The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost two consecutive games late last season to fall to 6-6. But they were optimistic about rebounding when the Eagles visited Dec. 9 because the Birds started a little-known rookie quarterback named Nick Foles.
"At least in my mind, he was the kind of guy you really wanted to see at that point, because we really needed a win," former Bucs Pro Bowl defensive back Ronde Barber said this past week.
Barber quickly realized that Foles was better than Tampa Bay's defense anticipated.
"He got on the field," Barber said, "and I was shocked."
In the finest day of Foles' short career, the third-round pick completed 32 of 51 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns. Foles rallied the Eagles to a 23-21 victory by throwing two touchdowns in the final four minutes, including a game-winning pass to Jeremy Maclin as time expired.
It was the only happy postgame locker room in Foles' six starts last season, and the final victory of Andy Reid's 14 years in Philadelphia.
"For me, it was my first one," Foles said this past week. "My first and only one. It felt really good to win the game like that."
Foles will have the chance to earn his second win as a starter in the same place as his first. He's expected to start for the Eagles on Sunday when they visit Tampa Bay because Michael Vick is unlikely to play with a pulled left hamstring.
Foles has a new coach and is in a new system, and the offensive talent is significantly upgraded from the depleted roster he won with last season. Tampa Bay improved its defense, although Barber will now be in the broadcast booth analyzing Sunday's game for Fox instead of playing safety.
The Bucs are aware of Foles can do - "We know him all to well," Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said - and need to stop Foles to secure their first win of the season. If Tampa Bay's defense again tries to thwart the Eagles running game, it has vivid memories of Foles' ability.
"He had to be the guy who threw 381 yards," Barber said, "and he was the guy who threw for 381 yards."
The win
Foles started three games before the Eagles visited Tampa in 2012. He lost all three, and the Eagles were on an eight-game losing streak. Foles' performances were uneven - he averaged 191 yards and had just one touchdown and two interceptions in the previous starts - but he was playing without much of his offensive line, and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson were playing with injuries.
The best part of the Eagles offense was Bryce Brown, who averaged 173.5 rushing yards during the previous two games. Tampa Bay used a strong rush defense to limit Brown.
"The Bucs were a top five defense against the rush, and they obviously showed it and proved it that day," said Brown, who rushed for six yards on 12 carries.
So the Eagles relied on the pass. Tampa Bay tried different types of blitzes, and Barber remembered "there was no panic" in Foles.
"We thought that since he was a rookie, we were going to fluster him and mess him up," said Eagles linebacker Najee Goode, who played for Tampa Bay that day. "It shocked the hell out of us."
Foles' best work came in the fourth quarter. The Eagles trailed, 21-10, with 7 minutes 21 seconds remaining. Foles completed 6 of 7 passes for 76 yards on a scoring drive that finished with an 11-yard connection to Clay Harbor in the end zone. They missed the two-point conversion, and needed the defense to get the ball back while trailing by five points.
In a rare occurrence last season, the defense did its job. It forced Tampa Bay to punt after just 71 seconds, and Foles reclaimed possession with 2 minutes, 44 seconds left.
Foles completed just three of his first six passes on the drive and took a sack, but he was aided by a defensive holding that gave the Eagles a first down. On 4th and 1 at the Bucs 31-yard line with 54 seconds remaining, Foles dropped back in the shotgun, then tucked the ball and scrambled 3 yards for the first down. It was a decision Vick is more apt to make than Foles.
"He's definitely more athletic than you think," Barber said.
Barber didn't know that until they played. He also didn't realize how big Foles was until they played.
On the next fourth down - 4th and 5 - Foles connected with Jason Avant for a 22-yard pass to the 1-yard line.
Tampa Bay called a timeout after the Eagles spiked the ball, and Foles retreated to the sideline with time for just one snap. He met with Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.
"I want that one," Foles said, picking a rollout that put Jeremy Maclin in single coverage along the sideline.
Foles ran to his right and hit Maclin along the side of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Maclin sprinted in glee. The sideline erupted in celebration. Reid hugged offensive line coach Howard Mudd. Foles stood still, his expression unchanged.
"He called it, he wanted it, he executed it," Reid said after the game, also adding, "he showed great intestinal fortitude and desire and all the intangible things you look for."
Maclin said after the game that he thought Foles "can be special" and that Foles' "intangibles are off the chart." Goode remembered the crowd failed to intimidate Foles, and the defense noticed the command Foles had in tense moments. Barber couldn't believe Foles' poise for a rookie.
"It wasn't too big for him," Barber said. "Having that kind of confidence and that sense about you, that's rare. You don't see that in very many players."
There were few euphoric locker rooms before that game, and there were none after. But for that one day, pandemonium reigned in the bowels of Raymond James Stadium.
"We had lost like a 100 straight before that," Avant joked.
"It felt like we won the Super Bowl that day," Mychal Kendricks said.
"It was definitely a happy locker room, happy plane ride home," DeMeco Ryans said.
But that excitement was limited to a few hours. King Dunlap reminded the players on the flight that they couldn't enjoy it long because they had a Thursday night game that week against the Bengals. The Eagles' only win in months could not even linger into Monday.
The Eagles - and Foles - struggled against Cincinnati. They did not win again that year. Foles suffered an injury in Week 16. Reid was fired, there were major changes in the organization. Foles became a backup again. But he always had one afternoon in Tampa Bay.
"It was definitely special," Foles said. "Everything we had gone through that season - it was a tough season for everyone."
One year later
Foles watched the film of that Tampa Bay game this past week. So did the Eagles' coaches, most of whom are new. They wanted to see how the defense played against Foles.
"It's the same style of defense," offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said."Even though our scheme is different, there are a lot of plays that are similar. I've said it all along, there's four verticals and a curl flat in every offense, you know, and so we were able to see Nick against the Tampa Bay Bucs and the way that they function defensively."
Tampa Bay has since bolstered its defense, adding Darrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson in the secondary. Young players have also improved.
But this is also a different Eagles offense. McCoy and Jackson are back. They have a healthy offensive line. And coach Chip Kelly's system is new.
Plus, Foles believes he's a better quarterback than he was Tampa Bay last season. But he does not believe that experience in December will help him on Sunday.
"Not at all," Foles said. "It's a new season, new game."
Schiano and the Bucs know what Foles can do. Barber does, too. Barber said Foles is "one of the top guys you want as a backup right now" and added Foles can be an NFL starter.
When he watched Foles relieve Vick last week, Barber didn't expect Foles to play as well as he did. It reminded him of the experience last season.
"I'm still kind of taken aback by the way he is now, still, just how poised he is," Barber said. "He was supremely confident. You can just see it. That didn't show up to me on tape (last season), but it showed up to me in that game."
