Eagles vs. Patriots: Rookie QB Nick Foles Gives Andy Reid a Little Peace of Mind

Heading into tonight's preseason matchup with the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid indicated that tonight would be the "dress rehearsal" for his football team. 

Reid and the Eagles had better hope a bad dress rehearsal means they are in line for a good performance. 

From starting quarterback Michael Vick leaving with (another) injury, to the starting defense showing many of the third-down issues that made last year such a frustrating exercise for Eagles fans, the initial portion of the Eagles warm-up for the regular season was close to debacle-level.

No doubt frustrated by the litany of penalties called on his defense, and maybe a bit flustered by yet another early exit from a starting quarterback who seems destined to never play 16 games in a season ever again, Andy Reid blew his top on the Eagles sideline. 

Who knows how it started, but it was clear Reid had seen enough after ESPN's cameras caught him blasting members of his defense and going toe-to-toe with defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins.

Clearly, this was meant as a wake-up call for his football team. Reid went after a respected veteran leader in Jenkins because he knew Jenkins could handle it. 

And the Eagles certainly responded, especially their rookie quarterback Nick Foles. 

Foles was damn near a revelation after taking over for Vick, exhibiting a command of the offense that was surprising for a rookie who was seeing only his second limited action against NFL talent. 

From his comfort in and ability to manipulate the pocket, to the sophistication he exhibited in going through his progressions, Foles ran the Eagles offense as though he'd been working in it for four years rather than four months. 

Obviously, it wasn't all sweetness and light for the rookie. He threw a horrible interception toward the end of the first half where he seemed to predetermine a deep throw against Cover 2 instead of settling for something short that would have set up a half-ending field goal.

But for the most part Foles looked fantastic, completing 18-of-28 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, he looked at home-running the first-team offense, which he may end up doing sooner rather than later during the regular season if Vick continues to take the kind of shots he took tonight.