Nick Foles started six games last season for the Eagles. Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

The Philadelphia Eagles brought back quarterback Michael Vick on a one-year deal that could bring him up to $10 million and then signed mobile Dennis Dixon.

That has left former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles as the potential odd man out in Philadelphia under new coach Chip Kelly.

The former Oregon Ducks coach says he likes Foles as a quarterback, but it’s still hard to see Foles as the right fit for the offense Kelly wants to run.

There has been plenty of buzz about former Eagles coach Andy Reid, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, being eager to reunite with Foles. USA Today, our Gannett partner, reported Saturday night that the teams have talked.

Here is the story:

By Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS – The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles spoke this week about a possible trade involving Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, but no progress has been made toward a deal, according to a person informed of the talks between the teams.

The person, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the conversations weren’t to be discussed publicly, said the Eagles conveyed to the Chiefs what they’ve been saying through the media – they like Foles and plan on giving him a chance to compete with Michael Vick for the starting job.

Former Eagles coach Andy Reid was asked about Foles during his press conference at the scouting combine. The new Chiefs coach said, “He’s not available. You just had (Eagles GM) Howie (Roseman) up here (on the podium), so I think you know that.”

However, the conversation between the teams about Foles nonetheless occurred later that day. The Eagles reiterated what Reid already knew – Foles is not on the market at this point.

There’s always a chance things could change in the next few weeks or months. In fact, there’s no urgency at this point because, while teams are free to discuss potential trades right now, no deals can occur before the start of the league year on March 12. For now, talks between the Eagles and Chiefs are going nowhere on the Foles front.

Meanwhile, a person briefed on the Chiefs’ thinking in regard to Matt Cassel said the veteran quarterback has not been offered a pay cut from his slated salary of $7.5 million. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t talked about Cassel’s contract situation in detail, said it seems Cassel is destined to be released soon.

Foles, a third-round pick in 2012, played in seven games as a rookie last season, starting six after Vick suffered a concussion. Foles completed 161 of 265 passes (60.8 percent) for 1,699 yards, with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He missed the season-finale because of a broken bone in his right hand.

Quarterback Nick Foles and Oregon’s Chip Kelly exchange greetings after the teams played in Eugene in 2010. The Ducks won 48-29. Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Chip Kelly’s arrival as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles doesn’t appear to bode well for former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles, a pocket passer who just completed his rookie season with the franchise.

Foles has what is most often called “functional mobility” but not the kind of athleticism that Kelly’s quarterbacks displayed in his read-option offense at Oregon.

But as Kelly went through his introductory news conference in Philadelphia on Thursday, he hammered the theme that he will play to his personnel’s strength and reiterated his respect for Foles.

“I’m a huge fan of his,” Kelly said.

“He’s tough. That’s an attribute that I think a lot of people don’t understand — how hard it is and what toughness means to the quarterback spot, just to be able to stand in the pocket and throw the football.

“We hit him as many times as we could hit him (at Oregon), and he just kept getting up and making plays. He completed a 15-yard pass left-handed against us once. I remember just standing on the sideline shaking my head, going, ‘I don’t know what we have to do to stop him.’

“He’s a competitor. He’s accurate. So, I’m excited about that.”

Foles played against Kelly’s Ducks three times, throwing for 1,160 yards and 10 touchdowns.

After the 2011 game, Kelly said of Foles: “I catch myself watching him in awe sometimes.”

Based on all that, it’s too early to write off Foles as an ill fit under Kelly in Philadelphia. But the past won’t matter. Quarterback is the most pressing issue for Kelly and the organization, and about all he can promise right now is to keep an open mind.

The Eagles carried three quarterbacks last season — Michael Vick, Foles and Trent Edwards. Foles ended up starting six games after Vick suffered a concussion. Foles missed the finale because of a hand injury.

Vick has the necessary running skills, but here is another consideration: If the Eagles keep Vick, they have to pay him a hefty $15 million in salary next season.

“There is nothing that is on the board right now, there is nothing that is off the board right now,” Kelly said in regard to the quarterback position.

“I’m an equal-opportunity scorer. We’ll score anyway we can.”

Foles completed 60.8 percent of his passes (161 of 265) for 1,699 yards and six touchdowns last season. He twice passed for 300 yards in a game and was intercepted only five times in 265 attempts. But he won only one of his starts — that coming on a last-play throw vs. Tampa Bay — fumbled eight times and took 20 sacks.

The offseason should be fascinating as Kelly decides on the direction at quarterback. Stay with what he has? Make a trade? Find help in the draft in a thin crop of quarterbacks?

“Part of what we do offensively is understand what our personnel is and how do we maximize it,” he said. “If you’re going to ask someone to do something they’re not capable of doing, that’s a recipe for disaster.”

Brigetta Barrett celebrates winning the Olympic silver medal in the women’s high jump. Read on to see where that lands in the University of Arizona’s top sports stories of 2012. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

We’re in the final week of the year, and no big news is expected out of the Arizona Wildcats.

The football team played in the first bowl game of the season and the men’s basketball team is off until Jan. 3 … so now is the time to look back at a rich 2012 for UA athletics.

The athletic department’s top storylines are a mix of season-long team success, postseason prowess, individual accomplishments and off-field news.

Here is what we came up with :

12. Sean Miller lands a point guard

Consider this the whopping of a topping on a talented recruiting class, rated among the top three in the nation. The dismissal of point guard Josiah Turner was addition by subtraction, but what coach Sean Miller needed was actual addition by addition to round out his 2012-13 team. He got that with Lyons, an immediately-eligible graduate transfer who originally had been recruited to Xavier by Miller. Lyons, who picked Arizona over Kentucky in early May, is still adjusting to a full-time point guard role, but he already has displayed his value with a game-winning drive vs. Florida and his go-ahead free throws late in the victory over San Diego State.

11. Excellence in the pool

First-year coach Eric Hansen had the Wildcats right back in their usual place among the national elite. The men’s team finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, with national titles for Austen Thompson (400 individual medley), Kevin Cordes (100 breast), Cory Chitwood (200 back), diver Ben Grado and the 200 medley relay team. Chitwood won his third national title in the 200 back. The women’s team produced 11 All-Americans and was fifth nationally, its ninth consecutive top five finish at the NCAAs.

10. Mejia magic

With an infectious smile, a vacuum for a glove and what coach Andy Lopez called “intangibles that are off the charts,” junior shortstop Alex Mejia was selected the Pac-12 Player of the Year and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Mejia, who hit .357 for the national champs, became the first Wildcat to be the conference player of the year since Trevor Crowe in 2005. Mejia worked his way from lightly-recruited prospect to a fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. “He’s been everything and more than we ever asked for,” Lopez said in the spring. “I’m really happy for him and proud.”

Alex Mejia shares a light moment with an umpire during the championship series of the College World Series. Photo by Bruce Thorson-US PRESSWIRE

9. Hello, Hi Corbett

The decision of athletic director Greg Byrne to move the baseball team off campus to Tucson’s venerable minor-league/spring training ballpark wasn’t met with his unanimous approval, but it worked out better than imagined. Arizona drew an average of 2,628 fans for 40 home dates — the third-best average in school history — and had 5,677 for a May 26 game against Arizona State. That was UA’s best single-game attendance in 32 years. The attendance and the improved facilities allowed Arizona to host postseason play for the first time since 1992.

“There is no way that we do what we did this year if we’re not at Hi Corbett with the atmosphere,” coach Andy Lopez said. “I’m so thankful that the community has come out and supported us.” For the first time in a long time, Arizona baseball is a destination.

8. Titles for Lalang

Sophomore Lawi Lalang had a record-setting season, winning NCAA indoor championships at 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. He set school records in both of those events, as well as the mile, establishing a college record for 5K. Lalang went on to win conference outdoor titles at 1,500 meters and 5K, earning first-team All-America honors in the latter. In the fall, he earned Pac-12 Male Athlete of the Year honors for cross country; Lalang had been 10-0 in cross country races in his UA career before finishing third in the NCAA Championships in November. Still, hardly any Arizona athlete had a better year than Lalang.

7. Foles breaks the ice

Arizona finally erased a stunning and unwelcome drought that saw a 39-year gap — to the day — that an ex-Wildcat quarterback threw a pass in the NFL. Nick Foles, a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, made his debut on Nov. 11, stepping in for an injured Michael Vick. He went on to make six starts before a broken hand forced him out of the season-finale. Foles completed 161 of 265 passes (60.8 percent) for 1,699 yards, with six touchdowns and five interceptions in his rookie season. Will Matt Scott follow him into the NFL in 2013?

6. Perfect, so far

This is an ongoing storyline, but the start of the 2012-13 season couldn’t have gone any better for the Arizona men’s basketball team. The Cats went 12-0 through the non-conference portion of their schedule, coming up with a pair of thrilling one-point victories in their two marquee games — vs. Florida and against San Diego State in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Christmas. At No. 3 in the AP poll, Arizona has its best ranking in nine years and has matched its best start to a season since the 1987-88 squad. It all sets the table of high expectations for the next three months (and possibly a little bit longer).

Nick Johnson celebrates a 3-point shot against Florida. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

5. RichRod’s first season

Eight victories, including a bowl win, in Rich Rodriguez’s first season? Just about everyone would have signed up for that before the 2012 season. Rodriguez fashioned a school-record-setting offense (526.15 yards per game) behind a no-huddle attack led by senior quarterback Matt Scott and All-American running back Ka’Deem Carey. A young, thin, banged-up defense merely held on most of the time, but it came up with key stops, too, as the Wildcats posted victories over Oklahoma State, Washington and preseason No. 1 USC, all teams that spent time in the national rankings. Given Rodriguez’s success on the field, his public relations off of it, and the new facilities to be completed in 2013, fans have ample reasons to be optimistic about the future of Arizona football.

4. 12-15-2012: Bear Down Saturday

What a day. Across two cities, two sports and about six hours on ESPN, Arizona pulled off two of the most thrilling feel-good comebacks in recent memory. First up, the football team in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. The Wildcats were down 10, without timeouts, with about two minutes left … and Nevada had the ball inside the UA 10-yard line. Arizona held the Wolf Pack to a field goal, drove for a quick touchdown, recovered an on-side kick, scored another TD in three plays and then sealed the game with an interception for a 49-48 victory.

Later that night in Tucson, the Arizona basketball team was down six points to fifth-ranked Florida with just under a minute to go, but climbed back by forcing three turnovers in 16 seconds (and help from the Gators’ Kenny Boynton missing the front end of a one-and-one with 21 seconds to go). Mark Lyons drove to the basket for the game-winning shot with 7.1 seconds left as Arizona won 65-64.

Ka’Deem Carey is the first first-team All-American running back in school history. Photo by Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

3. Ka’Boom!

Running back Ka’Deem Carey was having a very nice season … and then the game against Colorado on Nov. 10 launched the sophomore into an entirely different stratosphere. He rushed for a Pac-12 record 366 yards that day (on only 25 carries), followed up with 204 yards at Utah and rushed for 172 yards in each of the final two games against Arizona State and Nevada.

Carey’s late surge gave him a school-record 1,929 rushing yards, a school-record 23 rushing touchdowns and made him the 11th consensus All-American in school history — the first to be chosen as an exclusively offensive player. With the bulk of bowl games to come, he has a comfortable lead as the nation’s leading rusher at 148.38 yards per game.

“Ka’Deem really, really loves football,” coach Rich Rodriguez said. “The way he practices, the way he runs, the way he prepares, it’s just infectious. Every game is like a holiday to him.”

2. Precious medal

While her schoolmates were busy competing against the best in college, juniors Brigetta Barrett and Georganne Moline were taking on the best in the world. Barrett, the always-bubbly high jumper who won NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in 2011 and 2012, qualified for the U.S. Olympic team and then stunned the competition in London. She posted a personal best of 6-8 to earn silver, becoming the first U.S. athlete to win a medal in the women’s high jump in 24 years. She will be on the world stage for years to come (and look for her to sing the national anthem before the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale on Jan. 3). Moline, meanwhile, reached the Olympic final of the 400 hurdles in her first international competition, setting a personal record while finishing fifth.

1. Champs

Arizona was expected, as usual, to have a nice baseball team. But it all came together beautifully for coach Andy Lopez, including the energizing move to Hi Corbett Field (see No. 9 on this list).

The Wildcats won a share of the Pac-12 title for the first time in 20 years and then rolled through the postseason behind the indefatigable starting pitching of Kurt Heyer, Konner Wade and James Farris, the joy of shortstop Alex Mejia and a relentless lineup in which everyone contributed. Arizona won its three regional games by a score of 47-10, dispatched St. John’s in the super regional and then won the critical opening game of the College World Series 4-3 over Florida State in 12 innings. After that, Arizona allowed only five runs in the next four games, sweeping the best-of-three championship series against two-time defending champ South Carolina. It was Arizona’s first College World Series title since 1986 and the school’s 18th team championship.

Said coach Andy Lopez: “When your best players are your best human beings, it’s going to be a good year. It’s been a great year for us because my best players are my best human beings. … And that’s a real deadly combination when you suit up as a team.”

Head coach Andy Lopez and athletic director Greg Byrne celebrate with the NCAA baseball trophy. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Nick Foles gets ready to make a throw Sunday against Washington. Photo by Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The season of former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles has come to an end because of a broken bone in his throwing hand.

Foles, a third-round rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles, suffered the injury late in the first half of Sunday’s home game against Washington. X-rays were negative and he continued to play, despite being in some pain.

A later MRI revealed a hairline fracture.

“His hand was sore,” coach Andy Reid said in a press conference Monday morning.

“But at the same time he played well that second half, made some nice throws. I know at one point he was having a tough time squeezing the ball when we went into halftime. Then when he warmed up (he) started feeling like he had more control. But I’m sure that affected it.

“He’s a tough kid and never said a word about it. I’m sure he wouldn’t say anything to you guys, just like he wouldn’t say it to me. He pushed himself through and did a good job with that part.”

Foles completed 32 of 48 passes for 345 yards, with one touchdown and one interception Sunday. He nearly led the Eagles back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, but the game ended at the Washington 5-yard-line on his intentional grounding penalty in the final seconds. After a 10-second run-off for the penalty, the game was over.

The Redskins won 27-20.

Foles played in seven games, starting six. He took over the first-string role when Michael Vick suffered a concussion and then was awarded the job through the season.

His performance was a mixed bag; he had two 300-yard games, was intercepted only five times in 265 attempts and had a last-play game-winning throw vs. Tampa Bay. But he did fumble eight times, was sacked 20 times, and the Eagles didn’t require him to make a lot of throws down field.

Foles completed 60.8 percent of his passes (161 of 265) for 1,699 yards and six touchdowns. He had an efficiency rating of 79.1 (almost identical to that of Vick and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, and better than Colts’ rookie Andrew Luck, the No. 1 pick in the draft).

I talked last week to former Arizona Wildcats quarterback coach Frank Scelfo, who keeps in close contact with Foles.

“The big thing with Nick is how much he’s grown and his better decision-making, especially after not getting the reps as the No. 1 guy through training camp and the first nine games,” Scelfo said.

“But I yell at him on TV, and I send him texts during the course of the game: ‘You should have never made that throw.’ I send him good and bad things. Then he calls me and we go over the game again.

“We used to practice sliding all the time. He had a slide the other day in the game that was one of the worst slides I had ever seen in my life. He texted me later: ‘Now, I know why we practiced that all the time.’”

Vick is expected to start the Eagles’ season-finale this week. After that, who knows? Reid appears to be on his way out as head coach, which means the quarterback position will be in flux, too.

Foles didn’t show he was definitely future of the franchise, but he had enough good moments to indicate he has potential to be a quality NFL starter.

Here are the rest of Reid’s comments about Foles today:

On whether Foles remaining in the game earns him respect in the locker room: “It does. It is (that type of performance).The guys know he’s a tough kid and they felt that way coming out. They’ve never questioned his toughness. But by no means do you want to put a player in a bad position either. So, that’s why we tried to go through the procedure of x-raying it. Obviously, you don’t have enough time to MRI it nor have the facility right there to do it. But the x-rays came up negative, but you also knew he was in quite a little bit of pain. There’s a point where these guys, you don’t want to put them at risk for sure and you don’t want to put them out there with broken bones. That’s not what you do. But it is a physical game and guys end up having bumps and bruises that they have to play through that are pretty sore. You’ve got to alter your game to make it work and do what you have to do to make it work. But there’s a fine line there is I guess what I’m saying.”

On where Foles is following his rookie year compared to where former Eagles QB Kevin Kolb was following his rookie season: “He’s had an opportunity here to play. I’ve seen improvement as he’s gone on. He’s got great control of the game. He’s got a good arm and feet and all that stuff. He just needs to play is what he needs to do. I’m sitting here telling you this, but Kevin (Kolb), there was a little bit of a durability problem there with Kevin. (Foles has) got a broken hand here, so I’m telling you that. Physically, I don’t think he’s ever had a problem with that.”

On whether the final game would have had an impact on the organization’s view of Foles: “Again, there’s two sides to that. You want the rookies to play as much as you can get them to play when they’re given that opportunity. So, would you love to have him play against the Giants and have that opportunity to get one more game under his belt? Absolutely. But you don’t and so you go back and evaluate his games here once you’re done with the season. You evaluate his product there as a whole and then go forward from there. It’s been a valuable experience for him, but yeah, you’d love to have one more game.”

On what part of Foles’ game needs the most work: “He really just needs to play. Just play and have that experience. Every week, I thought the game slowed down for him. He put up pretty good numbers yesterday. You’ve got to go through the different situations. He’s been given some unique situations and you’ve got to be able to work through those, learn from them, move on. Now, he’s the kind of guy that normally doesn’t make the same mistake twice, which is important at this level. So, he learns from his mistakes and get better.”

On whether Foles has the intelligence to succeed: “Yeah, he’s a smart kid. He’s a sharp kid.”

On how much Foles gaining experience this year will help him down the road: “I think it’s invaluable. I think that’s invaluable experience to him. It’ll help him in his future down the road.”

The cover of Monday’s Philadelphia Daily News. Photo via newseum.org.

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles was 1 yard and two seconds away from earning his first victory as an NFL quarterback.

He had rallied the Philadelphia Eagles on their final drive against Tampa Bay on Sunday, converting two fourth-down plays. The latter came on fourth-and-5 pass over the middle to Jason Avant for 22 yards to the 1.

Foles ran to the line and spiked the ball with two seconds remaining. The Buccaneers called timeout.

When Foles went to the sideline to talk to head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, the rookie selected the play he wanted. Sounded good to the veteran coaches.

“He called it, he wanted it and he executed it,” Reid said in his postgame press conference. “He did a great job with it. That’s the one he liked the best. He was feeling it, and that’s a great thing when your quarterback is in tune like that.”

Foles wanted to move the pocket, so he chose a play that called for a rollout to the right, with Jeremy Maclin in single coverage to that side. Foles hit Maclin in the front corner of the end zone.

“It just really isolates the DB on Maclin, and I expect Jeremy to win every single time, which he did,” Foles said in his press conference.

With that play, the Eagles ended an eight-game losing streak and Foles won for the first time in his four starts.

He did it in style, too, completing 32 of 51 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the third rookie quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 350 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The others are Billy Joe Tolliver and Andrew Luck, who accomplished the feat a week earlier.

Last week Reid named Foles the starter for the rest of the season, no matter the health of Michael Vick, who is recovering from a concussion.

“You guys are seeing Nick Foles grow into a phenomenal quarterback right in front of your eyes,” Maclin told reporters after the game. “For him to step in and play as well as he played, and being able to understand the defense and call that play, it speaks highly of his character and his sense of the game.

“I think he can be special. His intangibles are off the charts.”

Perhaps even more amazing: Foles led Philadelphia in rushing. He ran three times for 27 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown on a scramble. He had backpedaled to the 24 before embarking on one of the slowest scoring runs you’ll ever see, pump-faking along the way to keep the defense back.

“I knew it would take me about 10 seconds to go 20 yards,” Foles said.

Foles will have three more starts this season for the 4-9 Eagles, who play Thursday night at home against Cincinnati. Things have been so bad for Philadelphia this season that the satirical website The Onion wrote a short this week with the headline: “Eagles Concerned By Nick Foles Asking About Best Ways To Tear ACL.”

Foles has made steady progress in his starts, getting more comfortable with the offense and speed of the game, while the coaches are learning to tailor the game plan around his strengths. Sunday’s game was a huge step forward for Foles, whose development — or lack of it — in the final few weeks are likely to influence the franchise’s offseason moves.

“It’s very special,” Foles said of his first victory. “Very humbling.”

RELATED:

Philadelphia-Tampa Bay game highlights

Nick Foles postgame interview

Nick Foles passed 51 times against Tampa Bay without being intercepted. Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Brooks Reed is carted off the field in the second quarter of the Thanksgiving day game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Photo by Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

Texans D takes a hit — Brooks Reed expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a groin injury. No surgery, but tough loss as home-field race heats up.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 23, 2012

Former Arizona Wildcats defensive end Brooks Reed will be out at least three-to-four weeks because of groin injury suffered while playing for the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving, according to a report from the NFL Network.

Reed was injured in a 34-31 victory over the Detroit Lions.

The second-year pro could be out for as much as six weeks, wrote Tania Ganguli of the Houston Chronicle, which would take the timetable for his return into the playoffs. Houston is 10-1, leading the race to home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs.

Reed has 23 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and a forced fumble. He had six sacks as a rookie.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia rookie quarterback Nick Foles will make his second consecutive start in place of Michael Vick (concussion). Foles struggled in a 31-6 loss to Washington last week, but ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski saw some positives and says Foles will be a ‘good one’ in the NFL.

Foles will be in the spotlight, as the Eagles play Carolina on Monday night.

Nick Foles is preparing for his second career start Monday night. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, upon further review, said former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles was better than he originally thought in rookie’s starting debut Sunday for the Philadelphia Eagles.

“It was interesting, because in watching the game on TV, I thought Nick played a little fast and a little bit frenetic,” Jaworski said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

“But after looking at the tape, I thought for the most part he was under control. There were a few times I thought he got a little quick in the pocket with his feet. And that’s going to happen not only with a rookie, but with any quarterback.

“Overall, when I look at the tape, I look at the quarterback’s feet first. It could be the young guys, because if their feet are skittish and they’re flying around, that’s how they’re thinking. If they’re calm and collected with their footwork, they’re usually calm and collected with the way they’re playing the game in their mind.”

Foles completed 21 of 46 passes for 204 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also fumbled three times but lost none as the Eagles fell 31-6 to the Washington Redskins.

“I thought for the most part he was very, very good in the game,” Jaworski said.

“Now he made some mistakes. There were times they didn’t give him some help. I just don’t think you can ask the young quarterback to drop back 51 times in the game and expect great results against a very complex and sophisticated Jim Haslett defense that got after him pretty good, by the way.”

Foles seems likely to get another start when Philadelphia plays Monday night against Carolina. Starter Michael Vick is still recovering from a concussion and had not practiced through Wednesday.

Coach Andy Reid has said Vick will move back into the starting role when he’s ready. It’s difficult to project Foles’ future with the Eagles, because they could very well have a new coach and new offense after this season.

“But I think with Nick Foles, he’s shown through the preseason — and I watched him very closely in the preseason and training camp — he’s a big, strong arm thrower that mechanically is very sound,” Jaworski said. “I think he will be a starter in the NFL and a good one.”

Originally posted Nov. 25, 2011

Gino Crump breaks free for a 33-yard touchdown reception. Photo by Pat Shannahan/The Arizona Republic

There was 12:25 left in the game. Arizona trailed Arizona State 27-17. The Wildcats, after an illegal block penalty on the kick return, were pushed back to their 6-yard-line, pushed to the brink.

Time was running out at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona had scored only once in its past eight possessions. The last chance to feel something good about the season was slipping away.

“Maybe in some other games during the course of the season, if we were down 10 at this point in the game, I’m not sure we believed we could win the game,” said UA quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo. “We still believed we could win the game here.”

But it was now or ever.

A short drive, or a three-and-out, likely would set up ASU on a short field, potentially in position for a game-clinching score. The Cats had to hit the accelerator.

“Arizona State had a bead on us pretty good,” Scelfo said.

“We wanted to increase the tempo and kind of take them out of their comfort zone. Probably should have done it earlier, but that’s hindsight.”

What followed was a 94-yard drive in which Arizona played fast, quarterback Nick Foles was accurate and decisive, and receiver Gino Crump made one spectacular play.

* * *

Arizona got a break on the first play of the drive. Foles threw an uncatchable pass well over Crump’s head on the right sideline, but ASU safety Eddie Elder nonetheless smacked Crump and drew a 15-yard personal foul penalty.

Instead of second-and-10 at the 6, Arizona had first-and-10 at its 21.

Huge difference.

“When things like that happen, you just get some energy,” Scelfo said.

Foles intended to hit a quick out pattern on the next play, but Arizona State had it covered while quickly breaking down UA’s pass protection. Scelfo’s words were still ringing in Foles’ ears — you cannot take a sack — and he maneuvered out of the pocket and shuffled the ball to Richard Morrison with his left hand as he was tackled.

“How about that guy,” Scelfo said of Foles.

The play went for no gain, but at least it wasn’t a loss and Arizona didn’t have to panic. Foles, though, was under pressure again on second down. He had initially been looking left but after stepping through the traffic in the backfield, came back to find Dan Buckner in the right flat. Buckner made a man miss and gained 14 yards.

“Obviously, he’s not Michael Vick back there,” Scelfo said of Foles, “but he does a great job of extending the play when things break down.”

Arizona was now on the move.

* * *

The Wildcats’ fast pace was beginning to take effect.

ASU didn’t have to time to make different defensive calls and to give Arizona “junk” as Scelfo called it. The Sun Devils had to stick with their base 4-3 defense, with the four defensive backs in quarters coverage.

The Sun Devils didn’t have much time to think. When Arizona snapped the ball after Buckner’s catch, only one ASU defensive lineman — tackle Bo Moos — had his hand on the ground, ready to play.

Arizona, meanwhile, was making adjustments.

After seeing Foles scrambling on the previous two plays, the coaches called for a sprint-out to the left, moving the pocket. They couldn’t let him get hit again. Foles threw on the run and hit a quick pass to Juron Criner for a gain of 6.

That was fine. Arizona just wanted to keep playing “inside the chains,” Scelfo said. They also had just made ASU’s defensive linemen chase a play to the perimeter, further wearing them out. The pass rush the rest of the drive would not be a factor.

Arizona was now at its 41.

ASU was still in its base coverage. Arizona had two receivers on either side and knew what to expect. Foles quickly looked for running back Ka’Deem Carey in the right flat, the same screen pass on which running back Keola Antolin went 46 yards in the first quarter.

Carey picked up a block and gained 15 yards. A teammate helped him get off the ground so Arizona could get lined up quickly.

Foles took the snap. His first option was to find receiver David Roberts, coming from the left side, over the middle. Foles read middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict. He had stayed home. Foles glanced away and read cornerback Alden Darby to his left.

If Darby had stayed in the flat, then Roberts would work off Burfict back toward the sideline, settling down between the coverage. But Darby went with Roberts, bracketing the receiver and jamming him in the middle of the field.

Foles could have gone to Criner on a curl route near the left sideline. But that wasn’t his progression. He quickly flipped the pages in his mental playbook: If Darby went with Roberts, then Carey was going to be open on a swing pass to the left.

Foles processed all this in an instant, re-set his feet to throw to the left and fired to Carey, who picked up 11 yards to the ASU 33.

“That is where he has grown so fast,” Scelfo said of Foles.

“I get aggravated when people say, ‘He’s rushing his throws.’ Nobody knows what he is doing. He has so much stuff to do, man. Does he look skittish in the pocket? Not a bit. He looks very comfortable. He gets his feet set. He makes a throw.

“The swing pass is not an easy pass to make, and he makes it and gives it to Ka’Deem in a position where he can get it and go run.”

* * *

ASU had just seen Arizona go 61 yards in less than two minutes. The Devils had to do something to mix up their defense. They did. Pre-snap, Foles spotted a safety in the middle of the field. ASU was man-to-man in what Arizona called “one rat.”

The “rat” was linebacker Colin Parker, who was on the right side of ASU’s formation. He was an X-factor. His job was to read Foles and react.

Nick Foles was 6-for-6 on the drive that got Arizona back in the game in the fourth quarter at Arizona State. Photo by Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic

The middle of the field was closed. ASU was prepared to come with pressure. Foles saw this. He made a check at the line. He knew what to do based off his work during the week in film study.

“We knew going in that if they match up this play with this coverage, throw this route,” Scelfo said.

The call was a quick hitch to Crump, lined up on the left side with Roberts. Cornerback Osahon Irabor was playing about 8 yards off Crump. Arizona would be happy to complete the pass, take 5 yards, stay inside the chains and keep on moving.

But timing is everything.

Foles took the shotgun snap, took a couple of steps back, decisively planted and threw to Crump. As Foles’ hands were split as he prepared to throw, Irabor broke on the ball.

Scelfo sat in his office earlier this week, breaking down the play all over again. What if Foles, he wondered, was a tenth of a second later in delivering the pass?

That fraction might have been enough for Irabor to close enough to stop Crump right where he caught the pass. That is exactly what had happened on the same play earlier in the game.

This time, Crump had just enough separation.

He spun to the sideline, shaking an attempted tackle around his waist. Parker, the rat, had reacted well to the pass, but he overran the play and missed the tackle, too. Roberts was down field, getting in the way just enough to provide some blocking.

Crump cut inside, cut back outside and went 33 yards for a touchdown.

“Once I broke that first tackle, I was in the zone from that point on,” Crump said after Wednesday’s practice.

“That one play will go down in my personal hall of fame forever. I’ve probably watched it 20 times, maybe more. If I’m not watching it, one of friends or something is posting it on my Facebook. It’s hard to avoid it right now.”

* * *

Arizona went 94 yards in two minutes, eight seconds. The Wildcats were back in the game.

They still needed another touchdown drive, and multiple key defensive plays, to win. They got them all. Arizona won 31-27.

Foles, though, couldn’t finish the game, didn’t throw another pass after the one to Crump, leaving the game with a rib contusion.

There is no guarantee Foles will be able to play Saturday against Louisiana in the final game of his career. If he doesn’t, he goes out on the highest of notes — going 6 for 6 for 79 yards on his final full drive.

At first glance, none of his throws was instantly memorable. Crump made the highlight play. But Foles was basically perfect. He kept plays alive. He played fast. He made all the right reads. He knew exactly where to go with the ball. He didn’t hesitate. He hit receivers in stride.

“What you saw the whole drive was Nick being quick in his decision-making,” said Scelfo, snapping his fingers. “It was right there. It was right on.

“He missed some stuff during the game. On this drive, he didn’t.”

Rob Gronkowski was injured while blocking on an extra-point attempt. Photo by Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

It was the most eventful Sunday of the season for former Arizona Wildcats in the NFL.

Let’s start with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The All-Pro, near the end of a brilliant game in which he had seven catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns, suffered a broken left forearm while blocking for an extra point.

He is expected to be out 4-to-6 weeks, which should put him back in time for the playoffs, at the latest.

Gronkowski has 53 receptions for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games this season.

It also was an unhappy day for rookie quarterback Nick Foles, making his first start with the Philadelphia Eagles, replacing Michael Vick (concussion). Foles was intercepted on his first two possessions and struggled through a 31-6 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Foles completed 21 of 46 passes for 204 yards, with no touchdowns.

“I didn’t play well at all. I know it,” he told reporters after the game (video here).

“Tomorrow is another day and an opportunity to get better. … I’ve played bad games before. This is one of them.”

Philly fans had hoped Foles was the savior … but, hey, it was just one game. The Eagles are a mess right now at 3-7, having lost six in a row. They have a ton of issues other than quarterback and could soon (OK, almost certainly) be looking for a new coach.

Meanwhile, Foles’ favorite target at Arizona, the Oakland Raiders’ Juron Criner, made the first touchdown catch of his NFL career. The rookie fifth-rounder, who routinely made difficult catches in the end zone at Arizona, made an over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline for a 3-yard score (video here).

Criner has seven catches this season — five in the past two weeks.

In other ex-Cat news, the Cleveland Browns added defensive end Ricky Elmore to their practice squad last week. Elmore, a sixth-round pick of Green Bay in 2011, was released from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in September.

This is Elmore’s fifth team.

Here is the list of former Arizona Wildcats in the NFL:

Active
–Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago
–Eben Britton, OL, Jacksonville
–Antoine Cason, CB, San Diego
–Juron Criner, WR, Oakland
–Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia
–Nick Folk, PK, New York Jets
–Robert Golden, DB, Pittsburgh
–Chris Gronkowski, FB, Denver
–Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England
–Earl Mitchell, DT, Houston
–Brooks Reed, OLB, Houston
–D’Aundre Reed, DE, Minnesota
–Mike Thomas, WR, Detroit
–Trevin Wade, CB, Cleveland

Practice squad
–WR David Douglas (New York Giants)
–OLB Ricky Elmore (Cleveland)

Waived
–C Colin Baxter (San Diego)
–WR Gino Crump (Arizona)
–DE Lionel Dotson (Buffalo)
–OL Adam Grant (Denver)
–TE Fendi Onobun (Buffalo)
–LB Paul Vassallo (Arizona)

Injured reserve
–LB Spencer Larsen (New England)
–DB Nate Ness (Carolina)

Juron Criner (right) celebrates his touchdown catch with Oakland Raiders receiver Rod Streater. Photo by Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

Nick Foles will be starting for a team that is 3-6 and has lost five in a row. Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images

I’ve watched several interviews with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles this week, and he looks the same as did for three years while holding court as the Arizona Wildcats starter.

Calm. Composed. Confident.

Foles, a rookie third-round draft pick, will be making his first start today, taking over for Michael Vick, who is out because of a concussion suffered last week. Philadelphia kicks off at Washington at 11 a.m. Tucson time.

Foles played for the first time last week — ending a 39-year drought of Arizona quarterbacks in the NFL to the day — completing 22 of 32 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown. He had one pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown, and he also lost a fumble in the end zone in the final minute of a loss to Dallas.

This week, he has been taking the first-strings reps, and, as offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg said of Foles, “He’s busting.”

Foles, in a Friday interview with reporters, said a key for him is “not trying to do too much.” Arizona fans can relate after watching Foles, sometimes in vain, sometimes in gain, try to keep plays alive in all possible manners — even by throwing left-handed.

Foles will be able to make enough positive plays with his arm, especially working off play-action to LeSean McCoy, to be effective. What he can’t have are those turnovers as he works behind a substandard offensive line.

“Just trusting my reads, trusting everything,” he said of how he hopes to play.

“Just play football. Play natural. Play what comes to me. Don’t try to do too much; that’s the key on any level. I learned that in college. At times, I tried to do too much. Try to stay calm and trust the week of preparation.”

Today’s game will mark the first time a former Arizona Wildcats quarterback has started a game since Bill Demory did so for the New York Jets on Oct. 28, 1973.