggest part of the reason the Eagles won the NFC East. He was the reason they were able to overcome so many injuries to not only get a first-round bye, but to also earn homefield advantage in the playoffs. Imagine what happens if the Eagles have to play a wildcard game or have to travel to Atlanta or Minnesota. If the Eagles don't have that bye week, can Brandon Graham heal in time for that wild-card game? Maybe not. 

So maybe they still make it through the playoffs, but Wentz definitely made the road much easier. 

The second part of this might be hard to swallow after Foles has been called the greatest insurance policy in the NFL for months. That's pretty true as well. As far as backup quarterbacks go, having a Super Bowl MVP is pretty good. 

But there's a reason the Eagles view Wentz, not Foles, as their future. There's a reason that before the Super Bowl, when the team took a team photo, Wentz was the only player not in position by jersey number. He instead was in the direct center, as the face of the franchise. He's special. 

Last week, I was on Philly Sports Talk and guest co-host Danny Pommells suggested that Foles start the opener because of the fear of rushing Wentz back too soon. I understood the point, but disagreed. In this league, there aren't any easy games; there's no time to wait for a healthy player to get healthy. Because if Wentz gets cleared by doctors, there's no decision to make. He's still the starter because he's the better player. 

And that isn't a shot on Foles, saying that one of the best quarterbacks in the league - a guy who could go down as an all-time great - is better than him. It's just the truth. Although, it seems recently we've been blinded by the bling of 219 diamonds in a Super Bowl ring. 

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