Want a comedian for your quarterback? Find someone else. Nick Foles prefers to shut up and win
Someday, Nick Foles will hang up his cleats and call it a career. Let’s say in 15 years, the quarterback will have propelled his Philadelphia Eagles to multiple Super Bowl victories, broken every passing record on the planet, become a cultural icon, and, oh, saved the world from Ebola in his downtime.
All that would make for a hell of a movie, right? Such an epic motion picture deserves an equally grand title—and luckily, Foles knows exactly what to call it.
“Nick,” the QB says, proudly.
Wait—Nick? That’s it? Not Saint Nicholas: The Legend of Mr. Foles? Not In the Nick of Time? Not Nickvincible, or even Foles’ Gold? They’re making a friggin’ movie about your life, man! Go big!
“Nah,” Foles says. “It’s a nice, simple title. Those are always better.”
That Foles chooses to name his fictional film something so humdrum ultimately says a lot about the 25-year-old. In contrast to his fellow quarterbacks who are known as much for their big personalities and commercial cameos as they are their pigskin prowess, Foles is a simple star—he’s as anonymous as the face of an NFL franchise can possibly be.
Not that it’s an accident. Foles intentionally gives vague answers about his life off the gridiron, and his playful refusal to open up to the media has become a running joke in Philadelphia. (Last week, Philly’s independent City Paper ran a cover story on Foles touting “A Few Things He Has Said That Are Not Boring!”)
But call him boring—a word that might strike others of his stature as offensive—all you want. He relishes it. “They’re right,” Foles says. “I’m not boisterous. I just let the work speak for itself.”
He’s got a case. After taking the reins as the Eagles’ signal caller in 2013, the University of Arizona product delivered a historic half-season: 27 touchdowns, two interceptions, and the third-highest regular-season passer rating ever. When he threw for a record 7 TDs in a game last November, the NFL sent his jersey to the Hall of Fame. Now in this third year, Foles’ stats have slightly cooled off, but he has still steered the Birds to a 5-1 mark—their best start since 2004.
Of course, he’ll have none of your kudos, thank you very much. “I don’t want to pull attention away from my team,” he says. “The quarterback has always been at the center, but I can’t go out there without them.”
It’s an admirable MO, and one that all guys—from professional athletes to paper pushers alike—should aim to adopt. But stack Foles and his team-first stance up against superstars like loudmouth Richard Sherman, or lovable pitchman Peyton Manning, and it’s easy to come off looking a little bland.
Now Foles has a chance to change that—if not do a 180, then at least flip his reputation by a couple degrees. It’s the Eagles’ bye week, so he has some free time to kick back and let loose, with nary a teammate in sight to turn the spotlight on. What’s he going to do with his day off, Ferris Bueller-style?
“I really just want to take it easy,” he says. “This is a great time to let my body recover from the first part of the season, and just sort of get away and clear my mind. I’m going to spend it getting ready for the second part of the season.”
Woo! Party! Come on—there must be something exciting on Foles’ agenda besides resting up?
“I guess my perfect day would be relaxing with my wife somewhere peaceful and secluded, or just lounging on the couch and watching TV,” he says. He’s got a bunch of Blacklistepisodes burning up space on his DVR. “James Spader is a good actor.”
His faint praise for The Spade isn’t exactly a hot sound bite, but it’s a start. When pressed, Foles also cops to enjoying Blake Shelton—“I’m a Texas boy; country music gets me back to my roots”—and fiddling around the kitchen. “My best dish is lasagna,” he confesses.
Lately, a little shilling has gotten Foles to leave his shell. In a clip that went viral last month, an incognito Foles waited tables at a local Courtyard by Marriott. With only a mustache and glasses as his disguise, Foles didn’t fool any of the football fans he served. “There was only so much I could do. I’m a 6-foot-5 blonde guy in Philadelphia.” Still, his work with the hotel chain “shows a side of me that I don’t show everybody.”
Foles had so much fun playing dress-up, in fact, that he even reveals his preferred Halloween costume: “Napoleon Dynamite,” he says. Duh. The quarterback bears a notorious resemblance to Jon Heder’s iconic character in the 2004 film. “Why not embrace it? I could pull it off pretty well—and I think [Eagles backup quarterback] Mark Sanchez would make a good Pedro, my sidekick.”
Foles lets out a little Texas-tinged giggle. What else makes him laugh?
“When I’m with the other quarterbacks on the team,” he says. “Everybody’s so goofy, and we’re just constantly laughing and being silly guys.”
Then comes another admission: “I’m a silly, sarcastic, goofy guy at heart.”
So tell the public that, Nick! Don’t make them think you’re a soulless robot with a Southern accent!
“But,” he continues, “there’s the part of me that has to be business-like, because people look up to me as a role model.” His teammates. His fans. “I have fun, but I don’t always want it to be on camera.”
Ultimately, that's the QB's stealthy secret: Keep your game face on from 9 to 5, then crack a smile when you’re off the clock. If you strike some as dull, let your results do the talking—and enjoy all the fruits of your labor.
And maybe if you follow Foles' life plan well enough, movie producers will even want to tell your story. Just remember: When they ask you what to call the flick, at least try to come up with something catchier than Nick.
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