Michael Bennett, Of All People, Thinks Bears Got Lucky Getting Nick Foles

Probably one of the most complicated legacies going in the NFL right now is Nick Foles. Here's a guy who once threw 27 touchdowns in just 10 games in 2013 with a mere two interceptions. Then four years later he carries the Philadelphia Eagles, who hadn't won a championship since 1960, to a Super Bowl title. Beating Tom Brady and the mighty New England Patriots to do it. On the flip side, this is also a player who got benched twice in his career, almost retired, and has never played a full season. Yet that doesn't seem to matter to Michael Bennett.

Chicago Bears fans should know the name well. He is the brother of former tight end Martellus Bennett. Anybody who has followed football for the past 10 years understands that members of that family tend to be...outspoken we'll say. One thing to remember about Bennett is he's played with all forms of quarterbacks in his career. He was stuck with Josh Freeman in Tampa Bay, then joined Russell Wilson to win a Super Bowl in 2013. Then he spent a season with the Eagles in 2018 playing with both Foles and Carson Wentz. Finally, he finished up 2019 with stints in Dallas and New England playing with Dak Prescott and Tom Brady.

So the guy knows what good quarterbacks look like.

That is why his comments in a recent interview were rather jarring. Bennett appeared on the Green Light podcast with former Eagles teammate Chris Long. The discussion was about police brutality in the country today. However, the conversation drifted close enough to talking about former teammate Wentz in Philadelphia and whether he has enough guts to stand up for what's right publicly.

That was when Bennett, completely unprompted, decided to fire off his own thoughts on that whole situation.

"Long: I look at the Carson Wentz situation, someone I always knew had it in him. If you play with Carson, he is a good guy, but you don’t know if he has that intestinal fortitude to be that first one to step over the line--

Bennett: Nick Foles is better.

Long: He said Nick Foles is better.

McCourty: Yes (laughter).

Bennett: Keep going, keep going.

Long: As a sidebar, it seems to matter what time you are on too because it didn’t go well in Jacksonville.

Bennett: Yeah yeah, I’m just saying. (laughter).

Long: You are the worst. We are trying to have a serious conversation and you wanna divide Philly in-half. I love both those motherfuckers, let me both-sides that. There is no both-sidezing on police brutality to me but on the Nick Foles/Carson Wentz debate, I’m gonna straddle the line like a fucking champ.”

"

Is Michael Bennett right about Nick Foles?

This begs the question. If Bennett feels so strongly about this, why don't other people? One would think Foles would get more respect for what he did in Philadelphia under less than ideal circumstances. He won a Super Bowl in 2017. A year later, he went 4-1 as a starter. This included nail-biter wins down the stretch over the Rams (30-23) and Texans (32-30) to make the playoffs at 9-7. Then of course he engineered the 16-15 upset of the Bears in the wild card round. He might've done the same to the Saints a week later if not for a dropped Alshon Jeffery pass.

Yet most people act like all of that was a fluke. Why? Probably due to what happened in Jacksonville. After a strong start in his first game, Foles broke his collarbone while throwing a TD pass to D.J. Chark. This allowed rookie Gardner Minshew to come in and put together a string of inspiring performances. When Foles returned, the winds were already blowing in a new direction. He actually played decent his first two games back, throwing for 568 yards, two TDs, and an interception. He just couldn't overcome a defense that gave up 75 points combined.

When he struggled the next week against Tampa Bay, the Jaguars benched him for Minshew.

A few months later the Bears sent a late 4th round pick to in exchange for him. Plenty of national pundits felt they overpaid. Foles isn't anything special. He won't move the needle for this team. Based on what Bennett is saying, they don't know what they're talking about. If Chicago gives him an opportunity, they won't regret it.