Nick Foles has been working hard all offseason, throughout Organized Team Activities to improve every aspect of his game, although it is safe to say that sliding is not very high on the list of priorities. That does not mean the starting quarterback is totally neglecting it, however.
"Working on it," Foles said of his sliding. "Working on it. It's a beautiful grass field, and I'm sure we have a Slip 'N Slide, so I'll get it before I leave. I'm really just working on getting everyone moving and working at a high level, but it'll be something I get down before the season starts."
Okay, so maybe Foles' quirky and untraditional sliding techniques from the 2013 season are entirely an Internet meme among Eagles fans than a real concern to the quarterback himself. Besides, he is more concerned with making plays with his arm since his primary job, after all, is to throw the ball. Speaking of which, Foles has looked particularly sharp throwing the football so far – firing pinpoint strikes to hit receivers in stride, as well as lofting perfect passes deep down the field. He can feel both he and his teammates getting better every day as they continue to work together.
"I think that the more we play together, the more we build chemistry," Foles said. "I've played with these guys a lot last season, so it's nothing really new to me. We're definitely growing in our offense and growing with our chemistry. We've kept a lot of guys here (from last season), we lost a couple guys, but we have a good group. So, yes, the more reps I get with these guys throughout our careers, hopefully the better – you want to get better, that's the goal."
One of the receivers Foles has shown a rapport with during the current OTA is Brad Smith. The former college quarterback, who was signed right before the 2013 bye week, has been primarily a special teams staple during his NFL career, posting a career high of 32 catches for 325 yards with the New York Jets in 2007. However, the Eagles liked Smith enough to extend his contract when they brought him on board.
"He's a real smart player," Foles said. "He's really smart, we're on the same page. He understands what I'm seeing when I'm looking at the defense, I understand what he's seeing. When you have a guy like that, I can get to him on my reads and know where he's going to be, if he's stopping because there's a guy in front of him or if he's going to keep going. That's huge when you're playing quarterback because it's so important to be on the same page as your receivers."
As a team, the Eagles are moving at warp speed, perfecting the up-tempo style head coach Chip Kelly desires, gearing up for Training Camp in July and what promises to be an exciting 2014 regular season.
"I know we're going faster right now because there's a lot more learning going on on the field," Foles said. "Our offense right now, we're able to carry on from last season. We've definitely installed a lot of new stuff, so there is a learning curve and we do have younger guys, but I felt like guys sort of understood how we needed to practice.
"There was just a culture change. I think that the young guys are really doing a good job following the guys that were here, and the guys that were here last year are really doing a good job stepping it up. We just have to continue to do that through the rest of these OTAs and minicamp."
