INDIANAPOLIS -- If the Philadelphia Eagles follow conventional wisdom at quarterback, they'll strike a long-term contract with Nick Foles sometime after the third-year QB becomes eligible for a new deal this coming offseason. Of course, the Eagles under coach Chip Kelly have been too busy hustling to the line of scrimmage and guzzling personalized nutrition shakes to bother with convention.
Their 30-27 comeback victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night -- Philly is now 2-0 -- defied convention as well.
To anticipate how the Eagles might proceed at quarterback in the long term, we should consider how Kelly operates. For example, he effectively shrugged amid a minor furor last offseason when the Eagles released leading receiver DeSean Jackson. It was classic Kelly, who has gone against convention regarding offense, nutrition, scheduling, decision-making, player evaluation and more.
"I just think he doesn't give a s--- what other people think, and he has his beliefs; he is outside the box, he is true to himself," an admiring general manager from another team said when I polled him and others for my head-coach tiers project (Kelly ranked 12th among the league's 32 head coaches, with the arrow clearly pointing up).
NFL teams take notice whenever an outsider brings new thinking to the league and succeeds the way Kelly has during his short tenure. Kelly's approach to offense and his embrace of sport science command much of the attention. Quarterback planning is another area where Kelly's Eagles are positioned to break new ground -- which means that even if Philly keeps winning with Foles this season, he shouldn't necessarily be viewed as the team's future at QB. Here's why.