ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sando recently released his rankings for all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. These rankings were put together based on a voting panel of 35 league insiders (coaches, evaluators, GMs, etc.) who split the starting QBs into tiers (one through four).
St. Louis Rams starter Nick Foles landed in tier three as the No. 22 ranked starter in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Rams, he didn't inspire a ton of confidence among the voters.
"Truthfully, I think Foles is a 4," a personnel director told Sando. "I think in that Chip Kelly system, once he figured it out, he operated it and did a great job early on. But I do not think he is talented [enough] where he will be that way year in and year out, or week in and week out. He is a little stiff in the pocket. I don't think he has great arm strength. He has pretty good accuracy. I don't know that he sees everything."
Foles put together an incredible 2013 season when he threw 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions. However, in eight games last season his numbers regressed to the mean and his TD-to-INT ratio decreased to 13:10. It was reported that the Philadelphia Eagles had soured on Foles even before a broken collar bone ended his regular season and he was ultimately traded to St. Louis.
"You wish he was your backup because he could go win some games for you, but I wouldn't want him to be my starter," one head coach said of Foles.
The Rams essentially traded former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford for Foles earlier this offseason. The hope in St. Louis is that Foles can bring some much needed stability under center after Bradford suffered torn ACLs in back-to-back seasons. He won't be helped by a shaky wide receiver corps, however.
Considering that GM Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher have suffered through three consecutive sub-.500 seasons together, Foles may only get one year to prove himself before another administration is brought in. He is entering the final year of his contract, after all.
That makes the 2015 season a pivotal one for the organization's three most important employees (GM, head coach, quarterback).
