Nick Foles could have stood there and given all his doubters a big, giant, "TOLD YOU SO."
Instead, he just grinned that goofy grin and said that's not who he is. He's just a humble guy playing the game he loves.
But why not take just a little shot at all the people who wanted you benched? You wanted Nate Sudfeld to start? Who just didn't think you had what it takes to win in the postseason?
"Honestly? I don't need to," Foles said. "Because it doesn't matter. They're doing their job. But it doesn't affect how I play or what I believe.
"Ya'all asked me last week if I'm confident in myself, and I am confident in myself because I know how hard we work, and I know we believe in one another in that locker room, so there's no need to waste my time to say anything about it.
"We went out there and played great team football, we played Philadelphia Eagles football tonight, and that's the most important thing. I don't need to say anything to anyone except it doesn't matter."
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Foles wasn't dazzling Saturday night, but he didn't need to be. He certainly was efficient, accurate and mistake-free leading the Eagles to a 15-10 win over the Falcons in a conference semifinal playoff game at the Linc (see observations).
"I'm very humble to win this game," Foles said. "To be a part of this team, that's what it's always been about.
"I know there's a lot of people against us this last week and just answering questions and just hearing about it, but that's sports and that's just part of it. The biggest thing is that everyone in our locker room believes in one another and that was on display tonight."
Foles, who replaced MVP candidate Carson Wentz Week 13, found himself under tremendous scrutiny after a poor performance in the No. 1 seed-clinching win over the Raiders and a lousy cameo a week later against the Cowboys.
But he shrugged it off Saturday night, and while he didn't quite play like the Nick Foles of 2013, there were times he got into a rhythm and looked pretty close.
In the second half, he was 12-for-15 for 145 yards and a 107.0 passer rating, and the Eagles controlled the clock for nearly 17 minutes.
"I think we just kept working," Foles said. "We kept grinding. It really goes back to believing and having faith in one another that we can get this done. Because there's going to be a lot of outside noise in any sport, any situation, where you're doing something on a big stage. There's going to be criticism. That will always be there. But we blocked that out.
"You're aware of it, because you're human, but we just blocked it out and went to work."
Overall, Foles completed 77 percent of his passes - 23-for-30 - for 246 yards without a touchdown or interception. He's only the 13thquarterback in NFL history to complete 77 percent of his passes with no interceptions in a playoff game (with 20 or more attempts).
On top of his performance in 2013 against the Saints, he's also the first quarterback in NFL history with a passer rating of 100 or more in his first two career playoff starts (minimum of 30 attempts).
"Nick is Nick, and that's what we've talked about," Doug Pederson said. "Stayed committed to the run, obviously, and that helps. And then with the passing game, just him making great decisions and getting the ball out of his hand and finding the open receiver.
"He did a really nice job executing the game plan how we and how I know Nick can."
Eight different Eagles caught a pass. Corey Clement led everybody with a career-high five catches, and Alshon Jeffery was the leading receiver with 61 yards.
"He wasn't rattled," Jay Ajayi said. "He was able to keep us rolling and get the ball out. Obviously, we feel like we can execute better than we did tonight, but it's playoff football. Find a way to win and we did."
Foles will try to join Tommy Thompson in the 1940s, Ron Jaworski and Donovan McNabb as only the fourth quarterback in franchise history with more than one postseason win when the Eagles host the NFC Championship Game next Sunday against the winner of the Saints-Vikings game this Sunday."
"It's unbelievable to be going to the NFC Championship Game with the Philadelphia Eagles," Foles said. "It's been a crazy ride, and I'm excited that I get to do it with these guys."
