Dein erstes Forum » How did it happen?

He has traveled a long road: starter and castoff http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/byron-murphy-jersey , journeyman and backup. Now Nick Foles stands at the summit of his sport.

Oh, sure, there was the mid-December injury to rising star Carson Wentz, with Foles stepping in and stepping up. But how, in a breathtaking championship game Sunday night, did this quarterback beat Tom Brady at the five-time Super Bowl winner’s specialty, a shootout?

For Foles – and for his Philadelphia Eagles – there is one underlying theme to it all: perseverance.

”The big thing is don’t be afraid to fail,” Foles, the Super Bowl, MVP, said sleepless hours after he guided the drive of a lifetime for the winning points in a 41-33 victory over league MVP Brady and the defending champion New England Patriots.

”In our society, with (social media) it’s a highlight reel. I think when you have a rough day, you’re feeling you can’t – failure is a part of your life. I wouldn’t be up here if I hadn’t failed a million times.

”You share that. I’m human, not superman. When you struggle in your life, it’s an opportunity to grow. If there’s something going on in your life, embrace it.”

That’s exactly what Foles and coach Doug Pederson said Monday was the approach throughout the 2017 season by the Eagles. They had gone 7-9 the previous year with rookie Wentz as the starter. He improved meteorically this season and was a leading MVP contender before tearing up his knee in Week 14.

That was one of many key injuries the Eagles had to deal with on the way to their first Super Bowl title and the Lombardi Trophy – their first NFL crown since 1960, when they beat coach Vince Lombardi himself and the Green Bay Packers. Veteran tackle Jason Peters Andy Isabella Jersey , versatile running back Darren Sproles, specials teams ace Chris Maragos and starting linebacker Jordan Hicks all were lost for the season.

Adversity.

”It’s tough,” said Pederson, whose willingness to stay aggressive was a major reason the Eagles won the NFC East at 13-3, then won three more times in the postseason. ”It’s something you spend a lot of time thinking about how you want to talk to the team. Part of it was entrusting the players a little bit, allow them to sort of embrace it and the `next man up’ mentality.”

Foles, of course, was the next man behind center. He hardly was a stopgap, though, and Pederson recognized that.

The coach went back to tapes of Foles’ work with the Eagles under Chip Kelly, and then to his games with the Rams and Chiefs. Pederson made some adjustments to fit what made Foles most comfortable – the wheel route to backs and tight ends was particularly effective for Foles – and then turned lose his No. 2 QB.

”It was just a matter of him spending time with the guys, take a lot of repetitions in practice,” Pederson said. ”We knew in the building we’d be OK with him.”

OK? Doug, you and the Eagles are NFL champions.

”I think this team is full of great character men,” said Pederson, who was a player and coach for Andy Reid, his mentor Clelin Ferrell Jersey , and now, perhaps ironically, has the trophy Reid hadn’t been able to hoist. ”The leadership in the locker room – part of the message was putting it back on the players and the players own it. Not having selfish coaches and players gives you a chance to win this game.”

Philadelphia is a young team. Indeed, it might have arrived at the top ahead of schedule. It definitely arrived in a different manner than it expected.

That leaves the question of Foles’ future. He’s under contract for one more year and the Eagles can afford to keep him. Wentz clearly is the franchise QB, though his rehab could make him unavailable for much of the preseason.

”I knew I couldn’t get off the stage” without being asked about the quarterback situation, Pederson joked Monday morning. ”We’ll just enjoy this moment, celebrate it with our fans in Philly. It’s not about one guy, it’s about the team.”

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid moved swiftly to replace longtime defensive coordinator Bob Sutton after his underperforming group allowed Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to run roughshod over them in the AFC title game last month.Reid moved just as swiftly in completing a massive staff overhaul.The first big piece was the hiring of Steve Spagnuolo to serve as coordinator, while the rest of the pieces fell into place Tuesday night. That’s when Reid issued a statement announcing the hiring of four new assistants and new responsibilities for three coaches kept in the fold.The biggest coup may be Brendan Daly, who was plucked from the Super Bowl champion Patriots after four seasons in Foxborough to handle the defensive line. Daly worked under Spagnuolo when the latter was the head coach of the Rams, and he has also spent time with the Vikings.Perhaps the strangest recruitment came with Matt House, who had been serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky. The Chiefs wanted to hire House to handle linebackers, but the SEC school made a strong pitch to keep him in Lexington.Ultimately, the sides were able to work out a deal on House’s buyout at Kentucky.The other new assistants are Dave Merritt, who worked under Spagnuolo with the Giants before spending last season as the Cardinals‘ defensive backs coach, and longtime NFL cornerback Sam Madison Josh Oliver Jersey , who will help with the secondary in his first full-time coaching job in the league.Madison played three seasons with the Giants, his tenure overlapping with Merritt and Spagnuolo.“All of these coaches are familiar with Steve, love the game and are good teachers that have had success in their careers,” Reid said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with this group.”The rest of the staff also will have new responsibilities.Britt Reid will help with linebackers after working with the defensive line, Terry Braden will move into the defensive quality control role, and Alex Whittingham will remain a defensive assistant.Sutton had been the defensive coordinator since Reid arrived in Kansas City prior to the 2013 season, and his staff had mostly remained intact the past six seasons. But after a couple good years, it seemed as though the rest of the league figured out Sutton’s bend-but-don’t-break scheme.The Chiefs, who went 12-4 last season and won their third straight AFC West title, ranked near the bottom of the league in just about every defensive category. The failures on that side of the ball were thrown into even sharper focus given how productive Reid’s offense was under first-year starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who walked away with the league’s MVP award.Spagnuolo is expected to shift the Chiefs from the 3-4 defense Sutton employed to a 4-3 system, so the turnover in assistants was widely expected. Among those who departed was Hall of Fame defensive back Emmitt Thomas, who retired after 51 seasons as a player and coach in the NFL.