Nick Foles still leader, confident despite recent injury

Back in Week 3, Nick Foles took a cheap shot from a Redskins defender and the Eagles had his back.

After pushing and shoving, the Birds came together to demolish Washington and show they stand behind their starting quarterback.

The Eagles now have a different starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez, and even though he’s sidelined with a broken collarbone, Nick Foles is still the best teammate anyone could ask for.

“Obviously he is disappointed, but he doesn’t show that,” Kelly said. “All he wants to do is, ‘What can we do to help us win this week?’ He’s been a great teammate, and I think if you guys had seen Mark, how Mark handled it when he was the backup with him, I think both those guys kind of feed off each other. They’re always having discussions on what looks they saw and how did they kind of see it.”

The chemistry between the No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks is something not often found in NFL locker rooms.

Most often, it is two men who are fiercely competing with one another. Or, its a franchise quarterback like a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers backed up by a benchwarmer who only sees the field during mop up duties.

But for the Eagles, Foles and Sanchez are truly partners in leadership.

“I thought [former Eagles starter Michael Vick] and Nick handled it extremely well,” Kelly said, “and I think obviously Mark and Nick have handled it well. I think it says something to your whole team [that it] has to be that way, too. It doesn’t matter if it’s just the one and two quarterback.”